Hymer Touring GT owners & resources thread - Page 4 - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 07-08-2019, 01:15 PM   #61
Senior Member
 
OCJohn's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Hymer
California
Posts: 200
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justus C View Post
The camper van market is hot enough to make the line attractive. The North American pop top fiberglass trailer market? Not so much.
Could be a great opportunity for someone to continue building them, though... If someone ponies up to buy all that remains of the trailer production (parts, bodies, unfinished trailers, etc...) at auction this week, they could probably acquire the molds and design IP also. I'm sure they'd have to rename it. And likely make some manufacturing/component changes. But it would still be a lot cheaper than starting a trailer line from scratch.

I'm not holding my breath about that. But I wouldn't be surprised, either.
OCJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 05:18 PM   #62
Senior Member
 
Steve Hammel's Avatar
 
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Posts: 2,050
Registry
OCJohn, does Eriba own Hymer or does Hymer own Eriba? I've looked around the Eriba page and frankly those Brits are some pretty darned nice folks. The Eriba Troll and Rockabilly seem to be the same as our Hymer Touring GT.
__________________
Previously Owned: Trillium 4500, Scamp 19', Bigfoot 17', Boler 17', Bonair Oxygen, Hymer Touring GT, Scamp 13 Deluxe, Casita 16.
Steve Hammel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 05:46 PM   #63
Senior Member
 
Civilguy's Avatar
 
Name: Mike
Trailer: Escape 21 & Jeep GC 5.7 (Previous 2012 Casita FD17 & 2010 Audi Q5)
Puget Sound, WA
Posts: 1,775
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Hammel View Post
OCJohn, does Eriba own Hymer or does Hymer own Eriba? I've looked around the Eriba page and frankly those Brits are some pretty darned nice folks. The Eriba Troll and Rockabilly seem to be the same as our Hymer Touring GT.
Eriba was the name of the first product developed by Erwin Hymer.
1957 Erich Bachem (“ERIBA”) and Erwin Hymer build the original “Troll”, the first caravan
If you click on the links on the left-side of the page I linked below, there's some interesting history there.

https://www.eriba.com/en/company/historie/
  • 60 years on the move
  • The Pioneer
  • The history of the HYMER motorhome.
  • The history of the ERIBA caravan.
  • History of HYMERCAR
It's really sad that the North American venture went so badly.
__________________
~ “It’s absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.” Oscar Wilde ~
~ “What the human being is best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact.” Warren Buffett ~

Civilguy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 06:48 PM   #64
Senior Member
 
OCJohn's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Hymer
California
Posts: 200
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Hammel View Post
OCJohn, does Eriba own Hymer or does Hymer own Eriba? I've looked around the Eriba page and frankly those Brits are some pretty darned nice folks. The Eriba Troll and Rockabilly seem to be the same as our Hymer Touring GT.
Hymer (EU) makes the Eribas and owned Erwin Hymer Group North America, who made the Hymer GT.

The Eriba Folk ARE nice folks. But their trailers are very different from ours. (Even if they look nearly identical.)
OCJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2019, 09:49 AM   #66
Junior Member
 
Name: Hugh
Trailer: Hymer
UK
Posts: 2
Fitting a Purpleline motor mover

We are soon to take delivery of our Hymer Eriba and have been looking at the options for a mover. Sicard offered a Trailer Valet, but we aren’t very taken by it. Our preference is something like the Purpleline mover which mounts an electric motor behind or in front of each wheel. It is operated by remote control.

The big question is will it fit? There are two potential issues. One is whether the chassis on the Hymer will suit the mounting of the Purpleline system and Two, can it be mounted either in front of or behind both wheels. There is a suggestion that the grey water tank is behind one wheel and the a/c in front of the other. That might be a problem. Is there anyone here who already has taken delivery that could comment?

There’s a fitting guide video here that may help with the discussion...

Installation Videos | Trailer Movers | Trailer Mover | Remote Trailer Movers | Purple Line

Many thanks in advance...
Hugh B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 09:43 AM   #67
Junior Member
 
Name: Ed
Trailer: 2018 Escape 19
British Columbia
Posts: 22
Hymer shells free

The shells did not sell so they put out 100 of them free for the taking!
Attached Thumbnails
CD3CCCD0-C9ED-4003-A872-2636941A1267.jpg  
Eggscape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 12:26 PM   #68
Senior Member
 
OCJohn's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Hymer
California
Posts: 200
Registry
I can't wait to see someone do a custom build from one of those.
OCJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 12:42 PM   #69
Senior Member
 
Raspy's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Roamer 1
Smith Valley, Nevada
Posts: 2,879
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eggscape View Post
The shells did not sell so they put out 100 of them free for the taking!
Wow!
__________________
I only exaggerate enough to compensate for being taken with a grain of salt.
Raspy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2019, 07:43 PM   #70
Junior Member
 
Name: Phil
Posts: 23
hello - owner of Touring Gt #74

Hello to all.
I am replying to this earlier post because it is essentially noting the desire to have a common touch point for us orphaned trailer owners.

