What did you do to your HiLo Today?

[Luckydog671]

Good one, Garry! Lord knows we have all been waiting on Gregg's first outing.....(Yep, Gregg, we're having a little fun at your expense)

I know, I know . . . guess I'm a bit anal in my preps . . .

 

[Garry-HILO]

Funny, Garry! No, since the nearest Wal*Mart is about 40 miles away we won't be heading there. We have a little community campground about 3 miles and 1,200 ft. below us down a steep, twisty road that we are going to try out overnight. Hopefully my brake controller is set up right as this will be the first time taking her down the hill!

The campground is free to residents so can't beat the price! In fact, guests can stay pretty cheaply so if any of ya'll are ever driving through the Tehachapi area and need a place to park for the night, let me know! It's much quieter than our local Love's truck stop.

Have fun! When Linda and I were in Whitehorse, B C in 2012 we stayed at an RV Park, but I had to go into town and I could not believe all the campers parked at Wal-Mart. On one side of the parking lot near a side street they were all lined up like they had assigned parking. When we were in Alberta, Canada we stayed in a community campground in Carbon, Alberta, Canada which was a very nice campground and very inexpensive. We pulled in on a Sunday afternoon and had the place to ourselves that Sunday night

 

[Luckydog671]

Have fun! When Linda and I were in Whitehorse, B C in 2012 we stayed at an RV Park, but I had to go into town and I could not believe all the campers parked at Wal-Mart. On one side of the parking lot near a side street they were all lined up like they had assigned parking. When we were in Alberta, Canada we stayed in a community campground in Carbon, Alberta, Canada which was a very nice campground and very inexpensive. We pulled in on a Sunday afternoon and had the place to ourselves that Sunday night

I've wondered about how it work camping at Wal*Mart with a Hi-Lo. I know you should be low key but not sure if raising the trailer and deploying the tip out would be considered low key? I guess that is a subject for another thread . . .

 

[Garry-HILO]

I've wondered about how it work camping at Wal*Mart with a Hi-Lo. I know you should be low key but not sure if raising the trailer and deploying the tip out would be considered low key? I guess that is a subject for another thread . . .

Each Wal-Mart has their own policy on campers on the lot. Some do not allow it, but as far as your tip out, not a problem. Stores that do allow camping figure the campers will come into the store for supplies. When I came back from Sandy, Oregon with my new used purchase we had to make an emergency stop in Redding, California at 11 PM. We parked at the local Wal-Mart and settled in for much needed sleep and were interrupted by security saying camping was not allowed on their lot. I explained the problem and he left us alone, after I told him we would be leaving the next morning.

 

[charlie b-HILO]

I read somewhere that it was Walmart and Home Depot policy to allow overnight stopping but there are some communities that outlawed it due to lobbying from local camp ground owners.
I would prefer a campground, especially with dogs, but I can see the need for rest sometimes beats an accident. Most Home Depots have wifi, but I don't know if they leave it on 24/7. It would only take a minute to check with the store to be sure it is OK.

 

[Garry-HILO]

I read somewhere that it was Walmart and Home Depot policy to allow overnight stopping but there are some communities that outlawed it due to lobbying from local camp ground owners.
I would prefer a campground, especially with dogs, but I can see the need for rest sometimes beats an accident. Most Home Depots have wifi, but I don't know if they leave it on 24/7. It would only take a minute to check with the store to be sure it is OK.

Charlie, I would have preferred a campground also, but due to mechanical emergencies, our new used Tow Lite was towed (AAA Tow Truck) from Yreka, CA to Redding, CA, in hopes of getting necessary parts at Wal-Mart.

 

[Luckydog671]

Getting back on message (sort of)

Well, I didn't exactly do this today, but one of the first things I did when we bought our HiLo was to go through all the original appliances and mechanical equipment to get brands, models, serial numbers, etc. where possible and document them. I've learned from previous experience with my little motorhome that those nice little labels tend to fade or disappear over time, so get the info while you can!

