New GTRV owners in NYC!

GTRVinBK · 03-05-2017, 01:36 PM

Hi all!

My wife and I recently bought a used GTRV camper and are excited to get to know it and to get out and start using it as soon as the weather warms up (we're in NYC, which is currently FREEZING).

Unfortunately, since we bought this van used we don't have any manual or instructions for it, so we're also hoping to learn more from other GTRV owners about how the various components work (primarily the Onan generator and water/propane lines, but also any other tips).

Please feel free to say hi or to point us in the direction of any basic guides to Onan generators, GTRVs or SMB setups in general! We'll also be asking various questions in the forums once we get our feet under us.

Oh, and we've already started thinking about our next projects, here's a starter list:
- Install side awning (using 1ders Z brackets)
- Install solar panels
- Replace fixed rear windows with pop-out windows

Excited to be new members of the SMB community! And we'll definitely post more pictures as we start tackling various projects.

Cheers,
Jaime + Laine
Brooklyn, NY

BrianW · 03-05-2017, 04:50 PM

Nice! Was that the one that was for sale in central NY state?

caideN · 03-05-2017, 08:20 PM

Hi! Nice to see another GTRV owner.

Mine has an Onan 2800. What do you want to know about it? Is yours working?

Is it mounted underneath? You might have to crawl down there to see what model it is.

There are manuals you can download for the generator.

86Scotty · 03-05-2017, 08:25 PM

Nice rig and welcome!

Start looking in the pick n pull yards for those rear pop outs now. Sometimes it takes awhile to get lucky and find a set. You might try car-part.com too.

arctictraveller · 03-05-2017, 10:48 PM

Congratulations and welcome. My GTRV is similar to yours, but I don't have a generator so I can't help you there, but ask away. Photos of things you have questions about will help.

GTRVinBK · 03-06-2017, 01:58 PM

Awesome, thanks everyone for the welcome!

Brian: We actually found this one on eBay in November, for sale in Boston, MA. We took the train up and looked at it and loved it! And it only had 65K miles!

CaideN: Awesome to meet another GTRV owner! Ours is the 2.8KV model (FA26100G) and it is mounted underneath. It's a bit of a pain to access (particularly with the towbar) but one of these weekends I plan to replace the oil, sparkplug, fuel filter, etc.) since I don't think the prior owner used it at all. The main problem we're experiencing now is that the inside generator switch doesn't work and we can only start it from the unit itself, which is a huge pain. Have you ever experienced anything like that?

86Scotty: Thanks for the tip! Right now the awning and solar panels are highest priority but I love the idea of pop-out windows near our bed for ventilation. Ultimately your rooftop set up (solar panels and MaxxFan) would be our ideal, but one step at a time....

ArcticTraveler: Very cool that we have the same year GTRV! We'll definitely post photos when we have more specific questions. And we'd love to see more photos of your setup and what you've done with the interior if you have any! We're still just figuring out what goes where.

Thanks again all!

caideN · 03-19-2017, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTRVinBK

Awesome, thanks everyone for the welcome!

Brian: We actually found this one on eBay in November, for sale in Boston, MA. We took the train up and looked at it and loved it! And it only had 65K miles!

CaideN: Awesome to meet another GTRV owner! Ours is the 2.8KV model (FA26100G) and it is mounted underneath. It's a bit of a pain to access (particularly with the towbar) but one of these weekends I plan to replace the oil, sparkplug, fuel filter, etc.) since I don't think the prior owner used it at all. The main problem we're experiencing now is that the inside generator switch doesn't work and we can only start it from the unit itself, which is a huge pain. Have you ever experienced anything like that?

86Scotty: Thanks for the tip! Right now the awning and solar panels are highest priority but I love the idea of pop-out windows near our bed for ventilation. Ultimately your rooftop set up (solar panels and MaxxFan) would be our ideal, but one step at a time....

ArcticTraveler: Very cool that we have the same year GTRV! We'll definitely post photos when we have more specific questions. And we'd love to see more photos of your setup and what you've done with the interior if you have any! We're still just figuring out what goes where.

Thanks again all!

I also have the Onan 2800. A wire for the inside switch probably came loose. It might be as easy as the connection right at the switch.

Fishingman · 03-26-2017, 08:22 PM

Hey guys I'm also in the NYC area and recently bought a 2002 Pleasure Way Traverse ( pretty much identical to the GTRV) I was able to get a PDF from pleasure way for all the specs and usage of my van from them so may be worth calling GTRV. Man the weather still sucks here! Looking forward to it warming up, I'm lucky my van was converted to 4x4 also so I'll be out on the beaches of Long Island soon! I also have the 1der brackets but have yet to purchase a awning but will post something when I do.
Take care
Kris

BrianW · 03-27-2017, 11:18 AM

Starting to see more pop-too vanners here in the PA-NJ-NY area! We'll have to do at least a day Meetup soon for those of us who can't make the upcoming one in Virginia.