(probably my only real regret is maybe i could have saved a few grand, but since it filled my preference, i would likely have bought anyway)

I just recently found this thread and will need to catch up on items discussed.

Just a couple of notes though.
I followed the development since inception and did finally buy just a couple of weeks before the collapse. (no i did not know).

I bought for particular reason. I determined it would fit into a garage with a 7 ft tall door if i made special wheels. ( i live in a townhome and i hate storage fees)

Clearly, there are some compromises, but when i am finished making a few mods, I suspect it will serve my purposes.

probably the biggest compromise was not having a fully sealed wet-bath.

Presently i am converting the bed to 2 twins. Somewhat like some of the european models. this was planned from the beginning as it will allow me to install a small recliner between them.

I have added 3 - 110v outlets (bath/kitchen/by tail end of bed)

in all cases, careful attention to weight removed and weight installed is required.

I also replaced the original tires with an 8-ply equivalent/ load range d to improve towability. the stiffer tire reduces trailer bounce. adds about 1/2" to road clearance and provides considerable safety margin. i used to originals to make two spares.

I have noticed a particularly bothersome problem during towing above 55mph. the top front corners of the pop top literally flop in the air stream and allow rain directly in. I have not completed a design solution to this at this time, though i have a few ideas. will really be looking for this in the thread somewhere.

I did note someone was going to fill the seal gaps on the top of the body. these are drains for water that creeps in. so best to leave them.

I look forward to hearing and sharing various ideas.

regards to all

phil
Pd001escape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-10-2019, 02:49 PM   #71
Senior Member
 
Civilguy's Avatar
 
Name: Mike
Trailer: Escape 21 & Jeep GC 5.7 (Previous 2012 Casita FD17 & 2010 Audi Q5)
Puget Sound, WA
Posts: 1,775
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pd001escape View Post
I have noticed a particularly bothersome problem during towing above 55mph. the top front corners of the pop top literally flop in the air stream and allow rain directly in. I have not completed a design solution to this at this time, though i have a few ideas. will really be looking for this in the thread somewhere.

I did note someone was going to fill the seal gaps on the top of the body. these are drains for water that creeps in. so best to leave them.
Phil,

Welcome to the forum.

The idea of resolving the top fluttering open at high speeds sounds like it will be interesting to follow. Perhaps the top could be stiffened, or maybe a little "spoiler" would help keep the lid down.

I'll be interested to see what you learn.
__________________
~ “It’s absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.” Oscar Wilde ~
~ “What the human being is best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact.” Warren Buffett ~

Civilguy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-10-2019, 03:15 PM   #72
Junior Member
 
Name: Hugh
Trailer: Hymer
UK
Posts: 2
There is a growing community of Hymer owners on Facebook who are coming together to help one another with these trailers. I would encourage owners to join in with the conversations over there..

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4278...80510/?fref=nf
Hugh B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2019, 02:27 PM   #73
Senior Member
 
Name: Justus
Trailer: Currently Shopping
California
Posts: 291
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pd001escape View Post
Hello to all.
...
Presently i am converting the bed to 2 twins. Somewhat like some of the european models. this was planned from the beginning as it will allow me to install a small recliner between them.

I have added 3 - 110v outlets (bath/kitchen/by tail end of bed)

in all cases, careful attention to weight removed and weight installed is required.

...

I have noticed a particularly bothersome problem during towing above 55mph. the top front corners of the pop top literally flop in the air stream and allow rain directly in. I have not completed a design solution to this at this time, though i have a few ideas. will really be looking for this in the thread somewhere.

I did note someone was going to fill the seal gaps on the top of the body. these are drains for water that creeps in. so best to leave them.

I look forward to hearing and sharing various ideas.

regards to all

phil
I found sleeping lengthwise in the bed to be uncomfortable. At only 5'8", my feet were pressed right up against the trailer so we ended up sleeping width-wise. While I like the idea of a little seat back there, I think I like the luxury of spreading out more.

For the 110v outlets, did you splice off of the dinette outlet or add new wiring from the fuse box? I've noted that the microwave outlet only has power when connected to shore power and have been trying to think of a way to take advantage of that. It wouldn't be difficult to wire it for two receptacles instead of one, and then reserve it for high loads, like a space heater, to avoid draining the battery in case of a power loss. Any loss of power would just shut it off instead of drawing off the inverter.

We do not experience the top flapping issue that you describe. I wonder if your hold down clips inside need adjusting? Maybe it has something to do with the way air coming off of your TV interacts with it?