 

[Garry-HILO]

Well, I didn't exactly do this today, but one of the first things I did when we bought our HiLo was to go through all the original appliances and mechanical equipment to get brands, models, serial numbers, etc. where possible and document them. I've learned from previous experience with my little motorhome that those nice little labels tend to fade or disappear over time, so get the info while you can!

How true. When we bought our 1999 21T it was sold as a 2000 Towlite and the owner didn't have the proper paper work for the trailer (inherited from father) but did have a filing with the state of California. When I went to the insurance company to add the trailer to my policy I found out it was a 1999 Tow Lite. And to complicate matters, once again on my way to the Kern River via Highway 14, I stopped in Mojave for gas and a Highway Patrolmen pulled in after me...said I didn't have the proper license plate on my trailer. He did not cite me but explained the problem...anything over 19 ft has to be registered annually and I had a "forever" plate. I didn't have to pay any fines, but if I had, it would have been in excess of $600.00. Moral of the story...know what you are paying for. Look at the labels!

 

[Luckydog671]

Funny, Garry! No, since the nearest Wal*Mart is about 40 miles away we won't be heading there. We have a little community campground about 3 miles and 1,200 ft. below us down a steep, twisty road that we are going to try out overnight. Hopefully my brake controller is set up right as this will be the first time taking her down the hill!

The campground is free to residents so can't beat the price! In fact, guests can stay pretty cheaply so if any of ya'll are ever driving through the Tehachapi area and need a place to park for the night, let me know! It's much quieter than our local Love's truck stop.

Leaving for our overnighter test run so talk to ya'll tomorrow (God willing)!

 

[RCREYES]

Wal mart Locations Store Details & Parking | Walmart Store Locator

 

[Garry-HILO]

Wal mart Locations Store Details & Parking | Walmart Store Locator

Thanks Ruben, I'm certainly not a fan of Wal-Mart camping, but this is good info to have if in a pinch.

 

[motobuffy]

I look at Walmart as a place to use when on the road. Staying there solves many problems. You aren't required to drive on a schedule to get to a reserved campground spot, so you can stop when you are ready. They usually are on or very close to your traveling route. You don't have to waste time going through campground check in. You can usually count on fuel and prepared food being in the immediate area if needed. I think Walmart gives me an additional 100-200 miles per day when I'm trying to put the miles behind me.

 

[Fountain-FRF]

I see everyone's point about spending the night with Wally. Mainly I side with Motobuffy on the finer points. We keep the Walmart app on our phones to help see which ones are friendly. Most touristy-type towns don't go along with the program. We also find that most any big-box parking lot will do in a pinch. And always keep in the back of your mind that phrase made famous by Brenda and Jim: We've been thrown out of better places than this....

 

[Luckydog671]

Leaving for our overnighter test run so talk to ya'll tomorrow (God willing)!

Made it back from our test run. A few random ramblings:

The trip down the hill from our house to the campground area is about 3.5 miles with an elevation change of about 1,200 ft. It's a very steep, twisty road. This was our first attempt bringing the trailer down since we bought her. She, and the Tahoe, was fully loaded for camping: water, propane, gear, etc. About halfway down I started to smell my brakes even though I was going down mostly in second gear and dropping to first on some occasions. When we got down to a level parking lot so I could take more accurate measurements of the hitching setup I felt the trailer rims and the Tahoe rims with the back of my hand. Trailer rims felt fine, Tahoe was smokin' hot! Going down, I had only used the Tahoe brakes with the trailer controlled through the Tekonsha P3 - I did not use the manual override. I decided to increase the power going to the trailer brakes in hopes that will give more even distribution of braking when going down steep hills. I'll find out when we go on a 6 day camping trip next month.

