1984 Funlite - Welcoming myself aboard - Page 2 - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

JIM L · 01-15-2015, 08:39 AM

Hi Mike
I found the fuse holder on my HiLo fridg DC circuit melted also. HiLo had put a 15 amp fuse holder in the 30 amp circuit with a 30 amp fuse. The fuse had not blown. Check to make sure that the wiring in that circuit is at least #10 wire. Also check the ground connection from the fridg to frame is clean and tight. Check out the Event section of the forum for info on the national HiLo rally in June. The rallies are a great place to learn more about the HiLo's.

misfit429 · 01-15-2015, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonstruck

Thanks, Misfit. The art work on our front window awning is faded. I may find someone good at air brush painting to touch it up. If you still have the bottle cover when we head west in 2016, we may stop to look.

These logos and graphics are actually decals. I have thought about taking the trailer to the local sign shop, letting them take measurements and pics of the trailer, and getting them to make new decals. The nice thing about that would be you could have them made in any color you like (tow vehicle color?). I also taped mine off with masking tape on one side and spray painted them, but this is a very tedious process. It did work but you have to tape them up and cut out the design with a razor blade. And mask off the entire area around it to stop overspray from getting on the outside wall of trailer. I plan on painting the entire outside of the trailer before spring. Will post pics when I get to that.

Hi Lo Time machine · 01-30-2015, 11:18 AM

Big thanks to Misfit (Jon) !!!
A week ago, a huge box was delivered by fed ex to Amys work..we received the original HiLo propane cover from Jon. After I finished up with work, I jumped in my 63 VW truck and floored it home to meet up with Amy and open the BIG box..and I must say WOW, it sure was packed extremely well. Opened it up and the propane cover was in really good condition for its age. Im guessing about 30 years old. Amy and I are really happy with it. I went ahead and slid it over the tanks. Looks awesome and fits like a glove.
Jon really went above and beyond to make sure it was shipped safely. Thanks again Jon.

JMDoering · 01-30-2015, 08:59 PM

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the HTF, and to the world of Hi-Lo camping!

Regarding things to check/inspect, please don't neglect the one thing that makes your Hi-Lo unique from all other brands of trailers: The lift system.

Especially with a rig 30 years old, get underneath and inspect the ram for seal leaks, and lubricate. Make sure the safety lock is clean, and works! Inspect all the cables and pulleys for wear, fraying, and corrosion. I recommend spray lubricating the pulleys and cables with a silicon-based wax...garage door track lube is good and inexpensive. Cable is generally under the most stress where it is looped (as through a turn-buckle eye), and that's where it's most likely to fray. If you find a cable that is failing, a local rigging shop should be able to make up an identical cable if you take them the original. Preventative maintenance and repair is ALWAYS better than a field repair.

Check hydraulic oil level in the pump reservoir, and clean any corrosion that may have formed in the motor electrical connects.

In the photos, I notice that your model year still used the exterior coiled wire to connect trailer tail lights, etc., (upper half) to the lower half TV plug and cord. A good system, but be aware that older Hi-Lo's grounded the upper half tail lights, etc., to the lower half frame via the lift cables and pulleys. This is a BIG reason to keep those cables corrosion free. So if you start to have a problem with the tail lights and such, try running a jump wire directly from the upper half frame, to the lower half frame. My 1969 Hi-Lo developed this problem after about 30 years, and I ended up running a separate, permanent ground wire between the frames of the two halves.

Have fun!!
Jim

sam · 02-03-2015, 11:59 PM

You could tape off your stripes and the HILO logo. Then use a good brand of spray paint. They will look 100% better. I've done some stripes and decal repainting That look pretty decent with a little TLC.

Hi Lo Time machine · 02-06-2015, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JIM L

Hi Mike
I found the fuse holder on my HiLo fridg DC circuit melted also. HiLo had put a 15 amp fuse holder in the 30 amp circuit with a 30 amp fuse. The fuse had not blown. Check to make sure that the wiring in that circuit is at least #10 wire. Also check the ground connection from the fridg to frame is clean and tight. Check out the Event section of the forum for info on the national HiLo rally in June. The rallies are a great place to learn more about the HiLo's.

Hi Jim L
Its been a few months since I noticed this.. but if I remember correctly the fuse was blown along with a melted in line fuse holder. Also the wire block has suffered some damage on the far left side where the in line fuse wire connects to the terminal. Looks like it fryed pretty good, the left end of the wire block terminal cracked completely off..
First I checked the ground, found the ground wire was nice and tight. I put a new in line fuse holder and fuse, tried bypassing the terminal block by connecting the two wires together with no luck. Seems like I will have to add a new wire terminal block to my list of stuff to get. The good news is the other two settings on the fridge work great. So at least we have those 2 settings for now. Heres some pics of the terminal block, showing the burned off left side. Also you can see a burn mark just to the left of the terminal block.