The gaps in the weatherstripping up top do appear to be drains. If not exactly level, however, water will pool in the sloped ends. I wiped down the back of our roof this weekend as it had accumulated a dusty brown film after the pooled water dried out.

One issue you may run into is that the screws holding the refrigerator brackets in place will egg out holes in the plywood and possible fall out. I believe I have fixed this by drilling clean holes through the plywood and replacing the screws with #10 machine bolts, washers, and nylon lock nuts. I flipped the brackets around and positioned them to allow full opening of the refrigerator door. The long piece of trim above the fridge can be pried off for access to the top side of that plywood brace. I only have a few hours of travel with the new setup but so far there is no sign of the bolts coming loose.

Another minor issue is the ducting. I found one connector (of 3) coming out of the truma heater that was disconnected. I've also found that the ductwork was roughly installed, resulting in pinches and partially crushed sections. A "some day" project will be to replace with flexible instead of semi-rigid ducting.

On the Facebook page, one of our members found that Truma will provide an extra year of warranty coverage on the furnace/water heater just for registering on their website: Truma North America | Truma. She used her bill of sale as proof of original purchase.
Justus C is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2019, 11:34 AM   #74
Junior Member
 
Name: L
Trailer: currently shopping
Texas
Posts: 1
Anyone know if any exterior parts are available? I do not have Facebook so am unable to access this resource - I've been browsing these forums for a while and am tentatively planning on grabbing a unit that is missing a tail light. Have no idea if I can find a replacement though. Any ideas?
ghost is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2019, 01:55 PM   #75
Junior Member
 
Name: Nigel
Trailer: In the market
Ontario
Posts: 27
If that unit is at a dealer near Grimsby, Ontario take a good look at it. I looked through the window on the drivers side and could see daylight through the hinge side of the door. I wasn’t interested in trying to make the door fit. Although the price was tempting.
If you can’t find a tail light it shouldn’t be hard to mount a different style, it is not like these trailers are so common that someone will notice the different lamps.


Nigel
NigelW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2019, 08:54 AM   #76
Senior Member
 
OCJohn's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Hymer
California
Posts: 200
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghost View Post
Anyone know if any exterior parts are available? I do not have Facebook so am unable to access this resource - I've been browsing these forums for a while and am tentatively planning on grabbing a unit that is missing a tail light. Have no idea if I can find a replacement though. Any ideas?
www.sicardrv.com is the Canadian dealer who sold the pre-auction inventory of 50+ trailers. Several people have said Sicard also purchased a lot of the parts inventory from the Erwin Hymer Group NA liquidation auction last month. So Sicard would be your best bet.

If Sicard doesn't have what you're looking for I would try www.automotiveleisure.co.uk in England.
OCJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2019, 02:44 PM   #77
Junior Member
 
Name: Phil
Posts: 23
update - my hymer

Hello all,
since officially joining early in the year, i have not had time to post.
But now that my stage 1 modifications to my Touring GT are complete, i thought i would take a moment and hopefully be able to come back here a couple times a month.

I bought my Hymer because i determined it would fit in an 84" tall (7ft) garage door opening. (I bought a week before the collapse, but would have bought after also since i waited almost 3 years from that first announcement and my only alternative was to build out my own from a cargo trailer.) (There are a couple of reasons for this. 1 is I don't like to pay storage fees and live in a townhome, and 2 I want to keep it out of the elements when not used as well as keeping it at home where i can tinker.)

I planned to and have made special wheels that replace the regular wheels in order to accomplish this and it works fine. (since a I presently camp only several times a year, the wheel change is not a particular issue.)

It was always planned to convert to twin beds. Primarily to provide a space for a recliner and make upper cabinet access easier. This has been completed. It also opened up floor space to give lots of room to move about and i was surprised at that. Yes - it does limit who can sleep here, but I'm 5'11" and my wife is 5'2" so it works for us. I ordered new twin mattresses and cut in the large radius. (incidentally, I saved the original king and have it stored as it would not be difficult to put back in.) there is storage under each bed. (the king arrangement had a lot of storage, but we all need to keep in mind GVW - so that was not a concern to me that i took that away)

I added safety grab bars for the entry - a floor to ceiling one to the right and a horizontal grab rail to the left below the counter top. these work well.

i added a couple inches to the top of the step to make that an easier step up. (we are older) and have another ground step for that 1st step up.

added 3 electrical outlets for convenience. one in bath, one above the counter and one back by the new bed arrangement.

we do not need sleeping for 4 and i did not like how the dining table impinged on the floor space, so I shortened it about 8". it converts to a 3rd single bed if needed. (a new table top can always be made to convert back)

A few items were needed to be handled/repaired.
A. the foldout step has a lot of give and could potentially fatigue. i reinforced it by adding 2 bolts thru the threshold plate down thru the step frame below the trailer.

