Cable Adjuments

During my first camping trip I noticed that the trim on the inside of the trailer upper half was about an inch below the trim of the lower half in the front of the trailer and even in the back. I measured the distance from the bottom edge of the upper half at the four cable attachment points and found that the front is lower by 3/8 ", measuring to the same datum. Then I looked at the relation of the rubber seal (attached to the upper half) to the seal edge (lower half) and it appears to be in the proper location. My trailer has a rear door, which with the door open, you can see the seal location in the rear. In the front and sides, looking and feeling, the seal appears to be in the proper location. The manual says that the dimensions should be the same front and rear. My feeling is if the top goes up and down and the seal is in the right location everything should be fine. I plan on recording the dimensions and keeping an eye on it. Any comments?

Having the seal meet is the most important thing you need to have. The trim, for some reason, does not necessarily ever maintain an even distance in HiLo trailers. So if the seal meets don't screw with it.

Thanks for your comment. I have recorded the dimensions in my owner manual for future reference so that I will know if there is any future cable stretch.

Johnnie said:

During my first camping trip I noticed that the trim on the inside of the trailer upper half was about an inch below the trim of the lower half in the front of the trailer and even in the back. I measured the distance from the bottom edge of the upper half at the four cable attachment points and found that the front is lower by 3/8 ", measuring to the same datum. Then I looked at the relation of the rubber seal (attached to the upper half) to the seal edge (lower half) and it appears to be in the proper location. My trailer has a rear door, which with the door open, you can see the seal location in the rear. In the front and sides, looking and feeling, the seal appears to be in the proper location. The manual says that the dimensions should be the same front and rear. My feeling is if the top goes up and down and the seal is in the right location everything should be fine. I plan on recording the dimensions and keeping an eye on it. Any comments?

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Mine is the same. I thought that the trim should line up but it doesn't. The seal meets fine.

cable adjustment

After reading your message on cable adjustment, I went out and checked mine and it appears the rear left side when raised is coming up too high ,it is actually level with the top which is too high. I followed manual and the nuts on the rear right and left are as far out as they can go and the back end still comes up too far although not as bad as it was. the front and left side seem to be ok.

I understand that tightening the nuts will make it come up higher am I right on that.
One cable has really stretched and there is about an inch sticking out past the nut, but height seems to be about right on the front.

Don't know what I can do for the rear , especially the left side, I can't loosen the nut any further or it will come right off.

Any one have a similar problem?

COLLINGWOOD said:

After reading your message on cable adjustment, I went out and checked mine and it appears the rear left side when raised is coming up too high ,it is actually level with the top which is too high. I followed manual and the nuts on the rear right and left are as far out as they can go and the back end still comes up too far although not as bad as it was. the front and left side seem to be ok.

I understand that tightening the nuts will make it come up higher am I right on that.
One cable has really stretched and there is about an inch sticking out past the nut, but height seems to be about right on the front.

Don't know what I can do for the rear , especially the left side, I can't loosen the nut any further or it will come right off.

Any one have a similar problem?

Click to expand...

It could just take a quick investigation, did someone replace 1 cable perhaps, and managed to get it just a tiny bit shorter?

I have made mistake of trying to make the top and bottom "trim" pieces be same height" which caused me to have overtightened a cable... But, instead of breaking cable, mine busted one of the pulleys, that is in the hydraulic ram bracket. And I had to have it that day, so I had to find a pulley on a saturday in my town, that rolls up carpet (and sidewalks) at noon. Luckily, I found a pully that was "close' at an implement dealer. It was bigger. and made of steel instead of plastic. you might need to just look at each cable run all parts except the length of cables, should be identical.

My cables are about 6ft from each corner of roof/camper, so "a little up to high" at one corner actually makes the opposite corner low, almost like a teeter totter. maybe one corner of yours is too low?

cable adjustment

sting32 said:

It could just take a quick investigation, did someone replace 1 cable perhaps, and managed to get it just a tiny bit shorter?

I have made mistake of trying to make the top and bottom "trim" pieces be same height" which caused me to have overtightened a cable... But, instead of breaking cable, mine busted one of the pulleys, that is in the hydraulic ram bracket. And I had to have it that day, so I had to find a pulley on a saturday in my town, that rolls up carpet (and sidewalks) at noon. Luckily, I found a pully that was "close' at an implement dealer. It was bigger. and made of steel instead of plastic. you might need to just look at each cable run all parts except the length of cables, should be identical.

