New to group - Electrical question

Hi, I am new to this forum and just acquired a 77 Hi LO. It's a great unit but I have an electrical question. After looking through the info on this site I have a question about powering the camper.

I have two 110v connections on the camper. One high on the upper exterior - "driver" side - where an extension cord is plugged in. And a heavy cord (30amp?) connected to a breaker box in the lower half - Driver side again. This one has an outlet connected and the refrigerator is plugged into another connected outlet.

When I plug a cord into the upper half the 110v interior lights work and an outlet in the upper half is good. But an outlet in the lower rear is not. When i plug in the lower cord (with the top unplugged) the lights in the top half do not work.

Question- is there something wrong with the wiring or do I have to plug in both halves? I suppose I could power the lower and connect the upper to the lower with an extension cord run externally. Haven't tried the latter not wanting to add some additional spark in my life if there is a wiring fault.

I would appreciate any input.

Glad this group is here.

fatboy93 said:

Hi, I am new to this forum and just acquired a 77 Hi LO. It's a great unit but I have an electrical question. After looking through the info on this site I have a question about powering the camper.

I have two 110v connections on the camper. One high on the upper exterior - "driver" side - where an extension cord is plugged in. And a heavy cord (30amp?) connected to a breaker box in the lower half - Driver side again. This one has an outlet connected and the refrigerator is plugged into another connected outlet.

When I plug a cord into the upper half the 110v interior lights work and an outlet in the upper half is good. But an outlet in the lower rear is not. When i plug in the lower cord (with the top unplugged) the lights in the top half do not work.

Question- is there something wrong with the wiring or do I have to plug in both halves? I suppose I could power the lower and connect the upper to the lower with an extension cord run externally. Haven't tried the latter not wanting to add some additional spark in my life if there is a wiring fault.

I would appreciate any input.

Glad this group is here.

Click to expand...

fatboy93,

Our first RV was a 74 or 75 HiLo of the same type you have with the additional plug in the top half and the power hookup in the bottom half. You do have to plug in both sections especially if you use your AC unit. If I am not mistaken and going from memory, the top plug was used exclusively for the AC unit and the main power cord provided all the lights for the trailer. I do not remember having an electric light either top or bottom. Also I do not remember the top half having an AC outlet but that may have been added in a later model. It does seem as if someone posted on the forum with a similar situation as you and a second transformer was found for the upper half that powered the lights. I believe you will find the upper lights are DC and not AC.

Do you have a cloth-bound cluster of wires attached to the vent? That is the usual means of getting wiring for the upper half lights. If not, your HiLo may have a hidden transformer for the top section that powers the lights. I would not be afraid to plug into both those feeds simultaneously. I believe you will find your AC unit will only work with the top plug and not the bottom.

Hope this helps and happy camping.

jcurtis95