Easy way to remove top half from bottom?

So i have decided since there so much water damage that didn't show up when i first found my 1980 hi lo that i am just going to strip it.. I have everything from it for sale. not knowing what anything really worth kinda guessed. guess i should list it on the site incase anyone needs something..

Anyhow. is there a easy way or what way is there to just completly take the top half off the bottom half? my idea right now is just to leave the bottom walls and just cut where i plan to shorten the frame in the rear behind the back tires. im going to make it be only about 14 foot long rather then 20 it is now.

i am planing to just add a half a wall and roof. as my roof is shot... it has pins holes everywhere and the bathroom repair from the last owners was less then good. they left all the old wet wood for it to get more wet and was smelling bad.

at first i planed just to scrape the whole thing all way down to the frame. i plan to sand and paint the whole frame most likely in that rubber under coating as it last long time... then build from floor up how i want I want a Slight V nose... but if i can just leave the floor and bottom half the way it is and just add to it i will save myself about $400 in plywood.

Thanks I have looked online/utube and see nothing about removing top half guess its not ever done,

BTW anyone know what the lift system be worth? someone wants to offer a fair price and come remove it they can have at it.

Also what do you thin fair price for the AC in roof worth it freeze u out of there. i was thinking maybe $200-300?

Easy way to remove top from bottom

Your title made me laugh as their is no easy way to remove the top from the bottom. One forum member used a fork lift to acomplish this. My thought is if the walls are so rotten maybe you could just demolish and rotten parts. Best of luck with your project.

sam said:

Your title made me laugh as their is no easy way to remove the top from the bottom. One forum member used a fork lift to acomplish this. My thought is if the walls are so rotten maybe you could just demolish and rotten parts. Best of luck with your project.

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Well, thanks for the reply, I guess I am looking for info as seems to be none or most of none. is how the cables are connected to it and how to go about getting the cables unhooked so i could remove the top. Not sure the cables be of use to anyone who would want to buy the lift?

I plan to remove the AC unit on top and all the windows and i guess even the top cabinets as this should lighten it a bit i would guess. after that i guess i care less about the top... guess i could use jacks and 4x4s to jack it up off the bottom? I am not sure if that is even how its on there. I can see one rail its connected to by the door way.. and one cable behind where the sink in kitchen was. guess i remove some more wood and see if i can locate where the cables are at.

Epow, your right, if you can't lift the top using hydraulics, then the only way is to disconnect the four cables from the top, use farm jacks or car jacks and 4 x 4s. Jack each solid corner a few inches at a time. Once clear of the lower section, put 2 x 4s across the corners. The problem is taking it OFF the bottom. It would be asking for trouble to jack it up, stabilize it then pull the lower half out from under! So, after the 2 x 4s are across the corners, you could strip the top section down to the frame. Get 6 friends and remove the top. Please use caution!
Tree

Treeclimber said:

Epow, your right, if you can't lift the top using hydraulics, then the only way is to disconnect the four cables from the top, use farm jacks or car jacks and 4 x 4s. Jack each solid corner a few inches at a time. Once clear of the lower section, put 2 x 4s across the corners. The problem is taking it OFF the bottom. It would be asking for trouble to jack it up, stabilize it then pull the lower half out from under! So, after the 2 x 4s are across the corners, you could strip the top section down to the frame. Get 6 friends and remove the top. Please use caution!
Tree

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the hydraulics work now... is there a way to disconnect the cables with the top half raised? just thought if you could then it be easier to just cut 4x4s the height of the upper half raised. then release the cables and then jack it the few inches to get it over im guessing it will just slide up off the rails that it moves up and down on?

Also does anyone know if all the hydraulics jacks are the same on driffrent Hi lo campers are or they all driffrent? I have someone wanting to buy mine if it will work there 27Ft hi lo camper.

Is there any place with pictures showing how to unhook the cables and the hydrolics?

Thanks

The ends of the cables are underneath the top half of the trailer. There are probably two on each side of the Hi-Lo. If you look underneath the edges of the top half from the outside you will see the cables attached by a bolt that goes up into the metal frame. The cables then go to a pulley that is located under the trim on the inside of the lower half and then down the wall and underneath the trailer through several pulleys.

They all end up at adjustment bolts that are located in between the wheels on the left side. You will see 4 bolts (I think, unless you have a longer trailer than mine) that are attached to the cables.

If you want to pull the cables out intact, you will have to remove the pulleys themselves all along the path because neither the bolt ends nor the loop end will pass through the pulleys.

We replaced a frayed cable today and propped the top half of the trailer up on 4x4's, removed the bolt holding the cable loop end under the top half, cut it off, and pulled the rest of the cable out from the wheel area.

There is a 15 page instruction on this forum on replacing cables that is very informative. Search for "Cable replacement and adjustment" and you should be able to find it.

