I am new here and hope to learn about HiLO's.
Has anyone towed with a Chev Colorado, I have a 2004 Colorado crew cab with a 4000 lb towing capability. I also have a 1992 HiLo 19.5 Funlite any information would be appreciated. I am still setting up with brake control and hitch and etc.

It sounds like the truck and trailer is a good combo. I would not tow a larger trailer with this truck. What is the wieght of the trailer?

With the GVWR rating on this truck of 4000lbs, the trailer wieght plus all your camping gear should not exceed this.

It also depends what type of terrian or mountain passes you will be traveling.

I tow fully loaded with no more than 70% of my 6500lb GVWR rated Toyota, this leaves me enough power to climb hills in northern california.

Make sure you use an equializer hitch and an anti-sway brake bar on the trailer, it makes towing more enjoyable.

LES 97 21ft. towlite

According to the information I have the 1992 HiLo's dry weight is 2790 and the gross is at 3880. At present I do not have a easy lift type of hitch, but before any long trips I will have one. Thanks for your information.

I just purchased a 2000 17 ft. I will be pulling it with a Toyota Tundra. How important is it to hook up electric brakes?

Donna,

The electric brakes are required for any trailer over 1000-1500 lbs.

Les 2006 Tacoma 1997 22ft Tow-Lite

What do I need to do to get it hooked up?

I sugest you take the tow vech to your RV dealer and have them install a brake controler for you will cost about $250.00 parts and labor to install.
Sam

Not sure how this works. Looking to purchase a 17 ft. Will a Nissan Pathfinder v6 be good enough?What do I need to add? It is fitted for a hitch.

You need to get some information on your Pathfinder before get too far. There should be some information with the vehicle that gives that info, like the manual or a sticker on the door. What is the towing capacity for that year and model? Does it have a tow package and what class of hitch does it have? Go to HI-LO Trailer Company Inc. and look at the tow ratings page, you may have 5000 pounds or up to 6000 pounds capacity. Take 75-80% of that and it gives you a good trailer weight that you can tow with a good safety margin. The 1810H Hi-Lo has a 3900 pound gross weight and about a 3000 empty weight depending upon options, this is essentially the same as the 17 foot models with the most popular options. The weight you carry in the tow vehicle deducts off the tow capacity.

Am about to purchase both a used vehicle and a 17 ft towlite. The trailer GVWR is 3840 and the UVW (empty) is 3,113 lbs. I'm looking at a 2006 Honda Pilot that is rated to pull 3,500 lbs. It's a 3.5L V6 engine and I'm wondering if that will be good enough to tow the 17 ft. trailer. Any ideas out there?

When loaded with water and personal stuff you are looking at about another 200 lbs this brings the total to 3313lbs. This mean you are at 94% of the rated load, which is way to close in my opinion, I would not go over 85% and lower would be better.

Thanks, maybe the 4WD Honda Pilot at 4,500 towing capacity would be a better choice. Have gotten mixed answers on this question from people outside this forum and really appreciate hearing from someone "in the know" or "in the Hi-Lo"!

If you only plan on short trips, 50 to 100 miles it would probably be alright but more than that would be pushing it. The 4X4 at 4500 lbs would be better, and safer. For the 4500 lbs it must have the tow package.

I towed a 1705T with a 2002 Explorer without the tow package that was rated at 3500# and used a WD hitch. It towed really well, but I knew I was overweight and changed to the 2007 Toyota Tacoma with a 6300# tow rating. It did a great job. The rule of thumb is limit the trailer weight to 75 to 80% of the tow vehicle's tow rating. That allows for the tow vehicle's loading of people and cargo and gives a margin of safety for towing in all kinds of terrain. Anything you add besides the driver and a full gas tank to the tow vehicle deducts from the allowable to tow rating.

A lot depends on where you live and where you expect to pull the Hi-Lo. If you live in Kansas and never leave the state you are probably not risking much with the Pilot/Hi-Lo combination but if you live in Colorado, it wouldn't be advisable!

__________________
John

2007-22T TowLite 50th Anniversary
2008 Nissan Frontier SE 4X4 Crew Cab, Snug Top

We're in Colorado. I pull our '94 Funlite 21' with a full size Chevrolet 4X4 ex. cab truck with a 350 V8/5-speed. The first time I pulled it over the mountain passes from the front range to the western slope the truck was working, but did just fine. I have the brake controller as well.

Honestly, though, I'd have been uncomfortable with much less in term of tow vehicle. I have a 350 with a manual transmission, and she was working getting over the passes. Was in 3rd gear at 40 mph for the 3 major passes we climbed on the way home. I had originally considered going to pick up the camper in our Ford Explorer, which has the V8 and an automatic (with tow package) - but I'm sure glad I didn't.

I guess I'm insane then. We took our '89 FunLite 19' to Grand Lake over Berthoud Pass with our Explorer with a 4.0 V6. I might need a bigger truck to pull this thing then.

__________________
1989 FunLite 19'
2005 Ford Explorer
1999 Dodge Dakota (Hopefully hitched soon)

I just purchased both for retirement and on the first pull was able to get 14mpg at 55mph. Will be trying higher tire pressures in the car on the next pull to see if there is any difference. The Sequoia pulls this thing easily in 6th gear, the manual says to use 5th for engine braking, but I don't think I need to unless in the hills. This transmission is so smooth on downshifts that you don't even know it is happening sometimes. I will be trying long runs in 5th just to see the difference in overall mileage.

I have a 2007 Chevy Tahoe with a tow package. I just purchased a 1987 Hi Lo FunChaser. I brought it home today. I noticed some minimal swaying at 50 mph (luckily, I didn't have to go faster than that). What else do I need to make that not happen? Yes, I'm green....can you tell?

Just wanted to say thanks to all who give guidance/advice on towing.