Hymer Touring GT owners & resources thread

[OCJohn]

Update: 15 miles of washboard dirt roads led to the campsite below. Worth it, but the beating and vibration exposed a few areas of weakness that need attention...

• medicine cabinet – mirror bounces and beats on the cabinet bottom/shelf. Fix (for now) was to upgrade to larger size screws
• kitchen drawers – factory screws for drawer slides are worthless for holding in the hollow-core panels. I replaced mine with T-nuts and machine screws or longer, HD wood screws and thick, hardwood backer where possible. The machine screws still worked themselves loose with vibration, so I'll need to reinstall with Loctite.
• sink drain couplers – ABS couplers removed themselves (both sinks) from the threaded steel sink strainer fittings. Needs to be checked and tightened after travel/before use (or water will drain into drawers and cabinet...)
• toilet cassette – becomes displaced/misaligned from seal and lever mechanism. Needs to be checked and pushed back into place after travel/before use. (From outside, just open the cassette door and push cassette forward so the orange handle clicks into place.)

[pedalmike]

OCJohn: Well done!

Re: the abs couplers- if they have 'ears' rather than knurling, you can drill a hole on one of the ears and safety wire it to something immobile nearby.

https://www.bikebandit.com/blog/how-...why-you-should

Mostly used on race vehicles and aircraft, but no reason why it can't be used in your Hymer!

Best,

Mike

[OCJohn]

Finally a chance to use the safety wire pliers and garage sale tin of stainless wire I’ve had forever...

[Dave Fish]

When is safety wire not so safe? When you poke you finger with the end after you cut it and bleed all over your project. Don't ask me how I know.

Originally Posted by pedalmike

OCJohn: Well done!

Re: the abs couplers- if they have 'ears' rather than knurling, you can drill a hole on one of the ears and safety wire it to something immobile nearby.

https://www.bikebandit.com/blog/how-...why-you-should

Mostly used on race vehicles and aircraft, but no treason why it can't be used in your Hymer!

Best,

Mike

[OCJohn]

Originally Posted by Dave Fish

When is safety wire not so safe? When you poke you finger with the end after you cut it and bleed all over your project. Don't ask me how I know.

Yeah, but if you do that in the middle of a race, the blood expands in a neat looking pattern on your white Nomex glove.

[Pd001escape]

Hey thx - nice notes.

i wanted to update folks on my unit
I did a 3 day camping test - local.
I also noted that even over highway - the toilet tank bounces loose. i will be looking at strap in or wedge. it actually caused the shutter to drop into tank. it is snap together but used a mirror inside to reassemble. a smaller hand would have helped.

i also found load distribution poor so some sway - ill adjust that too.

the biggest was since i live in florida - the ac.
it could not really keep up at nite.
a quick think revealed the best supply vent was located right by the return sending cold air on a loop - thus short cycling the a/c. I did a tube in that supply to redirect the air and was able to drop a couple degrees. not good enough.

since - i have been working thru the a/c and also talked with mfg.
Friends - unless your a/c is actually broken, it is fine. the problem was total lack of knowledge by Hymer as to how a/c works.

here's what i found:
the main a/c blower supply output is about 22 square inches. it feeds to 2 supply tubes totaling 8.75 square inches. so they plumbed it wrong.

worse - they didn't seal the duct to the tubes and provide no transition to help flow but just stuck them into a cover over the blower.

then the best blower was located next to the return air duct and the thermostat is located in that duct.

the result not much air flow and what is there is directed immediately back to itself.

as a last insult one of the 60mm ducts (thats what they are) was half crushed.

fortunately it ended up being fixable, albeit some work.
one duct was sent to 3 supply outputs - i changed that to 2.
i redid the mounts covers and added a 2nd 60mm duct and directed that to the disconnected location.
next - replaced the duct on the 2nd supply blower position with a 3" duct run to the top of the cabinet thru the removeable access for the sink drain.
i completely removed the lower outlet by the floor near the door.
i also sealed the blower to the ducts thru the floor. (so no bleed out there).

yes there was some cabinet rework in all this. but now - the a/c put out tremendous amounts of a/c.

still need to test total cool down overnite.

for what its worth, this can probably be done a little less involved by putting in a 3" or possibly even a 4" duct through the lower panel of the kitchen base cabinet. i would guess it would deliver close to 75% of my effort, but likely good enough in order to simplify the work.

i know this is rough - but i wanted to get it out there that with some effort, we can be satisfied with the a/c performance.

after completely done testing, i can upload some before/in process/complete pics.

BTW 60mm ducting and fittings available on amazon. 3" duct available home depot or similar and the 3 directable vent on amazon

looking forward to another test trip as soon as our campgrounds reopen. would like to do a July test.

regars to all

[OCJohn]

Love to see photos of your A/C fixes. Please post if you took any.

