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Old 02-03-2015, 09:49 PM   #561
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Default Re: Advancing Alvar

Davydd,

In the bed video the tripod table is shown next to the computer desk. Some customers have a raised floor in the cab area so their feet can reach the floor (I think). I wonder how well the tripod table works when a raised floor is installed.

My wife is only 5' tall, Can the swivel seat be lowered so her feet can reach the floor sitting at the computer desk or is this the problem the raised floor is meant to solve?
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Old 02-03-2015, 10:11 PM   #562
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Default Re: Advancing Alvar

We installed the raised floor in the AVR known as Imagine. Yes, as I understand it, the trigger for the raised floor was to allow the feet to rest on the floor when the seats are swiveled around facing the living quarters. But I think the LED accents add a really neat touch to the RV. Both swivel seats raise and lower with a jack-type of mechanism. I suspect that if your wife's feet rest comfortably on the floor immediately in front of the seat when in traveling orientation, her feet will also rest comfortably on the raised floor in the swiveled position. The raised floor also provides a small "bonus" storage space between the two seats.

I have not received the holder for the adjustable tripod yet, so I can't speak to the question of the table location and raised floor.
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Old 02-04-2015, 02:06 AM   #563
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Enjoyed your video. Looks like your wife is as thrilled with Alvar as you are.
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Old 02-04-2015, 03:28 AM   #564
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Saw Alvar this afternoon in the flesh. Definitely impressive. Beautiful woodwork. Lots of subtle things that ARV has thought of that no one else has.
Made the comment that it makes our ERA and most any other class B I've been in look like something that was cobbled together in someones back yard....
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Old 02-04-2015, 04:15 PM   #565
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Great interesting video. Did I miss in the video if you guys got the back screen? Would love to be lounging in the back with the door wide open in the summertime, that would be my thing. Also like how you have the bath back a ways, with a table to take down. We never liked the floor plan where there is a wall right behind the driver's chair, are big fans of the PW FL. Only thing I would have done different inside is light colored upholstery, but that's only personal decor taste. I also love how some brands of the smaller B+/C's hang lightweight mirrors, opening up the space, also reflecting the beautiful scenery. A great trick for a small space. Good luck with it. Looking forward to reading some of your great adventures.
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Old 02-04-2015, 04:30 PM   #566
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Default Re: Advancing Alvar

BoboJay remember tho, from what I've seen on ARV this probably cost more than twice the price of your Era. I admittingly would spend a little more tho for the storage and tank sizes, those are fantastic, by far my favorite thing about Alvar.
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Old 02-05-2015, 02:19 AM   #567
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Default Re: Advancing Alvar

Quote:
Originally Posted by cjscott
BoboJay remember tho, from what I've seen on ARV this probably cost more than twice the price of your Era. I admittingly would spend a little more tho for the storage and tank sizes, those are fantastic, by far my favorite thing about Alvar.
I know what you are saying about the $$$, and Alvar probably was double the cost of our ERA, if not more. That aside, I still stand by what I said.
Just the woodwork alone puts everything to shame I've seen in the class B world except maybe the Leisure Travel vans I've been in. They would be the closest. PW the next closest, then RT & the ERA. Never been in a Thor Interstate. I have only ever seen 3 of those anyway....
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Old 02-05-2015, 03:10 PM   #568
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Not disagreeing at all BoboJay and it better be than an entry level Era. And I definitely agree with PW. We drove many different B's. The Roadtrek cabinets are solid wood, better insulation, etc., but when we drove an Era and a Roadtrek on the same road the same day, both rattled, in fact, the Roadtrek rattled more. The 2nd row seats particularly were more comfortable in the Era than the RT, and it felt more open and pretty inside and was $30K less. Looks alone give it to the Era. Solar, solid wood cabs, definitely RT. The only one that didn't rattle/squeak and won on all levels was the PW FL, loved it. We drove an expensive Airstream which also rattled and felt darker and closed in, and again seats less comfortable. I'm sure Alvar does NOT rattle. If we wanted to spend $30K more, would go with the Pleasureway. Light/open & pretty inside also. (It's a girl thing). Our Era we ordered has just come in but we haven't gotten it yet bc we're working on getting solar added at the dealership. Seems to be a problem bc they say they do solar, but are asking us to find brands that fit a B. Now when I actually get my Era, I'll add more info. I do agree that Winnebago should work more on quality and things like insulation, working with their customers on mods, etc. But with the large price difference, can't complain too much. But we're not retirement age yet, so who knows what the future will bring and what our thoughts will be after we have this one awhile. Alvar is probably at least $100K more, so can't really compare too much, that's my point. It's definitely gorgeous. PS: My husband has told our dealer they better work on any rattles or squeaks, at least get to a minimum, a pet peeve we have.
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Old 02-05-2015, 03:44 PM   #569
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Default Re: Advancing Alvar

We all have our Unicorns to chase. A project like this can take on a life of it's own and can be self-feeding. You do things to see if they can be done, not necessarily if they need to be done. I'm certain Davydd had alot of fun going thru this process and hopefully got what he wanted.