B. when reworking the wiring to add the outlets, i discovered the wiring jackets as well as water piping ran thru rough cutouts in the fiberglass inside panels. they already showed some signs of abrasion from only 400 miles of towing. I added edge trim to eliminate that. I used rubber hose, but there is boating trim, wraps for the wiring and tubing or any other suitable means. Its a lot easier to prevent a problem than fix it later - especially a water tube break.

C. Likely everyone has noticed how the front of the top lifts off above 55mph.
I gave that considerable thought from various latches to additional fiberglass layup. For the present I have added 4 holddown straps using velcro. I use the standard loop velcro but I use the industrial button type plastic velcro hook.
this will do the job simply, but probably has limited life either from cycling or from UV exposure. I tested the buttons and they will give at least 100 cycles - possibly 200 which would equate to about 3-5 years usage for me. If it were parked outside, i think UV would be the limiting factor at 1 to 2 years. Either way - replacement takes about an hour counting removal and reapplication so I'm good for now.
a more permanent fix would be a draw latch passing thru the top and latching underneath and i will probably look at designing that at a future date.

D. some may have noticed their inside window frames with screens and blinds coming loose. This is caused by two things. First, they used some exposed balsa plywood glued to the fiberglass to provide the attachment. i had 8 failures and the wood was moldy and delaminated. 2nd - they used balsa plywood which is great for weight control but poor for screw holding strength. I made and installed new ones from exterior plywood and they are now fine. part of this task was how to attach the plywood. after considerable experimentation, i used fuze-it adhesive. amazingly strong, maintains a slightly flexible bond, fills well and can handle the thermal variance that occurs in the sun. all told this cost me 2 extra pounds of weight.

E. i reinforced the screws into the fiberglass for the window braces. the ones they used were too small and some already stripped, so they weren't going to last long. we'll see how this works. if i need a better arrangement i will switch to screws with nuts.

f. messing with windows requires access through the tape they used for trimming. I found a good alternative to be gorilla tape, but will have to see how it holds up long term.

That's it for now. Stage 2 work is for those smaller things discovered during use and i am still looking at how to improve the use of the wet bath.

I will post a few pics of details for the above in December.

regards all,

Phil

(when i have time, i'll start to catch up on other's posts. so i apologize if I have posted anything that duplicates other posts/threads. But hopefully there has already been some brainstorming and better solutions to things I have found)
Pd001escape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2019, 03:04 PM   #78
Member
 
Name: Michael
Trailer: Former Scamp 13, Former Airstream 16
Connecticut
Posts: 78
Phil: Thanks for posting. That's great that you are able to garage your Hymer!

Curious to know your estimate of trailer weight and tongue weight ready to camp.

Do you use a weight distribution hitch?

What do you use for a tow vehicle with the Hymer?

Thanks! Mike
pedalmike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2019, 05:09 PM   #79
Junior Member
 
Name: Phil
Posts: 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedalmike View Post
Phil: Thanks for posting. That's great that you are able to garage your Hymer!

Curious to know your estimate of trailer weight and tongue weight ready to camp.

Do you use a weight distribution hitch?

What do you use for a tow vehicle with the Hymer?

Thanks! Mike
My weight is probably close to the 2700#. I haven't scaled yet. I added about 20# total with changes. I was careful to remove some materials to account for changes.

My tongue weight is 220# but that's not ready to camp. I am very careful with loading so it should remain 210# to 250#.

No wd hitch at present. First I changed tires. Haven't trailered with them yet. If not happy, I'll add air springs 1st. For this weight I should be good.

Tow is 2017 gmc canyon diesel. 7700# tow.
It's problem is payload, so I have to cautious since I'm planning a remote start generator in bed of truck.

Towing has been very easy. Only problem is some bounce when going over dips at lower speeds. The new tires should help. If not I think the air springs will damp it out. Oem springs a little too carlike.

Also Oem truck tires are junk. So I'll probably swap them sooner than later.
Pd001escape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2019, 02:58 PM   #80
Senior Member
 
Name: Justus
Trailer: Currently Shopping
California
Posts: 291
Phil, what thickness of plywood did you need to do the window repairs?

Did this involve removing the exterior window as well as the frame?

Is the tape you are referring to on the inside or outside of the shell?
Justus C is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
hymer


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Pricing strategies on a Hymer Touring GT Karmantra General Chat 37 07-02-2019 04:13 PM
2019 Hymer Touring GT550 Robert Baker General Chat 28 01-24-2019 11:01 AM
Hymer Touring GT fiberglass trailer info? Karmantra General Chat 4 01-20-2019 04:45 PM
Traveling Job Resources? Pullnotpush General Chat 10 02-18-2016 07:15 PM

» Trailer Showcase

Boler

Adele M.

Cheezy

Jay C
» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:53 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.