Possible new Hi-Lo'er

[HansC]

As an ex-5th wheeler I am now shopping for a Hi-Lo. Have to look at three of them next week. Read some of the forum and enjoyed it a lot. But, already have two "beefs" to start with. First of all when I signed into my time zone it is not listed. (ARIZONA) Any computer will tell you differently.

Enjoyed the forum contribution of NEAL and BEV. Found their address and phone numbers, which happened to be in my home town. However, everything was disconnected and no forwarding address listed. That put a damper on my first attempt to join Hi-Lo.

Thirdly: after shopping for any kind of trailler (Private Party) I realized that about 90% of all sales are in the East; thousands of miles from Arizona. Looks like they are following the WEATHER CHANNEL. Allmost all reports are about the east coast. So, with all that in mind I began looking for "get-togethers" of Hi-Lo owners. Again, this far none west of the Mississippi except for one way up in Colorado.

Well, regardless of all this I will buy my Hi-Lo next week and hope to accidently meet some Towlite trailers during my travels.

 

[sam-HILO]

Wanting to purchase a HiLo.

Send Neil and Bev a personal message . I am sure if they aren't out on vacation they will respond. Glad you joined the forum and found it helpful. We love questions so feel free to ask. Good luck in your search.

 

[JackandJanet]

Not sure what you mean about the time zone, Hans. Mine is set on my computer and it is Arizona time (no daylight savings). There ARE a few of us in this neck of the woods (or area of the desert).

There used to be a HiLo club in this area, but I think it went belly up. Janet and I weren't too interested in that sort of thing, so we never touched base with them. This forum has a wealth of information though.

Welcome! Glad you're considering this purchase.

- Jack

 

[HansC]

A change of heart

Thank you all for the welcome notices after I only joint just yesterday. I spent the entire day and half the night reading your forum and other Hi-Lo related sites. When I went to bed my head was full of doubts. Main reason all the messages re: the lining up of top, changing tensions of cables, the frequent rusting of cables with subsequent breaking. I have three trailers lined up to look at tomorrow. But I do not have the know-how or cabability to crawl into a trailer and inspect all the many pulleys and hidden runs of cable for possible rust. Read one manual from cover to cover and got even more confused.

Well, we have decided to go back to a regular pull-behind. Most trailers are only 12-18" higher than my 4x4 Ford SUV. The windshield pushes most of the air over the top. So the savings are very minute which I would get pulling a Hi-Lo. Also I would be a nervous wreck each time I raise or lower the top. Being parked somewhere in the boonies and the top not coming down would be a disaster. Please, keep in mind that I celebrated my 80th birthday two weeks ago. Good luck to all of you and Happy Camping.

 

[sam-HILO]

Change of heart

You are still welcome to be in our forum. Many parts on an RV are the same no matter what brand. Wow,congrats on a belated 80th birthday!! Best of luck in finding a used RV.

 

[jcurtis95]

HansC,

I understand the doubt you have expressed regarding the cables breaking on Hi Lo campers. No one would want to be put into that position, especially when you are on a camping trip. I will tell you of my own experiences, having owned three Hi Lo's since 1983. Our first was a 24 foot, 1975 [don't remember the model] and we used it for 5 years before trading up to a 5th wheel. During that time, the only maintenance I performed on it was adding water to the battery and changing out lamps. I had no owners manual and never heard of lubricating the cables from anyone. It never failed us. Our 2nd was a 31' 1991 Classic which we owned for 4 years before trading up to a Toy-hauler. Again, same scenario, other than having to replace an axle after we had hauled it less than 175 miles. That happened when my friend sold it to us and told us he had just had just replaced [4] brand new tires and while they were at it, they greased the hubs. Not so, they were dry as a bone and I very nearly lost a wheel on I-40 west of OKCY. That can happen regardless of what type of RV you have. Insofar as maintenance, never did much other than I was more watchful about keeping the axles greased, and again, never a problem, and again, we traded up to a new 5th Wheel and, due to my wife's having a kidney removed, sold it after using it [3] times and pulling it less than 3K miles. It sat idle in our RV garage over 2 years and we thought our RV'ing days were over so we sold it. Boy did we take a hit on that one! Last July, we bought our present Hi Lo, a 24' 2006 Tow lite. If you've read through the posts, you know the problem I had with it regarding the cracked end caps and roof repair. That was what brought me to this forum, where I learned of the maintenance necessary to keep your Hi Lo in top condition, and also got some invaluable advice when it came to repairing the roof.

The whole point being, do not let the posts here describing problems encountered and remedies applied prevent you from the joys of owning a Hi Lo. If you find a good buy, just apply what you have learned from reading on this forum to your responsibilities as an owner. Have it checked out to ease the doubts in your mind. You can pretty much examine the cables from underneath and while there lubricate them and pull some simple maintenance on your unit and you will be richly rewarded.

The forum is here to help you address issues and provides a wealth of information to help you correct problems that arise. After all, the purpose of the forum is to help members with various troubles encountered; wouldn't it be a boring forum if the posts were only about how trouble-free our Hi Lo's are and what reliable service they provide?