Whether it was a good value or not is not up for debate. My opinions on that have been made clear on numerous occasions. Not to say I can't admit that the final product is cool. It certainly is. But it's not my Unicorn.

I think for the vast majority that will end up with a Roatrek or an ERA or similar van, you should watch the reports closely on how these system selections work out. It will be interesting to hear if the large battery bank, if using lithiums, lives up to the promise. It will also be interesting to note if the large solar array is really something worth having. And of course, how the under hood generator/alternator works out.

If I were to speculate, over the long term, I'd guess that he's going to have positive reviews on the second alternator and the big battery bank. I guess that for someone on the move alot, the solar isn't really all that necessary, but a nicety to have if you can afford it.

Hopefully we get a video walkthru and review of the finer details. That would be very interesting.
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Old 02-05-2015, 05:07 PM   #570
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Default Re: Advancing Alvar

cjscott, a minor correction on the Roadtrek cabinetry. They are not "solid" wood, they are plywood with the same vinyl laminated covering that Winnebago uses on their cabinets. RT's are assembled from stamped out parts just like the ERA is and not hand fitted like the PleasureWay & Advanced RV wood is. I can't say much about Leisure Travel B's & C's other than their cabinet doors are solid wood like PW's are, and they sure look and fit well.
We have 2 friends that have 10+ year old Leisure's that the cabinetry looks and feels brand new in. One of these has 150k miles the other has over 200k, both T1N Sprinters. We have some other RVing buddies that have just traded their 2013 ERA in on a Leisure Travel Unity class C. I'm sure anxious to look their new unit over real well as Leisure is running full out, have quit building B's at the moment to concentrate on C's, and are still 10 months out ordering time for a new one.
Good luck on your rattles search. Most of our rattles were with the Sprinter side of the equation, (all the doors save one had to be body shop refitted), as have been the service/repair issues.


EDIT: we need to get back on the Alvar subject....
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Old 02-05-2015, 05:23 PM   #571
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Default Re: Advancing Alvar

wincrasher, when Alvar visited, I looked especially hard at ARV's install of the second alternator. It is not a Mercedes alternator, but the mounting etc is OEM. The setup is really well thought out and executed.
One of the things DavyDD pointed out was the ARV engineered cooling for that second alternator. It's not in the flow through air stream like the chassis alternator is. It sit way down at the bottom right of the engine compartment. ARV has run an air duct from the cabin air intake box down to where it blows directly onto that BIG 2nd alternator. This air is from a pressurized at speed, box, so the faster you go, the more ram air gets to that alternator.
There's a solid copper #4 gauge wire directly from that alternator to the lithium battery bank in which each individual cell is monitored and voltage controlled. It's a neat, well thought out setup for sure.....

I wish we'd had enough time with them to make, or someone would have made a quick video of the under the chassis/engine compartment features...
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Old 02-05-2015, 09:15 PM   #572
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pattonsr
Davydd,

Did Advanced RV go over or document the access to the Surge Guard and Outback inverter/charger? I see the box under the driver side bed which looks to have two vents which I assume are for the Outback. How does one get access to the box? Is the Surge Guard in the box also? I assume that the Outback passes power (from shore pass-through or from the batteries) to the breakers. I assume the breakers are still behind the Silverleaf display.

Since Alvar has a bed mechanism under the mattress, the usual access by removing the mattress is probably not going to work. Is there a magic option on your Iphone to raise the bed for access?

