on my 85 hilo...what fluid do i use for the hydraulic pump?...it looks like atf in there now

that is correct!

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2002 ford f350, 7.3 diesel
1985 hi-lo funchaser
kb0nai
kd7ctk

any certain kind?...or will any of them work?

No, just as long as it is ATF. Might have to read the back of the label on today's brands as they might not have ATF on the front of the label.

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Fantastic Wife
2005 Toyota Tundra V-8 4.7L
2705T Tow Lite
1999 21T Tow Lite

Hey Keystone do you know where the fuses are in your trailer?

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J Kaiser
1984 Funlight 16K
2006 Chevrolet Tahoe

cheap O'Reilly's works just fine.
Check for full WHEN TOP IS DOWN.
Fill pump reservoir to 1" below lip and secure.

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2002 ford f350, 7.3 diesel
1985 hi-lo funchaser
kb0nai
kd7ctk

i just bought the hilo a week ago....i'll go take a look and see if i can find them..

i just looked ..look under the dining area cushions at the front of the hilo...on the drivers side you will find a breaker box...that is for the 110 volt....on the inverter there is a little door on the front that you pull down...there are 4 fuses for the 12 volt accessories

Garry, you are wrong on the ATF fluid. HiLo owners manual states that Dexron or type A is to be used. There are at least 25 plus differant types of ATF fluids on the market. Type F was for Fords. Many of the types are not interchangable due to the different types of materal used on the O-Rings and seals. If you use any other fluid than what the manufacture of the vehicle recomends you had better do your research. As for the Dexron fluid use Dexron 3 to Dexron 5. Do not use Dexron 6. Dexron made changes in the 6 that has been causing problems with the old seals and O-Rings. The Dexron 6 requires new types of O-rings and seals. A few weeks ago I wrote a quote here and referred to research done by Allison Transmisson on the Dexron subject. You can search the forum if interested. I have also been an aircraft mechanic for about 40 years and making changes to whats approved in parts and materials is a big part of that field. I have used the wrong oil on air tools or oil on tools that require no oil and had to have them rebuilt, not cheap. I learned the hard way.

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Jim L & Faye
2805C
2003 Silvarado diesel crew cab
2017 Silvarado, crew cab 1500 6.2L gas w/ 8 speed tranny
central VA

is the system self bleeding or does it need bled if ran low?....also is there a way to drain the fluid if you want to change it?

I stand corrected and I'm not sure why I specified ATF, as I knew it was type A or Dexron 11, which is why I suggested reading the back label.

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Fantastic Wife
2005 Toyota Tundra V-8 4.7L
2705T Tow Lite
1999 21T Tow Lite

Jim, I'm glad you posted about Dexron. I ALMOST did, but since I know next to nothing about early Hi-Lo models, I put my fingers in mittens so I wouldn't mislead anyone again (as I am wont to do with the early trailer).

I had not seen your post about NOT using Dexron 6 either. Hope we can continue to find 3-5 for a good long while. Possibly, it would be a good idea to lay in a store of a couple quarts?

Thanks for setting this thread straight! Hydraulic fluid is funny stuff, isn't it? The other thing I remember about hydraulic systems is that they NEED to be exercised now and then. So, it would be a good idea probably to raise the top every month or so during storage and have a look around and inside.

- Jack

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Hi-Lo 1707T - Tire Minder TPMS on Tow Vehicle and Trailer, 300W Solar Battery Charger, Equal-i-zer WDH, Progressive Dynamics Converter, Fan-Tastic Fan, LiFePO4 battery 12V DC Electrical System, SoftStartRV mounted on A/C
2024 F150 Platinum FX4 3.5L PowerBoost SCrew

https://www.cartechbooks.com/techtips/autotransfluid/

So, to select the proper ATF for your car, start with the owner’s manual. The manual will state the recommended ATF, as of the time the car was new. With that starting point, here’s a list of transmission fluids that either are, or have been, on the market and what superseded what:

Type A and Type A, Suffix A—very old transmission fluids superseded by Dexron and Mercon. Equivalent to Mercedes-Benz Sheet 232.2.

Dexron, Dexron II, IID, and Dexron IIE—these are the original GM Dexron ATFs and are no longer licensed by the company, having been superseded by Dexron III, which has now itself been superseded by Dexron VI. The difference between Dexron, II, and IIE was mostly in the oxidation inhibitors.

Dexron III and IIIH—OE ATF at GM for many years and widely adopted by other manufacturers. General Motors nowconsiders all of them to be obsolete and discontinued licensing Dexron IIIH in 2006. Dexron IV was an upgraded version of Dexron III, which was used by GM only briefly.

Dexron III/Saturn—a version of Dexron III developed for certain Saturn models.

Dexron VI—the newest GM ATF, it was developed specifically for the new six-speed automatic and is a synthetic blend (meaning it has some conventional base stocks). That transmission has tighter internal tolerances and required a fluid that had higher shear strength that Dexron III.

It was introduced with the 2006 models. GM considers Dexron VI to be "backward compatible," meaning GM recommends it for use in any vehicle that originally used any earlier version of Dexron and that it can be mixed with them. However, GM specifically recommends against using Dexron VI in non-GM made vehicles that used Dexron III as original equipment. It is also the specified ATF in certain non-GM models that use GM transmissions, such as BMW. It is not, however, specified for GM brand vehicles that have non-GM transmissions, as mentioned above, or are imported to the United States.

NOTE: Dexron VI is not recommended for: Pontiac Vibe and Wave, Chevy Aveo, Epica, and Equinox, Saturn ION with CVT or AF23 transmission, Saturn Vue with CVT, AF33 or 5AT transmissions, or 1991–2002 Saturn S. These are vehicles with transmissions that were not manufactured by General Motors.

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"Ruben"
2404T, 2003 2500HD 4X4 GMC Sierra SLT Crew Cab w/Astro camper shell and 2003 Chevy Tahoe LE 4X2
Far West Texas

tranny fliid is hydraulic oil, you can use it in pich. same
st still does same thing wont harm anything, seals nothing. all they do is repackage thats into small bottles to sell for 2 times the cost!

I think all Hi-Lo owners will agree it is a pain to check hydraulic fluid when the trailer top is in the down position. Since I do have a small amount of access in the down position, I measured the fluid with a clean piece of oak stick, inserting the stick into the reservoir and marking the stick at the top of the reservoir opening. I removed the stick, cleaned it off and inserted again into the reservoir. When I removed it I marked the level of the fluid, which in my case was 4 3/16” of fluid (3/4” from the top). I then raised the top, waited a couple of hours for any fluid burps, if any, then used my dip stick again and measured the fluid level, which was 1 1/2” of fluid with the top up. I don’t like to assume anything so I will wait for responses from the experts, but it would seem as long as I have 1 1/2” of fluid in the reservoir with the top up, (and if I can remember this) then I should be able to check fluid level with the top up rather than with the top down.

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Fantastic Wife
2005 Toyota Tundra V-8 4.7L
2705T Tow Lite
1999 21T Tow Lite