[Ferris5]

Originally Posted by Pd001escape

Hey thx - nice notes.

i wanted to update folks on my unit
I did a 3 day camping test - local.
I also noted that even over highway - the toilet tank bounces loose. i will be looking at strap in or wedge. it actually caused the shutter to drop into tank. it is snap together but used a mirror inside to reassemble. a smaller hand would have helped.

i also found load distribution poor so some sway - ill adjust that too.

the biggest was since i live in florida - the ac.
it could not really keep up at nite.
a quick think revealed the best supply vent was located right by the return sending cold air on a loop - thus short cycling the a/c. I did a tube in that supply to redirect the air and was able to drop a couple degrees. not good enough.

since - i have been working thru the a/c and also talked with mfg.
Friends - unless your a/c is actually broken, it is fine. the problem was total lack of knowledge by Hymer as to how a/c works.

here's what i found:
the main a/c blower supply output is about 22 square inches. it feeds to 2 supply tubes totaling 8.75 square inches. so they plumbed it wrong.

worse - they didn't seal the duct to the tubes and provide no transition to help flow but just stuck them into a cover over the blower.

then the best blower was located next to the return air duct and the thermostat is located in that duct.

the result not much air flow and what is there is directed immediately back to itself.

as a last insult one of the 60mm ducts (thats what they are) was half crushed.

fortunately it ended up being fixable, albeit some work.
one duct was sent to 3 supply outputs - i changed that to 2.
i redid the mounts covers and added a 2nd 60mm duct and directed that to the disconnected location.
next - replaced the duct on the 2nd supply blower position with a 3" duct run to the top of the cabinet thru the removeable access for the sink drain.
i completely removed the lower outlet by the floor near the door.
i also sealed the blower to the ducts thru the floor. (so no bleed out there).

yes there was some cabinet rework in all this. but now - the a/c put out tremendous amounts of a/c.

still need to test total cool down overnite.

for what its worth, this can probably be done a little less involved by putting in a 3" or possibly even a 4" duct through the lower panel of the kitchen base cabinet. i would guess it would deliver close to 75% of my effort, but likely good enough in order to simplify the work.

i know this is rough - but i wanted to get it out there that with some effort, we can be satisfied with the a/c performance.

after completely done testing, i can upload some before/in process/complete pics.

BTW 60mm ducting and fittings available on amazon. 3" duct available home depot or similar and the 3 directable vent on amazon

looking forward to another test trip as soon as our campgrounds reopen. would like to do a July test.

regars to all

Would also like to see some photos of your work to get a better idea of what you've done...if that is possible. Fingers crossed that your hard work has increased the cool down at night.

[Justus C]

Originally Posted by Pd001escape

...

That is great work on the AC unit! In the Facebook group, a couple members have come to some of those conclusions but I think you are the first to put them all together and pursue a solution.

Having the strongest exhaust blowing out right next to the intake has been noted as one of the biggest design flaws. I think having the thermostat located inside the inlet plenum is also a major flaw, since the unit is located beneath the trailer where cold air pools, but I haven't had the guts to even think about relocating it.

I've seen a couple additional solutions you might think about to further improve efficiency if this doesn't quite do it:

1) Drop the AC unit and put weatherstripping around the inlet and outlet plenums. Since the unit isn't sealed tight against the fiberglass floor, the suspicion is that there is exchange between the hot and cold sides through this gap before the air even gets into the trailer.

2) Replace the particle board mount cover with a custom designed, 3D-printed fitting to support 3 or 4 individual outlets (as opposed to 2 feeding 4). This would press-fit into the existing blower holes. The extra mile would be removing the top of the AC, then using aluminum duct tape to completely seal these fittings to the AC with weatherstripping around it to create a tight seal against the hole in the bottom of the trailer.

3) Add cross ventilation under your trailer. This one would not be aesthetic, as you would just be placing a small fan to blow fresh air under the trailer. My thinking is that the fan pulling air over the condenser coils is blowing hot air directly under the trailer. That hot air will rise and pool under the trailer before escaping out the sides. So now the entire AC unit is sitting in a pool of hotter-than-ambient air, and the condenser fan is pulling that hot air in to cool the condenser coils and the compressor, and overall efficiency decreases.

It has also been suggested by an Eriba owner to keep the top opened with the vents unzipped. European summers are a bit different than summers in Florida, but the premise is that the hottest air in your trailer will be at the top and because the AC is at the bottom, that hot air will never be circulated so the only option is to let it escape and be replaced by slightly-less-hot air.

I have found the trailer to ventilate nicely. We did some summer camping in norther Illinois and needed nothing but a box fan to keep air circulating in the trailer. But I spent enough years in Florida to know that no amount of natural ventilation will compensate for humidity. After our second lakefront winter, I sure do miss that humidity...

[neez]

Is anyone driving around without anti-sway control? Is this light and small enough to not need it? I'm just asking in case I want to drive a couple hundred miles to buy a used one and don't have time to get that set up.

[pedalmike]

Neez:

It's possible to tow it without anti-sway, but it will be dependent on your tow vehicle, hitch ball height, and even the distance from rear axle of your tow vehicle to the hitch ball (shorter distance generally better).