Epow, If your top is raised, you can brace the corners with 4 x 4s the raise the front enough to put 2 x 4s across the rear corners. Then lower the front enough to put 2 x 4s across the front corners. YOU MUST ensure you have enough excess wire in the bundle that goes to the top and remove the stink pipe from the ceiling, slide it down to the bottom. It helps if you remove the guide rails as well. Also any "walls" or curtains that go from top to bottom. This all should be done BEFORE you attempt separation. Once you have the halves separated, you can LOWER the top a couple inches to have slack, and remove the cables as described.
I don't know what your goals are for the Hi Lo, so keep us posted.
Tree

If you are parting out your Hi-lo, there is a post by someone who lost their lower door in hurricane Irma and they want to buy another one. Look under “new posts”

Thanks everyone.. I found the bolts today with the cables. I cant belive 2 months and never noticed but there are on the bottom so. I think i had seen a bolt before and had no clue why it was there... Anyhow the top half is off the hi low. and everything is for sale.. I hope i sell everything. I asked $200 for the working Ac hope thats a good price. im selling all the windows out of it well the 4 on either side. 2 one either side i should have for $75. I just want to make a little money off this thing... it was in Terrible shape. i was going to post pictures but will have to later. whoever had it before knew it had a leak and just got new wood and covered it all up I noticed in a guys post on Facebook who was looking at once close to my yr model it had cabinets and lights in the bathroom. Mine didn't so i thought i removed the wood wall and found what they covered up. the whole thing smelled like wetness.

my end goal for now is i think im going to leave the floor, and bottom half of the walls. they seem to still some how be in good shape. the whole back of the camper in bathroom and walls on either side and all the way up the kitchen behind the sink. almost all the way to the front.. up to the fridge area... the front right side looked better then anything else. the walls there looked mostly together the ones in the rear were just falling apart.

I will post some pictures later. I ended up just cutting the top and back plastic off it and dumping the whole roof next to the camper then cutting the walls up then releasing the cables.

I still have to figure out how to get the cables out... will they pull through the bottom wall with it still having a hook in the end of them ?

Sorry you had such a bad experience with your Hi-Lo. I don't think you can pull the loops at the ends of the cables through the pulleys while they are still mounted on the trailer. This is based on what others have said - I have no first hand experience.

So, as I see it, you have two, and possibly three choices:
I like option 2, personally.

- Jack

The pulleys could be sold with the cable loops cut off to someone with a say 17'er. They are "pre-stretched". Even the top most pulleys! Hope you make some money.

Treeclimber said:

The pulleys could be sold with the cable loops cut off to someone with a say 17'er. They are "pre-stretched". Even the top most pulleys! Hope you make some money.

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Thanks, well so far ive only sold the stove. but someones suppose to be coming look at the AC and windows. I hope.. i just dont have a spot to store all of it.. well guess i could put all back in camper once i get a top put back on.. but don't want to..

Yeah i took the pulleys off today and will sell if someone needs one. i ended up having to cut the ends of the cables only one bolt wanted to come out. i stuck the cable down in the lower half for now.. i took the power wire for the switch out of the underneath of the camper. but for now left the pump... i see a small really rusted looking line from the pump to the rear of the camper i would guess its hs hydrolic fluid in it.so for now i think i will just leave it.

I also took out the 7 way trailer plug and harness up front anyways they were a ton of wires running into the frame i couldn't trace all down but they were in horrible shape. I plan to just buy some i hope LED tail lights and side marker lights to go back on the bottom half.

I was trying to figure out just where that cable you pull to let the camper back down is running to so i could maybe just tie it up under the floor as i don't need it but i guess it won't hurt being there up through the floor. most likely going to build a small cabinet right where its located.

Pretty much everything is out of it now.. oh i am trying to get the rails that the top half slide on off but some of those square headed screws are messed up.. I really hate those screws they used..

I left the fridge and the counter its in. figured it just to much work to remove plus i do want to keep the fridge

I was going to leave the main wiring with the 3 outlets. but not sure cause now that i tracked down some of the wires it looks like there is a while line going from the right side of the breaker box going to the power convertor under the front bench... i was never 100% on what that thing did .. i guess it converted 110volts to 12 volts? cause all the lights were only 2 wire lights i guess that is how they were able to work?

I took the lights out and i think i will just end up with a 12volt battery on front ( where the one was for the lift) and just run a heavy gauge wire setup from it to inside for all of my 12Volt needs.
I don't have a generator and most places i go don't have power hook up so i dont have a real need for it. most likely get a solar panel to charge the 12 volt battery up front back up plus i do have a power inventor in my truck i could always charge the battery back up using a regular charger when i was out somewhere.

I will be posting pictures soon.