I noted that the water pump is under your closet floor with easy access.
As far as I can tell the actual inverter/charger and surge guard are inaccessible. The surge guard monitor is remote. The controls for the Outback inverter/charger are remote and concealed behind the lift up door behind the Silverleaf screen. The Silverleaf generally controls the inverter but the Outback controller can be used, but mostly for diagnostics.
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Old 02-05-2015, 09:39 PM   #573
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cjscott
Great interesting video. Did I miss in the video if you guys got the back screen? Would love to be lounging in the back with the door wide open in the summertime, that would be my thing. Also like how you have the bath back a ways, with a table to take down. We never liked the floor plan where there is a wall right behind the driver's chair, are big fans of the PW FL. Only thing I would have done different inside is light colored upholstery, but that's only personal decor taste. I also love how some brands of the smaller B+/C's hang lightweight mirrors, opening up the space, also reflecting the beautiful scenery. A great trick for a small space. Good luck with it. Looking forward to reading some of your great adventures.
The TV is in the back behind the bathroom. We can watch TV from the beds or if we ever chose it turns 180 degrees and slides toward the passenger side so both turned around seats can watch. As comfortable as the beds are I doubt we would ever watch from the front seats. We can open our back doors in mosquito country because we have full screening in the back that rolls down but I doubt we would ever watch the TV that way either.

With ARV your choice of all finishes are up to you. There are no limited choices and there are no two ARVs anything alike. Every other converter gives you but about three choices of finishes and in the matched palate of their choice. I don't expect anyone to match ours as I explained very early on.

The table you saw in the video would not normally sit where it was shown. It was shoved up against the computer desk to show the matching height. It is a movable table on tripod legs. We did not want the raised floor. Our feet touch the floor. We have a lot of lighting and didn't need any more.

Cost was not a concern for me. This was simply getting exactly what I envisioned everything I wanted in a B and I can guarantee you no other converter could do that including Sportsmobile.
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Old 02-05-2015, 11:05 PM   #574
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Davydd,

My wife is only 5' tall. She normally lowers the car seat and goes forward when she drives. In the Sprinter if she then swiveled the seat am I correct that her feet should reach the floor which I assume is the same height as the cab area.

If this is true, then why would one get a raised floor which I admit I have not seen and have no idea how much of the cab area it covers.
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Old 02-06-2015, 12:11 AM   #575
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Default Re: Advancing Alvar

Hey, I just got my wish about the underside video:



[youtube:1iyhv3k9]4uYydFftUMI[/youtube:1iyhv3k9]
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Old 02-06-2015, 01:12 AM   #576
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That was Frank Kolasinski showing the underneath side of Alvar.
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Old 02-06-2015, 01:37 AM   #577
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We are stopped for the night at a Walmart in Albuquerque. This is our 7th overnight boondocking and the first night above freezing. In the video Frank said tested to 15 degrees. We have lowered that to ZERO! That would not have been possible in our two previous Bs.

Another thing is this B is so well insulated that at this Walmart you don't hear sounds from outside including the idling semis, and the curtain system is so opaque you can park right under their parking lot lights and not be bothered. I'm really liking this boondocking but after 7 nights we might try a campground to dump and take on water.

26 Jan: Camped inside ARV factory.
27 Jan: camped in ARV parking lot at 5 degrees
28 Jan: Camped at Cracker Barrel in Elkhart, IN
29 Jan: Parallel park camped on a Main Street in La Crosse, WI
30 Jan - 2 Feb: At home prepping
3Feb: Camped in a residential driveway
4 Feb: Camped at Cracker Barrel in Oklahoma City
5 Feb: Camping at Walmart in Albuquerque
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Old 02-06-2015, 09:07 AM   #578
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There ya go. Using it just as intended but one thing you have neglected to tell us. How does the cat like it ?
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Old 02-06-2015, 09:23 PM   #579
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pattonsr
Davydd,

My wife is only 5' tall. She normally lowers the car seat and goes forward when she drives. In the Sprinter if she then swiveled the seat am I correct that her feet should reach the floor which I assume is the same height as the cab area.

If this is true, then why would one get a raised floor which I admit I have not seen and have no idea how much of the cab area it covers.
Pattonsr.....my wife and I attended the St Louis rv show last weekend. One of the things that we wanted to check was the distance to the floor when the seat was swiveled to the rear facing position. There was a significant difference and neither of us was comfortable. I am 5ft 9 but have short legs my wife is 5 ft 8 with longer legs. With the raised platform at ARV the reach is the same in either position. We ordered the raised platform and are glad we did. I believe the seat can be raised or lowered so you must consider that. Hope this helps Jim
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Old 02-07-2015, 12:13 AM   #580
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Default Re: Advancing Alvar

Glad to see you are enjoying your new rig. Sounds like you got exactly what you wanted. At one point you camped in some pretty severe weather. Is Alvar set up for cold weather running?

...........Rocky
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