In most cases, if you can tow it with the trailer level or slightly down in front, that will induce less sway than if the trailer tongue is higher (trailer tilted toward the rear).


Mike

[OCJohn]

I drove mine from the dealer in Dallas to our home near Disneyland. All without sway control. It felt nervous at higher speeds and gusty winds. Especially so in west TX with a 75mph speed limit for trucks and trailers.

Modest speeds (up to 60...), safe driving and extra tongue weight are your friends. A FULL fresh water tank helps a lot. That would be my plan for the tow home.

A 2-foot tongue extension was my solution to help stability. Not for everyone, but it was a BIG improvement.

[Doug VP]

When we purchased ours and drove it home (about 120 miles) I noticed a tendency for it to sway above 65MPH - with an empty trailer of course. Our first camping outing was delayed because the loaded trailer swayed very badly above 55. I mean scary bad, "I'm not sure I want to keep this thing" bad. We had loaded the capacious space under the bed with camping gear, and had loaded the tow vehicle (2018 Toyota Highlander w/ tow package rated at 5K#) improperly as well (never had a concern RE: this w/ the first two trailers). We redistributed the weight in the trailer from rear to front, and moved heavy items in the vehicle to the axle center line, and things improved greatly. But still a bit freaky at 60+.

FYI the loaded trailer tips in at 3150#, and has a tongue weight of 280#. So, a bit more weight on the tongue won't hurt. Even with this modest tongue weight, hitching the trailer drops the rear of the car noticeably. There's no suspension assist option for this vehicle, BTW.

Anyway, we really like the trailer but this situation has to be improved for us to consider keeping it. Sway control is a challenge on these units because of the single spar tongue and the surge brakes. There's nowhere to attach sway control arms, and the system must permit the trailer to move forward/backward an inch or so for the brakes to work. I found, on eTrailer, some assistance, and have purchased a Blue Ox sway control system which includes a bolt on crossmember to hold the outrigger/sway bars, and chains which permits back/forth movement. We having used it yet, but I can tell right off that it levels off the tow vehicle.

I'm in the process of making some other changes - adding a second AGM battery to the tongue and relocating the LPG tank. This should all contribute to better weight distribution. Once we travel and camp with it again, I'll post about the results of these changes.

I don't have time right now to go into a likes/dislikes report on the trailer, but the likes far outweigh (no pun intended) the dislikes. I'm counting on resolving the sway issue, and I'm also hoping to mount a retractable awning, like a Thule, or Fiamma, or Colorado Comfort - but I'll need someone to fab some brackets, and muster up the courage to drill holes in the body of the trailer.

[Doug VP]

Great idea about the switch on the refrigerator. I located one of the switches you referenced and installed it - simple job except the close fit of the refrigerator once pulled out; a two person job for the seniors amongst us. Looks like it came that way, and it should have....
Thanks
Doug VP

[Bill Rafoss]

Hi there, I am a new owner of a 2019 Hymer Touring GT. Loving it so far! I am looking for an owners manual for the basics. I have user manuals for all the appliances. Any leads?

Bill R
Saskatoon

[Doug VP]

Greetings. There's a fellow on the facebook Hymer Touring GT group who's put together a rather nice owner's manual. I'm not a FB'r, but my wife is and I get lots of good info from there. Maybe this link will work:


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1..._VwFRmRvANFvrU


Cheers,
Doug VP

[Carrieon]

Hello I'm new to the group and hoping for some information. First i just bought a 2018 Hymer Touring Gt , I bought the body lol yes just the body it has the wiring in it and i'm hoping first someone can tell me what converter is in it . I would be great to get the same one and just be able to plug everything in. as well as the lights that were used. I've got all the little plug in ends but no fixtures. so really just a body that I am going to convert to what suites me . I love the little trailer and think it will be great , just wont have the same inside lol It did come with the air conditioner but no blower so maybe someone knows what blower to. The trailer was dismantled , i'm not sure why but the body is great, it also has the white and grey tanks . I am in the process of putting a canvas on the poptop because there is no mechanical to lift and no canvas
Thanks everyone any help would be greatly appreciated..
the converter is really important and if i can find out what one , I will be able to use the wiring that is in the trailer.

[Doug VP]

Hi Karen.

Here's a video from the FB group for Touring GT owners. At minute 16 he talks about the inverter/charger:
https://www.facebook.com/ashleylkemp...57497053754772
Perhaps this is a good place to start. On that group, there's an owner's manual, which also describes the unit very well.
Best of luck
Doug VP

[Bill Rafoss]

Heading out at Thanksgiving for one last Hymer trip. Loving it so far.
Would love to get a manual though. Will check these links.

Bill in W. Canada

[Bill Rafoss]

Thanks for posting Doug VP. We have a Hymer touring GT and are concerned about the sway too. You likely have read all this, but we are trying to address it by - loading more up front, slow down, use a bigger tow vehicle (rental). We talked to some 'experts'. They say it might help to weld an A frame on the front so we can attach a weigh distribution system and sway bars. That is our final solution; trying these other ideas first. Heading out next weekend!