1981 Funlite Won't go up??

[snowshoe76]

Brand new battery

My trailer won't go into the up postion. The lift motor is running and making noise but not moving. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!

 

[piperjim]

Give us a little more info. Did this just start? When's the last time you raised it?

Have you checked the hydraulic fluid level recently?
Is fluid leaking.....any signs of a leak on the ground under the pump, or elsewhere?
Is the hydraulic ram (under trailer) moving?
Have the zombie packrats chewed through the lift cables?
What do you see in the overflow fluid line under the trailer.....any hydraulic fluid or none, or some?
Have you performed any maintenance on the lift system recently? Ever?

Get back to us and we'll help!

 

[snowshoe76]

It had sat in the up postion in the same place for 10 years. I just got it a week ago. I towed it 20 yards and vacuumed it up. I hooked up my car battery and lowered it. I drove 15 miles round trip to it to the drive thru car wash and pressure washed the outside. Bought a brand new marine battery and took it back to my house. Blew a fuse , replaced fuse and the motor is running at full power but, it's not moving. I broke the safety bar wire pulling on it. I got under the trailer and the safety bar is bent. The pully system is lose right now as well. No signs of leaks on the ground. It has not been serviced in over 10 years the previous owner said

Thanks again!

 

[piperjim]

You bought it in the up position, then let it down, and can't get it up now (and haven't been able to get it up at all)? Right?

With the unit sitting there for 10 years, it's likely to have dry seals and a hydraulic fluid leak. Does you have the owner's manual? If not, here's a link to one:

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f49/1981-hilo-models-3467/
See page 7 & 8 for lift mechanism troubleshooting.

Check hydraulic fluid, likely the major problem.

You say "loose pully system". Are the pulleys loose, or the cables? The pulleys should be very stable and the cables should be taut. Will likely require adjusting, also in the owner's manual. May need replacing. How about the cable attachment to the top half of the trailer? They might be a bit loose at that connection.

Are the guide blocks intact? You are probably already working on the bent safety bar and the broken safety wire.

Looks like you have a project on your hands!! Keep on it and you'll have a jewel when you finish!!

Good luck

 

[MrEd HiLo]

Perhaps the pressure relief valve is open

 

[snowshoe76]

How do you Check hydraulic fluid and fill it?

 

[snowshoe76]

Where is the pressure relief valve?

Thanks

 

[piperjim]

C'mon shoe.....time for some tough love.

We're here to help, but you gotta help yourself a little bit.

Hi-Lo has been making travel trailers for nearly 50 years. Any problem that you have......someone else has already had, and there's a good chance that the solution is posted here already. The "search" function is your friend, don't be afraid to shake hands and use it. On the forum home page, there's a whole section dedicated to the lift system.

Learn how to post pictures to the forum and you can help us to help you.

Now, to today's lesson: Have you read the owner's manual.....the link to which I gave you yesterday? Apparently not......so, here's the Cliff Notes version:

The hydraulic lift system (electric motor and hydraulic pump) is located in the "A" part of your trailer frame, between the hitch (aka "coupler" as they call it in this owner's manual, and the trailer).

Page 6 of the owner's manual has a diagram (referred to as Fig 3). Page 5 has a paragraph that contains the description of the objects in Fig 3, i.e. #4 is the 3 qt hydraulic fluid reservoir, #3 is the filler/breather port, #5 is the relief valve, etc.

Page 7 & 8 has a troubleshooting section for the hydraulic lift system. Bullet-point #3 under the troubleshooting section tells you how to check hydraulic fluid level (should be 1" below the top of the reservoir with the trailer in the "down" position) and where to check for leaks in the system.

The photo below is a shot of what my system looks like, but it's a 2008 model, so will not look exactly like yours. This was taken looking down into the compartment that stores my lift system. The dirty white plastic cylinder next to the battery is the hydraulic fluid reservoir. The black plastic cap on this cylinder is the filler port.


Oh, you'll see that your owner's manual states to use "Type A automatic transmission fluid...." to refill your hydraulic fluid reservoir. You won't find Type A any longer, it is all but obsolete. But, there are a few threads on this forum that discuss the appropriate replacement for Type A automatic transmission fluid. You can find that via the search function.

Alright, do some homework and let us know what you learn!!

Good luck!