Hi Low 2703T parts

[JerryVH]

Hello everyone, my wife and I are in the process of buying a used Hi Low 2703T that has a few what look like minor issues. First off does anyone know what size battery I need as the current one is dead? Second right now there is only 1 battery but there is a place to put a second one, how do you wire up a second battery? Next, in the bathroom area there are privacy boards that have a place to retract to when lowering the unit, how do you secure those in place when the unit is extended? Finally does anyone know the approx cost to turn the hot water heater into one that you can light from the inside vs. lighting it from the outside? The only other issue is we have to repair the awning but as far as I know it is a generic awning that I can go to camping world to get fixed/replaced. Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[JackandJanet]

Hello, Jerry - Welcome to the forum.

I don't know what size OEM battery came in your trailer, but I'm sure a Group Size 24 Deep Cycle/Marine would fit. You MAY be able to put a Group Size 27 in it though, some people have done this, but you'd have to measure the space to see if it would fit. As far as installing a second battery, you'd connect them in "Parallel", (positive to positive and negative to negative), with heavy battery cables, which you can buy in any automotive store. This effectively doubles the capacity of your battery supply and keeps the voltage at 12V. You can then attach the trailer's battery cables to only one of those batteries, or, attach the Positive cable to one of them and the Negative cable to the other, and the second way is the way I did it.

If you DO install two batteries, they need to be the same brand and size and should ideally have the same manufacturing date.

I can't help you with the other items, because my trailer is different.

- Jack

 

[JerryVH]

Thank you JackandJanet that is a huge help. We will also need new tires but that we already know the right size and have our quote for them from Discount Tires. It is just a matter of going back out to the trailer where it is at and jacking it up to take the tires off and then have them replaced. The trailer has been sitting for about 6 years.

 

[JackandJanet]

Just an FYI, I replaced the tires on my trailer last year with Goodyear Endurance trailer tires. They are the only ones I've seen that have a speed rating of 87mph, all others seem to be limited to 65mph. With the new ones, I can keep up with traffic on Interstates. Also, they come in Load Range E rating, which is MUCH higher than the OEM tires that came on our trailers (Load Range C) that just barely matched the weight of my trailer. I got the Goodyears at Discount Tire.

Edit: Here's a link to a battery Group Size chart:https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/r/advice/car-maintenance/battery-size-chart that shows the typical dimensions of batteries. A single Group Size 27 is too big for my trailer, but I can mount 2-GS 24 batteries in the compartment. I've recently converted to 2-LiFePO4 batteries that are JUST a tiny bit larger than GS 24. I have a thread on this conversion in the forum. It's a bit more involved than just changing the batteries.

- Jack

 

[JerryVH]

Thanks for the additional info on the batteries and tires. The Goodyear Tires are according to Discount Tire the best ones. However there is also the Hartland ST Radial which is also rated for 87 mph and Load Range D1. I gave the Discount Tire guy the weight specs for our Hi Low 2703T (dry weight of approx 4,900 lbs) and he said either tire would be good for the trailer. The good news is the Harlands are half the price of the Goodyear tires. We will be buying 5 tires so this is a significant savings of approx. $700 and that is after getting my Veteran discount. Thanks again this is all good info for us.

 

[sam-HILO]

Welcome to the forum.

Have fun making the HiLo your own. Please do not ever take any Trailer to Camping world for service. You will have a bad experience. Hire a Mobile Tech to do the house call/work. Do a search on this forum for awning Fabric replacement. Shade Pro comes to mind. Remove your old awning very carefully. You need to measure the width and length. My HiLo de3aler had a complete awning for sale 12ft. Call Jay Simon in parts. Only call if you plan to buy. Mantelli Trailer sales 716-625-8877. I think you would have to put in a new water heater and switch to be able to light it from the inside. The Classic Models came with this upgrade. Study the videos in the library for operating instructions.Do your preventive maintenance. Study UTube for differences in water heater. Some in our group have not replaced worn awnings. Inastead it is more cost effective to purchase a clam shell dinning set up. We love to answer any questions you may have. Thank You for your service!!.

 

[JerryVH]

Thank you Sam, once we get the new tires on it and get it moved to our place I will look into your advice. I am not a big fan of Camping World either, we have a RV guy that we have used serval times for other RV's, currently a 21 ft 5th wheel similiar to a Scamp 5th wheel except dual axle. With our 3 dogs we just need more room and this Hi Low will give it to us.

