newbie - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

Charliek · 03-27-2011, 03:22 PM

The wife and I have been looking for a travel trailer for a while and stumbled on to a 2004 17t Hi Lo purley on accident and we were not even looking for one. Seems it came in on trade from an RV show and it was just sitting there. Being a good hubbie I let the wife do the looking and I talked fishing with the salesman. When she was done looking she got back in the rig and and I finished my chat with the salesman. When I got back to the Bronco she said it, Hi Lo, was the first trailer she found that she liked so we took another look. From everything we could see this trailer has been very lightly used and stored inside out of the weather. I am curious as to a couple of things thou and if anybody can help with an answer I would really like it. Just how do you keep them from dropping down while you are inside asleep and if so how would you get out of it. I have done a bit of camping and used to sell RV's so I am not worried about the rest however I am thrilled about the light weight as I can pull it with either my full size Bronco or our Expidition. Oh yeah I get to use to on my hunting trips also.

Thanks

Chuck

JIM L · 03-27-2011, 03:57 PM

HI Chuck, Welcome to the forum. A safety lock engages automatically when the top section has reached it full height. To lower the top, you release the safety lock by pulling the cable next to the telescoping switch. Once the top has lowered aprox 6 inches you can release the cable. If the the safety lock will not release raise the top to take the pressure off of the safety lock. You need to spend time reading this forum as it will answer most of your questions and members will answer any other questions you post here. You need to download the owners manual here on the forum. Don't worry if you don't find the manual for your model/year as they did not change much from year to year. Have fun.

RichR · 03-27-2011, 04:27 PM

You can get in and out when in the down position. You will not be trapped. The door still opens. When on the road you can get inside to access the fridge and cupboards with out raising the top.

Welcome to the Forum!

Rich

Charliek · 03-27-2011, 05:06 PM

thanks for the info, I did find the cat section and read about the saftey raising lowering etc. One thing I have not found is a weight limit on the upper bed for a 17t. This fall it is going on an elk hunting trip and it would be nice to know if I have to put the smaller ones, Hunters that is, up there or not. We are taking it on its first outing the 12th of this month and will put on about 1000 to 1500 miles. Towing with a 05 Expitition rated to tow 6 K and I am an experienced tower. I have done a bit of searching and I am pretty sure we will have many years of excellent use out of it. Thanks again for the info.

chuck

RichR · 03-27-2011, 05:09 PM

The bed is good for about 250 pounds maybe a bit more. The Expedition should tow it like there is nothing there. We had a 1705T and we towed it easily with a 2002 Explorer with no tow package that was rated at only 3500 pounds.

There is a bit of a trick for lowering and raising the bunk that makes it easier. When releasing the latches at the ends of bunk keep the back of the bunk held back toward the rear. Hold onto the front edge by wrapping you fingers over the top of the front edge board then gently lower the front and then slowly pull the bed toward you and the rear will swivel down. Next, lower the support arms and place the tips in the metal holes on the ledges. When putting it up, raise the support arms, then grasp the top of the front edge board then give a quick pull toward you and the back should swivel back into the up position. Then raise the front up and snap it into the latches. Don't forget to put the snaps(keepers) back into the latches so they don't accidentally come unlatched. With a little practice the bunk will lower and raise easily.

vannooch · 03-27-2011, 06:45 PM

Welcome aboard and congrats on the HiLo! You will find a wealth of information on this forum, enjoy.

PaulS · 03-28-2011, 03:13 PM

better check or get your wheel bearings repacked and lift system lubricated

Charliek · 04-04-2011, 11:34 PM

Good Idea on the repack and lubeing the lift system. I wish I had time before we leave on our first trip. However we pulled it about 100 miles with no problem and the dealer we got it from did a complete check out. It runs up and down very nicely but pm is pm and it will be done when we get back. The Expidition towed with extreme ease and we got a bit over 14 mpg till we got into town and started pulling a few hills, however the average overall was a sweet 14. The trip back was a two lane road winding through the mountains following the river with lots of braking and excelration. A very nice trip and I slept part of the way giving the wife a chance to learn to tow it unhindered by me. Best way for her to learn, only problem she had was once in a while she would corner to close to the fog line and she wants mirror extensions. Me I don't worry, if it is behind me and I cannot see it ehh as long as it is not flashing lights. Of course I do make sure I don't pile up traffic if I can help it and she did good not getting any.

campthewestcoast · 04-05-2011, 12:11 AM

I recommend taking a look at this tread for lots of comments about mirror extensions.

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f17/...n-mirrors-839/

My wife wants better mirror extensions, but we are still negotiating what that means.

retiredcamper47 · 04-05-2011, 10:23 AM

In regards to mirror extensions, check with your local Ford dealer. In my opinion, Ford has the best towing mirrors on the market. They replace the original "regular" mirrors on your truck. They extend out for towing and push back in when not towing. They should make them for the Expedition, not sure for the Bronco.

Bob

Charliek · 04-05-2011, 04:00 PM

Will check on the mirrors. I am spending the day going through the trailer and making any changes and or repairs as needed. The very first thing I did was change out the proportioning valve for the propane. I put on one that lets your control which tank you are on and has an indicator that tells when you have an empty tank. That way I can run on one tank and take the other one in for filling. All I need to do is flip the directional switch. One really nice thing about it is I can be running on one tank and when it empties it changes to the other tank with out loss of flame and shows a red flag to let me know I have an empty, simply flip the little arrow to the new tank, pull the old one and get it filled. It is a really nice system. I was lucky as I got the books that came with the trailer, just no record of maintance.