Brand new.....and scared

MI

miranda-HILO

Advanced Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
92
Location
Winter Haven, FL
Bought first Towlite on 8/12/16. We are retired seniors who live in central Florida year-round. Good to be a part of forum.

Our 24' is parked under carport and we've been unable to raise top fully. Once partially raised, top drops gradually....once with my loving wife inside.

Now, unit doesn't seem to want to raise at all. Bummer. What should I do or check?

1996 model was stored very long and not used. Any help or advice you can give will REALLY be appreciated.

Good to be on board.

Jerry
 
Jerry:

You say it's been in storage a long time. That always makes me think of a battery problem. Have you had your battery checked. Having said that, it's not likely to be the main issue you're facing. But, you need a good battery, so check that off your list ASAP.

Assuming that doesn't fix your problem, check your hydraulic fluid level....when the top is down. You could be low and just need to add some.

It could also be a leaking seal in the hydraulic system. If the Hi Lo has been under a carport a long time, can you see any sign of hydraulic fluid leaks on the ground?

Here's some useful information that someone put together on replacing valve seals, this is a possibility.

In summary: Get a good battery in there, if you haven't already. Check hydraulic fluid level. Check for signs of hydraulic fluid leaks.

Take pictures of something that looks suspicious, and post them on here. Hang in there, this is all fixable.





http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f61/how-fix-top-half-creep-your-hilo-trailer-129/
 
Hi Jerry,
More info would be helpful. Do you hear the pump running when trying to raise the top? Do you have the master switch in the raise position, on my 2004 the larger black rocker type switch must be in the down position. If the switch is in the correct position and you still don't hear the pump or it is running slow you may have a discharged or bad battery. Since you may not have access to the battery with the top down plugging in to your house AC current should charge the battery and allow the top to raise.The top half will lock in the fully up position, there is a safety latch with a release cable by the master switches inside the entrance door. But it sounds like you need to get it out from under the car port to fully raise the top. The likely cause of the top slowly lowering is the hydraulic system check valve unless you have a puddle of oil underneath. Once the top is up and locked check the battery condition and or replace with a new deep cycle RV/marine battery.
 
Jim, thanks a lot. No leaks. My hyd fluid container is low but does have some. Should I fill to top? What kind of hydraulic fluid do I use?

I checked battery with charger. Shows 90% charged and 15 volts, so seems batt is OK

Maybe I'm just doing something stupid......

Jerry
 
Yes, got to get out from under carport to fully check. Batt just might be the prob. As you suggested, I'll plug into 110 house current and charge up fully. I don't know how old batt is, unfortunately.

After bringing trlr home Friday, we raised top several times halfway due to height of carport. Then, she refused to go up. Makes noise, but does not raise.

My black switch uses bottom, as you mentioned. Once depressed, the up switch is used to raise. DUMB question----What is top half of black switch for? Does this activate elec to house lights and recepticles?
 
Miranda, I'm in the process of repacking the hydraulic cylinder as we speak. There was NO hyd fluid on the ground, however, the clear plastic tubing from the cylinder to the reservoir was FULL. This denotes an internal leak in the cylinder.
I'm in Bonita Springs, near Naples Fl. There are several Hyd service places in Fort Myers. Mine has a 2 day turn around. Dropped it off this morn, will pick it up Wens.
Treeclimber
 
mirand, Welcome to the forum, by the way. Idleness has a bad effect on the cylinder, but ensure all other possible causes are tried before you delve into removing that cylinder. Not hard to do, but time consuming. I found out the hard way that the safety bar is held in by the cylinder and nothing else. Got cylinder out -- got safety bar on head!!~!~
Tree
 
http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f49/owners-manual-95-96-towlight-621/

Do you have an owner's manual. If not, go to this link for a copy. Pages 20-23 cover the hydraulic system.

They hydraulic system uses Dexron II auto tranny fluid.

I'm not convinced that it isn't your battery.

Can you hook up jumper cables from a known good battery (say, your car) and try it?

What happens when you're plugged into shore power?
 
Piperjim, thanks much. No, I didn't receive owners manual from prior owner. Thanks for link. I'll fill hydraulic bottle with Dexron 2. I will try jumping battery from truck batt.

Jerry
 
Jerry:

There's a lot of info on this forum. Look near the bottom of the page under the section for "Hi Lo Tech". There's a collection of topics, including lift systems, and another section with a collection of owners manuals.

Also, search for info on this forum, but it works best if you don't use the forum search tool. Instead, use Google as your search tool. To do so, here's the format. For instance you want info on "hydraulic fluid". So, type this in your google browser window:

hydraulic fluid site:.http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/

This method of searching is much better than using the forum search tool.
 
Hey Jerry, I'm down in Bartow. Unfortunately for you I'm not a real handy guy, and I've only had my Hi-Lo for a few months (bought from Treeclimber) so I'm no expert on how to repair or maintain these campers. But if you want to check out anything on my 2000 24' for reference, you are welcome to do so.

Sometimes unfamiliarity with how things are supposed to look/work/sound can be unsettling, so if checking mine out would help you, I'm straight down 17 from Winter Haven, just north of Homeland.
 
Last edited:
miranda said:
Bought first Towlite on 8/12/16. We are retired seniors who live in central Florida year-round. Good to be a part of forum.

Our 24' is parked under carport and we've been unable to raise top fully. Once partially raised, top drops gradually....once with my loving wife inside.

Now, unit doesn't seem to want to raise at all. Bummer. What should I do or check?

1996 model was stored very long and not used. Any help or advice you can give will REALLY be appreciated.

Good to be on board.

Jerry
Click to expand...

HI welcome to the forum; If you still need help or advice contact me anytime. I sent you a private message with my contact info. JIM
 
Piperjim, we have been unable to fully extend top upward, due to storing under carport. So, while almost up all the way (under carport), top began to gradually come DOWN. I will be moving trlr this Friday or Sat, so we will be trying to get top to open and lock fully upward. Will report results. Thanks.
 
Cugrad, Thanks, good idea. I'll just might PM you, if OK, and come see how your Hi-Lo works. Would be very helpful. I'd like to see how your 24' trlr works. You're very close to us, as we live near LEGOLAND on Cyp Gdns Blvd in Winter Haven.

Jerry
 
Jim L, thanks. I'll prob be calling you. I really appreciate your kind offer of phone help/advice. As you know, I am sorting out several things. Sent you an email today.

Jerry
 
Thanks Jim. My next little project will be to seek a door key for my '96 FunLite, as prior owner had lost his. Might have to get a locksmith to fit a key
 
mirand, just a note. Amazon has most of the parts you need for a Hi Lo. Just type RV accessories interior OR exterior. Either one will give scores of things you can use or would like. I bought a spare lock assembly for about $18.
Tree
 
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