A little info. on the prototype HiLo

SA

sam-HILO

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2010
Messages
4,233
Location
Niagara Falls,NY
Our salesman retired from selling trailers(80years old.) We didn't expect to see him at the dealership. He was filling in for someone. He told us HiLo will be taking orders in two years for custom trailers. He plans to make a trip to PA (soon) to speak with the new owner. What a guy!! Our camping club has a dinner in April and I will fill you in as details become available. Our parts guy said they shouldn't be using plastic end caps that crack. They also need to get rid of the Lexen window as it is a real safety hazard. Other guys headlights bounce off it and it is a real bad distraction. I,m sure we as owners could compile quite a few ideas to the new owner.
 
sam said:
Our salesman retired from selling trailers(80years old.) We didn't expect to see him at the dealership. He was filling in for someone. He told us HiLo will be taking orders in two years for custom trailers. He plans to make a trip to PA (soon) to speak with the new owner. What a guy!! Our camping club has a dinner in April and I will fill you in as details become available. Our parts guy said they shouldn't be using plastic end caps that crack. They also need to get rid of the Lexen window as it is a real safety hazard. Other guys headlights bounce off it and it is a real bad distraction. I,m sure we as owners could compile quite a few ideas to the new owner.
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Sam,

I'll second that! I have a 2006 with two long cracks in each end cap. Plus [3] other cracks that are trying to reach the outer limits. i drilled 1/16" holes in the ends of all the holes to stop the progress. I bought some supposedly really tough stuff today and applied it. I will report to the forum how it works out.

Aside from that, I am just getting ready to apply Kool Seal elastomeric paint to the roof due to metal fatigue, and this Hi Lo is just 6 years old! The roof failure was due to factory craftsmanship. I would recommend a heavy fiber or rubber barrier between the metal roof and plywood. No one should have to repair a roof due to poor factory workers who are more interested in meeting their objective quantity wise at the expense of quality.

I would just tell the new owners to not cut corners and check on their craftsmen/women regularly. The hotshots whose goal is for quantity and not quality should be shown the front entrance. If a person can afford a new Hi Lo or any other brand, he/she should not have to do penny ante repairs because the factory chooses to cut corners and fail to check the work of their craftsmen/women.

Aside from some of the the finish work and some occasional shoddy workmanship, the Hi Lo is a superb RV. We have owned two before this one and the craftsmanship back in 75' and 91' was far superior to what i have seen in the later models.

I hope the new owners join this forum and learn what their [future] customers are having to contend with.

I look forward to your report after your meeting.

Jerry Curtis
2406 T [With Plastic End Caps]!!
 
So- I missed seeing where somebody bought Hi-lo. This is true?
Just put money down on a 2201. Are the issues being mentioned germain to those manufacturing years?
 
Roof repairs

You are quite right in your comments about the quality coming out of the HiLo factory. They charged alot of $ for inferior parts. That is why we restored our 90 Classic as the problems were fixable by us. We want to spend our time camping not having to fix a young age trailer.
 
Sam -- I think the dealership (can't remember the name right now) possibly bought the remaining intellectual property rights, which probably include the rights to use the Hi-Lo trademark and any remaining trade secret information. Any patent rights have probably expired by now, which at that time was 17 years from the date of issuance of the patents. When the Hi-Lo Co. closed shop, they had been in business longer than 17 years.

Dee
2009 2509C
 
sam said:
Our salesman retired from selling trailers(80years old.) We didn't expect to see him at the dealership. He was filling in for someone. He told us HiLo will be taking orders in two years for custom trailers. He plans to make a trip to PA (soon) to speak with the new owner. What a guy!! Our camping club has a dinner in April and I will fill you in as details become available. Our parts guy said they shouldn't be using plastic end caps that crack. They also need to get rid of the Lexen window as it is a real safety hazard. Other guys headlights bounce off it and it is a real bad distraction. I,m sure we as owners could compile quite a few ideas to the new owner.
Click to expand...

