Another user having troubles

[Wrascal]

This is an edited copy of an email I just received. Can anyone help him? My advice to him was to first sign up as a user (if he's not yet one) and then to ask the community. I also advised him to use something other than a Hotmail account because several of us have been unable to join the site with one.


I purchased a 1965 Hi-Lo trailer and I need access to the wealth of information provided online (owner's manuals, photographs and more) to restore it. Trouble is, I'm not given the needed permissions from Admin. I've spent the past month sending messages to Admin, contacts, etc. but I've received no reply of any sort. I have sent about five or six messages aside from my initial inquiry. Nothing.

I am hoping you can furnish me a name or direct me to where I need to go to correct this issue. According to the listings, Admin hasn't been online for a long period of time.

Please advise. Your helpfulness is appreciated. If you prefer, please forward this inquiry to someone who can address this matter.

I'm patiently waiting...

Kindly, Don Shipley

 

[DonShipley]

Resolved!

After waiting a month for Admin to register me with no luck, Wrascal resolved it with a singular piece of advice-- use a different email account rather than my primary one (.comcast.net). That fixed it. It would be great if that could be clearly conveyed to others who are registering to ensure that they aren't waiting indefinitely. Thanks, Wrascal. You are welcome to remove the thread if needed. --Don

 

[JackandJanet]

Welcome, Don. I seem to recall someone else with I think a "gmail" account having a similar problem?

I wouldn't think Comcast would trigger the spammer filter, but maybe it doesn't pass some other requirement for registration, such as "captcha", if that is in play.

Anyway, this would be a problem for the Admins to tackle.

You'll find a wealth of information in this forum and the members are all friendly. No one will give you the N00B treatment.

- Jack

 

[DonShipley]

Possible remedy

I am pleased to be the newest member of the Hi-Lo Trailer Forum. There is a lot of helpful info here.

Aside from providing clearer instructions including workarounds, it seems clear that the Admin and Contact recipients may need to be updated to ensure a more timely response.

I was totally bewildered and perplexed why I was denied access to everything but rudimentary details on the Forum for a month. Now I have access to everything...nice!

It's a great forum. There are a lot of good and helpful folk here.

 

[sam-HILO]

Welcome to the forum

Don,I hope some owners of 1969 models will be along to help you. I recall some pictures being posted of the interiors of older models. Do a search in the back posts. Glad to see you got your computer access problems solved.

 

[campthewestcoast]

Hi Don,

Happy to have you join us.

I am not sure where the emails and messages to Admin or Contact go. They are not coming to the moderators.

NealandBev is the administrator of this site, and I don't think they have been on the site much lately.

For a while we were receiving a lot of spam on this site, so the registration requirements were tightened up to minimize the spammers getting through.

I am glad that you were able to get registered and can now join in the conversations.

 

[bearshrum]

Hello Don,
There is a member of this forum who goes by 69Hi-Lo. If he can't help you I don't know where to tell you to turn to. There are a lot of great people on this forum who know a lot about Hi-Lo trailers, just ask a question, be patient and an answer will soon pop up. I can't imagine trying to redo a "69", I have enough trouble finding parts for my "89". Good luck with your project and happy camping.

Bear

 

[JMDoering]

Hi Don,

I owned a '69 Bon Voyage until three years ago. My son now has it. During the 45 years I had it, we did one major overhaul, and two more minor refits. Fortunately the trailer was in the low humidity of the inland west for most of those years, so corrosion, mold, mildew, etc., we're never a problem. We did suffer several roof leaks caused by old, dried out gasket putty, but they were easily fixed with virtually no interior damage. Consequently our "overhaul," and "refits," we're mostly deep preservation, and electrical system revisions and modernization. The most ambitious repair was the replacement of the entire clean water plumbing system.
Regarding your Hi-Lo, the good news is that your trailer has an overbuilt upper and lower tube steel frame, aluminum sides and roof. You have a trailer from what I believe is the most durable generation of rigs Hi-Lo ever produced! Other than lift system and bunk, virtually every other piece of hardware, fitting and fixture was "off the shelf." Excepting the appliances, virtually all the stuff I replaced or updated came from big orange or the like.
As for the appliances...finding replacement parts is impossible. In my experience this stuff is so outdated that even the trailer recyclers no longer have parts. Over the years I ended up replacing both the stove/oven, and refrigerator. With research, and perhaps the help of a good trailer parts person, you can find modern appliances that will fit with minimal cabinet modification.
I did have to remove the black water tank. The original developed a crack in the threads that connect to the toilet mount ring. Couldn't find a replacement tank that would fit, and the old plastic had a chemistry that could not be welded. Ended up rebuilding the floor under the toilet, and going with a porta-potty (which was actually more convenient for our purposes).
The most important piece of advise I can give you is to be ABSOLUTELY sure that your lift system is properly lubricated, ram is clean, and ram lock works as designed. Make sure the cables are not frayed and the crimps are tight. If you do need to replace a cable, seek out a local rigging shop. They can match what you have. A frayed cable or loose crimp is an accident waiting to happen.

Wordy, but I hope this gives you confidence in taking on the task.

Good luck,
Jim

 

[DonShipley]

Thanks

Thanks, Jim.

There are few issues with that trailer that I need to contend with. Most of them are due to aging-- like our own bodies, they tend to malfunction with age even if we properly maintain them.

The original furnace was replaced with a new $1000 stainless marine heater by the previous owner so I'll keep it versus finding some sketchy piece of aging equipment. I have no cabinetry so I am making my own with 3/4" birch plywood (spendy!). I found an age-appropriate vintage ice box to replace the one that was once housed in the missing cabinet. Next, I'll find and install brand-new stovetop and get it the propane gas professionally plumbed.

Thanks for your encouragement.

--Don

 

[sam-HILO]

Restoration

Sounds like you are having fun making your HiLo your own. I love the retro refrigerators. Just don't love the price. Check out some retro trailers at tincan tourists. Would love to see pictures of the finished restoration and perhaps some along the way.