Jumping ship on tent camping!!!! maybe

Hello everyone,

after years and years and years of tenting camping,
who knows how many severe storms, flooded tents, ripped tents.....im done!

we have been looking for quite a while, and think i may have found the trailer i want....
we have been looking at pop-ups and have found that we can actually get a trailer for about the same price

that was a shocker for sure....to say the least.

i have found one and i need your opinion on it.

we know to check for rot ect ect

but im still scared that im going to be getting in over my head and should just continue to tent camp LOL

i spoke to the owner for quite some time and he lived in it for the last year or so while working out of town, because he was not able to find work locally.

18 ft 1991 Hi-Lo Funlite Camper

I have more pics that he sent me that i can post somewhere.

what do you guys think?

he offered it to e for $2000

Its not perfect looking, but we are both very handy people and can fix most stuff ourselves. we just replaced the entire porch on our house. for we are not afraid of hard work to say the least.........

to us this isnt a little bit of money but 4 years savings...for i guess im scared in alot of ways to buying it..

camping is the only thing that we do for fun and it would bring us a lifetime of memories...

amy

Nice trailer, if you haven't had this type of trailer before do complete inspection. Maybe you could find a friend in your area to help you do this.
The bigest problem with earier hi-los is dry rot. The roof is made of 1x1 metal tubing but the walls and bottom rails of the upper section on my old 97 were made of wood and this where the most of pressure is. Caused by the lifting cables. I'm not sure of this 91 if it has a metal bottom rail or wood claded in alumium. Inspect the bottom rail of the upper section on the outside for waves or twisting. This is a costly repair. Check the outside condition of the caulking (this a normal maintaince item).Check the inside for waves or soft walls.Check the inside of cabinets and around the shower area. Others have posted check lists to help you do an inspection, do a search for "check list" in this forum.
I'm looking at the pictures, it looks like a 110v refrigerator. It should be a 3-way refrigerator-propane/12volt/110v. If your camping with no power hook-up how do you keep your food cold? you need to run on propane and 12volt is only used when towing because the exhaust vent is closed off when the trailer is lowered for towing. If you try to run the refrigerator 12volts it pulls 14amps and you'll run down your house batteries quickly. A 3-way refrigerator will cost you 700 to 800 dollars. The asking price I think is to high because of the refrigerator. Don't forget about new tires,I wouldn't tow with tires over 6 years old.Wheel bearing grease repacking. A WDH hitch and brake controller for the electric brakes on the trailer( you want to tow safely).

Hi Lo for sale

I agree I would never pay full price because of the Ref. Also the Roof top air conditioner should be working. Used Ref. are available that run on propane. Where are you located? What is your tow vehicle? As campthe west pointed out you will need a brake controller ,Weight distributing hitch,tow mirrors. If the trailer checks out then it would be a good buy. I have a 1990 HiLo Classic and I believe my lower walls have metal studs. If you want to see how a HiLo is constructed check out under off topic 1990 HiLo Classic restoration. Our seal is shot between the halves and we use pipe noodle on the outside to seal ,air leaks. It works well. I have a photobucket full of pictures and descriptions. Will you be camping with electricity all the time? or do you do primitive camping?

Possible HiLo purchase.

I see you are from Dallas Texas. We have some HiLo owners in Texas. Don,t know if anyone lives close by and would be willing to check the RV out for you. Here is a website to check out RV prices. www.NADAguides.com

Just a few things to look at.

This was taken from NDgent's post here on the forum. It is a great go-by list. You can do a search of thinking about buying and find his post to read it first hand.

Basically, start with the visual items –
1. Exterior
• Look for water stains and discoloration on inside walls and around ceiling anywhere vents, skylights, windows, etc. exist.
• Push and prod with your hand on the inside walls for soft spots (which could indicate a water leak and a damaged or rotten interior wall).
• Check for bubbles in the wallpaper (a sign of delimitation or water intrusion)
2. Interior cleanliness of the unit-
• Look for water stains and discoloration on inside walls and around ceiling anywhere vents, skylights, windows, etc. exist.
• Push and prod with your hand on the inside walls for soft spots (which could indicate a water leak and a damaged or rotten interior wall).
• Check for bubbles in the wallpaper (a sign of delimitation or water intrusion)
3. Test appliance functions –
• lights
• fans
• refrigerator
• air conditioner
• heater
• water pump
• range hood
• stovetop
• oven (if equipped)
• microwave (if equipped)
• stereo (if equipped)
4. Lift System-
• Does the unit raise and lower properly
• Check the lift system for hydraulic leaks (puddle under the trailer)
• Check the lift cables to see if they are in good shape and not frayed
• Check the seal between the upper and lower body halves for tears or damage
5. fill the tanks to the top and check for leaks
6. Battery
7. Solar Panel (if equipped)

,,,

thanks everyone, we are gonna pass on this one, after taking a better look at this one, it just seems there are too many questionable things on this one.

we are going to take our time and look around

im a stickler when it comes to financing anything at all, we always pay cash for everything
but may break down and bite the bullet.....

kath said:

thanks everyone, we are gonna pass on this one, after taking a better look at this one, it just seems there are too many questionable things on this one.

we are going to take our time and look around

im a stickler when it comes to financing anything at all, we always pay cash for everything
but may break down and bite the bullet.....

Click to expand...

Kath,

What would you be towing the trailer with?

kath said:

thanks everyone, we are gonna pass on this one, after taking a better look at this one, it just seems there are too many questionable things on this one.

we are going to take our time and look around

im a stickler when it comes to financing anything at all, we always pay cash for everything
but may break down and bite the bullet.....

Click to expand...

Hi Lo RVs & Motorhomes for Sale | Used Motorhomes & RVs on Oodle Marketplace

campthewestcoast said:

Kath,

What would you be towing the trailer with?

Click to expand...

2002 chevy 1500 v8 with heavy duty towing package...