I can't see that the Lexan front window is a safety hazard, it is mostly shadowed by the tow vehicle and any reflection back would be minimal. Being curved makes the reflection back less intense as well. Having a 2310H, I don't really care for the front window and would prefer the old style front window in a fiberglass front shell. The older windows could be opened for ventilation and and had the cover that provided shade for the window. Why they made that change didn't make any sense to me. They made a number of dumb changes in 2010.
 
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the shop manager and each line foreman should have been responsible for the quality of the finished units, they were probably getting a bonus for how many units above and beyond a certain minimum. If it were me that owned the company, a bonus would go to the workers for zero defect trailers,to be split equally among all workers , this way the sloths and slackers get weeded out by the quality process, also ISO standards should be in place. leave saleries lower,give good bonuses to compinsate self disiplined quality and you don't have to worry about greedy mismanaged brotherinlaws that drain down your dream
 
Lexan window produces shadow/safety hazard

Our dealer towed a newer HiLo to an RV show and he said it nearly drove him nuts when the vehicles headlights in the on coming gave him a huge glare off the lexan window. This is a huge safety hazard. I totally agree that many of the changed in the 2010 model didn't make any sense. Inferior quality and just as expensive. We love our front window that opens up and has a rock shield.
 
sam said:
Our dealer towed a newer HiLo to an RV show and he said it nearly drove him nuts when the vehicles headlights in the on coming gave him a huge glare off the lexan window. This is a huge safety hazard. I totally agree that many of the changed in the 2010 model didn't make any sense. Inferior quality and just as expensive. We love our front window that opens up and has a rock shield.
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I have never experienced that, but I have not towed it much after dark. I could see where it could maybe reflect back into the side view mirrors.
 
Sam & Rich R,

Regarding the blinding of oncoming traffic, Would not that have been an improper adjustment on the WDH? An over adjustment would place too much weight on the hitch which would put too much weight on the rear end, thus lifting the headlights higher if I'm not mistaken. [?]

Jerry Curtis
2406 T
 
jcurtis95 said:
Sam & Rich R,

Regarding the blinding of oncoming traffic, Would not that have been an improper adjustment on the WDH? An over adjustment would place too much weight on the hitch which would put too much weight on the rear end, thus lifting the headlights higher if I'm not mistaken. [?]

Jerry Curtis
2406 T
Click to expand...

Hi Jerry,
They are referring to the headlights of oncoming traffic reflecting off the Lexan window and glaring into the TV rear view mirrors. WDH adjustment would have no effect on that.

Jim
 
JMDoering said:
Hi Jerry,
They are referring to the headlights of oncoming traffic reflecting off the Lexan window and glaring into the TV rear view mirrors. WDH adjustment would have no effect on that.

Jim
Click to expand...

Sorry, I misunderstood. I am not familiar with the Lexan window of which you speak. We have a large camper shell on our TV so that would not be a problem for us towing during the nighttime.

Jerry Curtis
2406 T
 
I don't think the problem is the material (Lexan) but the fact that HiLo did not put a rock shield on the RV. With the many rock nicks I got on my rock shield and the front of the trailer when we went to Alaska, if I had a 2010 I would make a rock shield. Lexan is a stronger and more resistant to scratches.
 
Fortunately, that's one problem I don't need to worry with. Our '09 22' Towlite comes with a glass window, AND a rock shield.
 
The front cap on the 2010 sticks out further in front than on the older HiLo front cap. (Look on page 8 of the brochure) There is very little space between the cap/window and the gas tanks. In fact, the tank cover was rubbing on the front window when we first got the trailer. HiLo replaced the window and replaced the tank cover with the optional hard fiberglass tank cover. The standard cover has a new design that tapers out on top which made it closer to the window. It would be very difficult to catch a rock from the tow vehicle, but it could be possible to get one from oncoming vehicles.
 
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Rich,

I've never actually seen a Hi-Lo with the Lexan window. All the photos in the brochure show the window flush with the front of the trailer.

Does that thing open? Curious minds want to know. :)

Jim
 
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