Hi Lo Time machine · 02-08-2015, 12:08 PM

JMDoering,
Thank you for the welcome to the forum and great advise on the trailer. The cables and pulleys were all bone-dry when I first got the hilo home but since then they have been lubed and most of what I have seen looks pretty good. So far I havent found any frays anywhere and the cables are remarkably corrosion free.
One thing that really surprised me was that all the lights work inside/outside. If I do develop a problem with the lights your information will be very handy, as now I can track down the source!
I love to work on old cars so I know with a 30 year old hilo something will " pop up" and need fixing sooner or later. So far its been fun and we have been very happy with our little time machine.
Thanks! Mike

RichR · 02-08-2015, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi Lo Time machine

JMDoering,
Thank you for the welcome to the forum and great advise on the trailer. The cables and pulleys were all bone-dry when I first got the hilo home but since then they have been lubed and most of what I have seen looks pretty good. So far I havent found any frays anywhere and the cables are remarkably corrosion free.
One thing that really surprised me was that all the lights work inside/outside. If I do develop a problem with the lights your information will be very handy, as now I can track down the source!
I love to work on old cars so I know with a 30 year old hilo something will " pop up" and need fixing sooner or later. So far its been fun and we have been very happy with our little time machine.
Thanks! Mike

VERY IMPORTANT !! If you haven't already, be sure to clean and grease the guide rod that parallels the hydraulic cylinder.

misfit429 · 02-11-2015, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi Lo Time machine

Big thanks to Misfit (Jon) !!!
A week ago, a huge box was delivered by fed ex to Amys work..we received the original HiLo propane cover from Jon. After I finished up with work, I jumped in my 63 VW truck and floored it home to meet up with Amy and open the BIG box..and I must say WOW, it sure was packed extremely well. Opened it up and the propane cover was in really good condition for its age. Im guessing about 30 years old. Amy and I are really happy with it. I went ahead and slid it over the tanks. Looks awesome and fits like a glove.
Jon really went above and beyond to make sure it was shipped safely. Thanks again Jon.

Hi Mike! Sorry I am just responding to this. Haven't been on in a while as every spare moment has been going to this remodel of my friends 35 foot 5th wheel. This thing is massive! Makes my Hi Lo feel like a cracker box. LOL. So glad that I was able to help your project. The cover looks great! Glad that it's got a new life and didn't end up in the trash. These parts are really hard to come by as are the trailers themselves. So glad it got to you in one piece as its a rather large and fragile item. I may have gone a bit overboard on packing but I was rather worried about it arriving in pieces. Have a great time in your Hi Lo and if your ever around Houston/Galveston area, don't hesitate to give me a shout!

Garry · 03-19-2015, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi Lo Time machine

Hello folks.

My name is Mike, I joined last night. Hopefully I am not breaking any rules already, but I wanted to say I am here with a first post.

I am new to Hi-Lo, but not new to camping. I really enjoyed all the fun and adventure I had when I was young, camping with my family. Now at 40 years old, I thought it would be fun for my girlfriend to experience some of the fun that I had.

About a year ago, I acquired a 1985 Coleman Royale pop up trailer for free. Stored for over 20 years and in very nice condition overall. After about $500,tires/wheels/awning/battery & registration we were ready to go camping.

After 4 camping trips I quickly realized it was time to move up the ladder to a hard sided trailer. Because of storage issues, we needed a trailer that would fit under a 8 foot carport. All the trailers we looked at were 9 feet and above. That's when we discovered Hi-Lo and we are very happy we did!

After a month of looking at ads for Hi-Lo's and checking out a couple in person, we were extremely lucky and found a very original and well taken care of 84 funlite. It too had been stored for many years. The seller had acquired it in a trade from the original owner as partial payment for a landscaping job. A stack of records and receipts found inside a cabinet drawer told most of the story and showed a new dometic awning and coleman air conditioning unit. Both installed by a local RV dealer/repair shop in 2004 at the price of a little over $1100. After some negotiating with the seller, we settled on a price of $2500. Left a deposit and rushed home to post the coleman up for sale. Put the coleman up for sale on craigs' and it sold for $1500 quickly. Very exited, I then wrapped up the deal on the funlite and now the Hi-Lo is here in our driveway.

First thing on my to do list was to get rid of the brown 80's shag carpet that someone added a very long time ago. After about an hour we were both pleased to find the original, possibly armstrong? floor in great condition underneath! Although I really like the dark paneling and rust colored cushions, the lighter color floor really brightened up the inside. Future plans before camping are:

inspect roof and windows for leaks
light the furnace & check for leaks
2 new tires & paint rims white
inspect brakes & re pack wheel bearings
new curtains
find the 1 missing original cabinet handle

After a week of getting to know the trailer better, and having fun reading many posts by other members, my to do list has grown a bit. I have been searching the forums here and google images for early 80's Hi-Lo interior and outside pictures to use for reference. This will be more of a preservation than a restoration. We would love to find a picture of the original curtain material to copy. Also would like to find the original spare tire cover and dual propane tank cover with the original Hi-Lo logos on them. Thanks for reading my post and we are looking forward to hearing any advise, input or ideas from other members. Everyone loves pics, so here are some of our new to us 1984 funlite.

Hi Lo Time Machine, I sent you a private message today.

Garry · 09-15-2017, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi Lo Time machine

few more..

I sent you a private message today.

Jman · 09-16-2017, 12:52 AM

Welcome Mike...I to have an 84 funlite, however mine is not in anywhere near as good as shape as yours. Great pics..love to see what it is suppose to look like. Question for you...The 2 brown switches in the kitchen...I know the one on the left is the light for bathroom but not sure what the other is? The fan maybe? Also do your halves come together flush all the way around when raised? Mine are off a bit just wondering if that is normal wear..haven't figured that out yet on mine..

I do have a spare tire holder and LP holder... Did you want pics?

Kabarrilleaux · 04-22-2018, 10:29 PM

I have 83 Funlite and I thought I had an electrical problem in the bathroom. Just went out and switched those switches on and now my light and fan work! Thanks so much

dannylvn2009 · 06-15-2018, 12:42 AM

Hi Lo Time machine,

Live in Whittier too. Bought mine from my parents a couple of years ago. I own a 21 foot Funlite. She is in the middle of a remodel currently. I have learned alot from the members on the forum. I have managed to completely rebuild the rear right upper half after an "oppsy" by a previous owner started many water leaks. PM me and we can swap stories and I can give you a look at why you need to reseal diligently.