pin will not engage

[lannlemmon]

New to all of you smart folks out there in hi-low land We got a super deal on a 2003 ? towlite and LOVE it. It's in great shape. Here is our dilema. Brand new battery, no other drain on unit however it won't completly raise leaving about 6 inches from the top and thus the locking pin won't engage. Top creeps down. Hydrolic arm all the way over but will not allow pin to activate. Had it serviced today and hydrolics in great shape and cleaned. When unit is as high as it can go, there is a grinding noise and it won't completly raise for the locking pin to engage Any suggestions?

Thank you sincerely Leah

 

[PopRichie77]

Check the hydraulic fluid in the pump tank, the level should be within 1 inch of the top with the trailer top down. Do not fill with the trailer top up, it will be over filled and when the top comes down it could damage the plastic tank besides being all over the ground. Use dextron transmission fluid.
The noise you hear is the pump running out of fluid. The relief valve also makes noise when the top is all the way up if you continue to hold the up switch.

 

[JackandJanet]

Except the relief valve noise is not a "grinding" sound. Checking the hydraulic fluid level sounds good to me.

I have to confess that when I first saw the OP's post, I thought the cables needed adjusting, but 6" is a HUGE adjustment. I couldn't figure out how they could have gotten that far out of adjustment, unless they'd been replaced with ones that were too long.

- Jack

 

[RichR]

It wouldn't hurt to make sure something isn't lodged between the upper and lower halves. But I would also suspect the fluid. If the hydraulics are in good shape there should not be any creep.

 

[PopRichie77]

I assumed that he described the noise wrong, but if it was a grinding noise something is definitely wrong.

 

[JackandJanet]

I assumed that he described the noise wrong, but if it was a grinding noise something is definitely wrong.

Pop - I think you MAY have misunderstood me. It was your telling him that the "grinding" noise was low fluid, and I thought that was an excellent diagnosis. I just thought he needed to know the relief valve also makes a different sound, so when he gets the fluid level right, he won't be concerned with it.

- Jack

 

[slider-HILO]

My 81 made a very loud noise that sounded like grinding the last couple inches up. 2 qts off ATF took care of it.
I still need to get the leaking ram fixed...

Rick

 

[RCREYES]

Welcome to the forum. Once you get it all the way up, you might want to try this procedure. I've added it to my routine maintenance.

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f61/how-fix-top-half-creep-your-hilo-trailer-129/