My cables are about 6ft from each corner of roof/camper, so "a little up to high" at one corner actually makes the opposite corner low, almost like a teeter totter. maybe one corner of yours is too low?

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The trailer height was good all around when I bought the trailer. Had it in for warrenty work and they did some adjustments. don't believe a cable was replaced.
You might be right about the top and right side being just a bid low. I will try to tighten them a bit and see if the left side lowers a bit. Otherwise I'll live with it I guess. thanks.

If you look at page 25 of this owners manual (27th page on the PDF) You will see the proper adjustment. It appears that the upper half is slightly lower than the bottom half. As said before, look for the sealing between the two halves.
http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f49/owners-manual-2004-hi-lo-78/

RCREYES said:

If you look at page 25 of this owners manual (27th page on the PDF) You will see the proper adjustment. It appears that the upper half is slightly lower than the bottom half. As said before, look for the sealing between the two halves.
http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f49/owners-manual-2004-hi-lo-78/

Click to expand...

Yes, I have the manual and followed it exactly as the example it gives. The front right side was a bid low so I lowered onto even 4x4 blocks and tightened the front right nut and that corner did come up to proper seal.

The rear right and left however were too high already showing damage to upper section from being raised too high.

I lowered the trailer back onto the 4 even 4x4 to loosen the cables and the cc and BB cables were extremely tight, so I backed off the nuts and went right to the very end , where I can't loosen them any more and raised the trailer and it helped just a little. The rear still raises too high.

When I lower the unit onto the frame and check the cables. The CC and BB rear cables are really loose, yet the other two are fairly tight. I tried raising it again and same result the rear come up nearly level with the top where the front seal is just right leaving the lower section about and inch and a half below the top frame.

I tried lowering to within 2" of the frame and drove it around a bit hoping the cables would level themselves but it made no difference.

I will now crawl under the trailer and try to trace the cables to see if there is a different problem where cable is twisted or pulley broken. don't know what else to do.
I contacted J&R repair for their suggestions today using email address given to me on this forum.

try thinking outside the box- if you need the cable tighter, try changing the adjustment bolt to a longer/shorter bolt or change the size of the pulleys to a larger diameter, etc

Tell-Tale signs [?]

RCREYES said:

If you look at page 25 of this owners manual (27th page on the PDF) You will see the proper adjustment. It appears that the upper half is slightly lower than the bottom half. As said before, look for the sealing between the two halves.
http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f49/owners-manual-2004-hi-lo-78/

Click to expand...

I have been following this topic on cable adjustment since two days ago, as I was cleaning the lower half of the Hi Lo, I noticed some rubbing marks on the Right Front of the trailer. Further investigation revealed that when the upper half is lowered, the end cap is resting on the "V" of the trailer hitch frame. Also, there is a 1/2" or so space on the left front end cap and frame but the right side is resting on the hitch frame. [pictures attached].

Back up she goes and sure enough, the seal on the right front has a rather large air gap that is commensurate with the space needed to raise the right front cable so that the end cap will no longer rest on the trailer tongue. I looked at the leveling adjustment bolts and the "AA" bolt is further recessed than the other adjustment bolts.

Now, my question. I've never adjusted these before but it seems like a simple enough adjustment. I just don't want to magnify the problem.

A. Am I correct in assuming the upper half needs to be lowered before adjusting? As I adjust the cable, I should be able to see a gap appear where the end cap is rubbing against the trailer tongue frame, correct?

B. Or, can the adjustment be made with the trailer in the raised position and I should notice the right front seal gap level out and disappear?

C. Or, should I place a shim in place to compensate for the space needed, then lower the upper half and remove the slack that way?

Which is the better method?

Jerry Curtis
2406 T

Older trailers didn't have the side supports in front for the top so they rested in the front. My 2209 never really rested on the front rubber pads. put an additional rubber pad on the trailer side support that is low when down.
Cable adjustment has nothing to do with being level when down.
Adjust the cables when down so as to take pressure off the adjustment bolt. Adjust the low one and then raise the top to see if it is ok.