New ones

Just new to reading about and getting excited about Hi-Lo campers ... then I come across a post that says the company closed in 2010 ??? is this correct ... I really want to buy one of these but would I be left in the dark by myself after purchase ??? what do the current owners do for servicing etc ???

Thanks for any input you may have ... looking for all opinions ...

Wayne

So the Hi-Lo company went out of business, started in 1957 or so. Like many RV companies, the economy took a dump and people had to cut back. There are lots of good used hi-lo's out there. Most of the parts and appliances are the same as any other travel trailer. J&R trailer supply in Ohio have the special parts needed for the lifting system. I'm on my second Hi-lo, my first one rotted apart because of the wood framing( a 97 towlite). I really like the design and workmanship of Hi-lo. I replaced it with a 2006 towlite! When your looking at Hi-Lo towlites make sure it's a 2001 or newer because that's when they switched to aluminum framing. Any RV repair shop can service the trailer, I do all of my own maintance and service myself. If I don't like the quaility of the replacement parts from the RV industry (alot of plastic parts) I look at auto supply houses or home improvment centers or I fabricate it myself.

kalohe said:

Just new to reading about and getting excited about Hi-Lo campers ... then I come across a post that says the company closed in 2010 ??? is this correct ... I really want to buy one of these but would I be left in the dark by myself after purchase ??? what do the current owners do for servicing etc ???

Thanks for any input you may have ... looking for all opinions ...

Wayne

Click to expand...

I guess you have kind of the same problem with cars? my car is 12 years old, they dont make that model anymore, but even 4 years newer ones, were radically different... But, it doesnt matter. I buy all my parts I need at places like autozone.

TO me, you would be in the same boat with the RV, EVERYTHING they make for the interior, is pretty much custom (as such) for the camper model and or trim packages, like for shelves/bedding/closets etc... However, appliances and everything else is "RV" standard.

Lastly the lift system (and I agree that the top comes down when traveling) is about the only thing unique to HILO. And we still have J&R Repair in Ohio, that can do hilo specific/specialty work, heck they'll probably work on any rv.

I have to ask... As it seems to be one of those often stated but not really thought out things people say... "They dont make these anymore so I would be left out" if I buy one? what really are you saying, that you expect to take it to ohio each year to winterize it, or do minimal maintenance?

I never understand why anyone cares that a MFG has gone out of business, I mean how many times does ANYONE take the RV back to the manufacturer, to change propane bottles, or light bulbs and stuff like that? I know I cannot afford what the factory has to charge, to work on campers, compared to local guys that work on campers (which are high enough), so I do most of my work myself too. Not sure what I need to know HILO is still building new ones...

But that is why I have asked...

I agree with the sting32, an Rv is just parts put together and just like a house, if there was something that goes wrong, nobody goes to find the original house builder to do repairs (unless there was warranty), but there are a lot of after market companies/individuals that service and repair them. and how many times have you gone to an auto dealer and looked at their bays and noticed that most of the vehicles they work on are less than 4 years old. a car/truck is more complicated than an Rv's yet you can find parts for them, heck most junkyards are always busy because they are the last resort for parts and I use them all the time.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I was going to post a new thread with the same questions but you all answered it here.

Wanting to own a HiLo.

Read this on another camping forum and I agree with this statement. The older trailers are made better than the brand new ones.

did anyone save the history on the old hilo site. if so would you PLEASE post it. i loved that part of the old hilo site. also has anyone heard anything about the restart of hilo's was that a hoax or what???? i havent seen anything about hilo on the this years camping shows.

This place was going to put HiLo back into production. Kerola's RV dealership specializing in lightweight campers. Small camper experts! He was supposed to have a HiLo at a local RV show last May but I think it failed to materialize. Hot air is cheap. I emailed them once but got no reply. He was a dealer for a couple of years, having moved in on my HiLo dealer friend's territory. Part of HiLo's wise management moves at the time.

The trail manor system looks complicated both to operate, manufacture and maintain. The HiLo design offers the same advantages with fewer parts/seals/things to get out of adjustment.

Best of luck but the HiLo is a superior design IMO.

Jim

The Trail Manor also has a lot of "empty" space inside... No upper cabinets to speak of and limited storage space underneath... Currently living in mine, this would have been an issue... you may not see it before you go camping, but the issue will come up.

Do not forget a Trail Manor is basically a hard sided pop up, and pop ups lack storage space also. They are the same basic design, except the ones with the "slide" at the front... and then again, more "empty" space.

Not sure what you plan on using it for, it may or may not be an issue if you use it a few times a year, the more you use it, the more you'll notice it as you have to dig stuff out of where ever you packed it.

Smaller to store - yes.
Lighter to tow - yes.

But then again, so is a tent sided pop up... and they're cheaper.

After not having a Travel Trailer for a few years, my wife and I recently bought a 2008, Hi-Lo, 2408T. We wanted a trailer that we could store in our back yard. Since our neighborhood's CC&Rs has height restrictions this limited us to Trail Manor and Hi-Lo, as far as hard sided trailers go.

While shopping around we actually had the opportunity to look at a Trail Manor and a Hi-Lo side by side at a local dealer. The Trail Manor had a few benefits over the Hi-Lo: the bed did not occupy the main floor space, it was lighter. The main down-sides that we saw on the Trail Manor were: the method used to seal the living area when the unit was extended, lack of upper cabinet space, recirculating toilet.

I felt that the seal design on the Trailmanor is not a good design. I would be concerned with drafts, and roof leaks. Trail Manor offered a removable upper cabinet. But, frankly, I did not want to be putting up and taking down a heavy cabinet every time I camp. Our very first RV had a recirculating toilet and we did not like it very much. No matter what type of chemical we used in it, it smelled bad after a few uses. I did not get underneath the Trailmanor to see if there was space to instal the black water tank required to install a conventional toilet.

All in all we felt that the Hi-Lo was built to much higher design and quality standards.

Raul

Trail Manor vs HiLo

A couple of people in our HiLo club were former Trail Manor owners. They reported they were hard to set up and did leak. One of the former owners did a lengthy doccument ,comparison on the features. It is somewhere on the internet.