 

[JerryVH]

Well we put the new tires on, thank you Discount Tire for having a mobile service. Installed a new battery and we were able to lower the trailer.

Next question is do you all recommend a sway bar when towing the 2703T or not? Are there advantages/disadvantages to using or not using one?

 

[JackandJanet]

Jerry, unless you have a VERY heavy-duty towing vehicle, you should be using a Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH) to pull it. Most simple bumper hitches have a weight limit of 500# and I think your trailer has a hitch weight that exceeds that. Plus, having that much weight on the rear of your tow vehicle without a WDH puts ALL the hitch load on your tow vehicle's rear axle, overloading it and lifting the front end of the tow vehicle and that causes VERY poor handling and poor braking, since applying brakes transfers even more weight to the hitch lifting the front of the tow vehicle even more.

Now, MOST good WDH's have anti-sway built in (mine does), or it is a simple add-on. So, I'd advise you to have that feature, even though trailer sway is not a serious problem with a properly set up HiLo. If you DO get trailer sway, it can easily cause you to totally lose control and crash.

- Jack

 

[JerryVH]

Thank you Jack that is good information to know.

 

[JerryVH]

Finally got our new to us Hilo home yesterday and took a few pics.

 

[MattJanelle]

Yes, get ldh + sway bar hitch setup. Just be sure to take off the sway bar (& load distribution bars) when maneuvering tight like parking at site, etc. I stop right before arriving home, for example, and take off the sway/LD bars to not damage the sway bar in my tight neighborhood/driveway.

I got my whole set up from craigslist or fb marketplace can't remember.

 

[JerryVH]

Is there a specific brand that you would recommend? The tongue weight specs say they are 780 lbs with gvw is 6,880. From what I have read you don't want to go to high on either one of those because the ride becomes rough.

 

[MattJanelle]

No, I do not have a specific brand. The one I got used is Reece. Harbor freight sells cost-effective ones new. I would make sure you understand what you need and then find a good brand name one at a reasonable price used on Facebook or craigslist or something of the like. Otherwise the new stuff at Harbor freight might work fine. eTrailor online if you've never heard of it is a really good customer service place to buy stuff from new.

 

[JackandJanet]

Jerry - if your tongue weight is 780, I'd get a WDH with 1000# tongue wt and it will probably have 10,000# tow limit. My Equal-i-zer WDH is an excellent system that has sway control built in and you DO NOT have to disconnect the sway control while backing! (Yes, some systems require this, but mine doesn't). Reese is a well reviewed brand too, and so is Curt. I'd stay away from ones from Harbor Freight. etrailer.com is a good source of trailer supplies and I'd recommend them as a source. You can also find them on Amazon. Here's a link to an informative page on etrailer: https://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx

- Jack

 

[Angel-HILO]

JerryVH, I purchased my Anti-Sway bar at Harbor Freight Tools a few years ago and it has worked flawlessly, and helps to keep the truck and trailer straight on the road. The HFT anti-sway bar is no different than others from major brands. Good quality actually! plus I had a 20% off coupon. I know a lot of products from HFT aren't that good of a quality, but this purchase was!! My LDH is from Draw-Tite.

 

[JerryVH]

Finally have our new to us HiLo at the RV Mechanics to get all of the little things and hopefully no big things repaired. Once it is out of the shop we plan on taking it on a nice trip to try it out, can't wait.

 

[sam-HILO]

Best of luck getting the road.

Let us know if you need anything post trip.

 

[JerryVH]

Another quick question for the board. We just got our Hilo back after getting minor repairs done and we raised it up with problems so as to get some supplies out of it. When we were done it would not lower. My wife went underneath the trailer and was able to get the bar to release so that it lowered. Does the trailer have to be "reasonably" level for it to lower properly or is that not a factor? Also our awning bit the dust where can you get replacement awnings or is it not worth the cost and hassle?

 

[JackandJanet]

Jerry - when you say, "...we raised it up with problems...", what "problems" did you have?

The top should lower without having to crawl under the trailer, you should be able to simply pull the safety bar release lanyard to start that, unless the top has settled on the bar. If it has, just raise the top off the bar and then pull the release lanyard. I don't think the unit has to be particularly level to raise or lower the top, but mine always is.

I like my awning and use it any time we camp. When you say it, "bit the dust", what part failed? Is it just the fabric or have the mechanical parts broken? I've never had to replace mine, but some here have.

- Jack