This morning, after we broke camp, we took the rig down to a local mechanic who works on trailers. I told him I didn't think the hitch set up with my inherited EAZ Lift WD hitch was correct because even after I installed the bars, the Tahoe back end was down and front end was up more than I thought it should be. If I tried to add more links on the chain, it would start to bend the bars. He noticed right away that the two spring bars were different types, probably from two different eras. We weren't sure what the load ratings for the bars are as there are no markings but the mechanic thought they were no more than 1,000 lbs. He recommended that I purchase two new 1,400 lb. bars so I did. Hopefully that will solve the hitching issue.

Other random thoughts:

Camping in the Hi-Lo is fun! Plenty of space in our particular model. Of course, we came up with several modifications we could make that would make it better!

Not real fond of the day/night blinds. They are somewhat difficult to raise and lower so we're thinking of doing something different in the future.

 

[Garry-HILO]

Made it back from our test run. A few random ramblings:

The trip down the hill from our house to the campground area is about 3.5 miles with an elevation change of about 1,200 ft. It's a very steep, twisty road. This was our first attempt bringing the trailer down since we bought her. She, and the Tahoe, was fully loaded for camping, water, propane, gear, etc. About halfway down I started to smell my brakes, even though I was going down mostly in second gear, dropping to first on some occasions. When we got down to a level parking lot so I could take more accurate measurements of the hitching setup I took the back of my hand and felt the trailer rims and the Tahoe rims. Trailer rims felt fine, Tahoe was smokin' hot! Going down, I had only used the Tahoe brakes with the trailer controlled through the Tekonsha P3 - I did not use the manual override. I decided to increase the power going to the trailer brakes in hopes that will give more even distribution of braking when going down steep hills. I'll find out when we go on a 6 day camping trip next month.

This morning, after we broke camp, we took the rig down to a local mechanic who works on trailers. I told him I didn't think my hitch set up with my inherited EAZ Lift WD hitch was correct because even after I installed the bars, the Tahoe back end was down and front end was up more than I thought it should be. If I tried to add more links on the chain, it would start bend the bars. He noticed right away that the two spring bars were different types, probably from two different eras. We weren't sure what the load ratings for the bars are as there are no markings but the mechanic thought they were no more than 1,000 lbs. He recommended that I purchase two new 1,400 lb. bars so I did. Hopefully that will solve the hitching issue.

Other random thoughts:

Camping in the Hi-Lo is fun! Plenty of space in our particular model. Of course, we came up with several modifications we could make that would make it better!

Not real fond of the day/night blinds. They are somewhat difficult to raise and lower so we're thinking of doing something different for now.

Welcome back camper! Sorry to hear the Tahoe brakes heated up. Hopefully the new bars will improve the downhill drives. Sometimes those day/night shades can be a problem, but when working properly they do what they are suppose to do.

 

[RichR]

The day/night shades are a bit tricky. There are a couple things you need to do to make it work easier. Grasp the bottom bar at both ends to lower and raise, that makes the pressure more even on both sides. To lower the night shades, lower the day shade first then lower the night shades. Do the reverse to raise the shades.

 

[DeLana]

Greg, since your Hi-Lo's Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) tops out at around 6,000 lbs., I really don't understand why the servicing guy would recommend 1,400 lb. bars. That is over 23 percent of your GVW. We are about 12 to 13 percent of our 6,300 lbs. GVW using 800 lb. bars, and this was done by a professional who does nothing but install hitches and weight distribution systems.

Dee

 

[Fountain-FRF]

A little late at this point, of course but the 1000 pound bars were all that would ever be needed with that unit. Too late now, but you have two spares. A quick rule of thumb for a good starting place is to measure the bumper of your TV before you start and return to that height using the chain links on the bar. Pulling the 1000 lb limit will take ALOT on your pry bar, believe me. And if any drums/disks are hot it should be the trailer drums taking the brunt of the braking. We started with a 3.5 setting, dropped to 2.5 and finally settled on 3.0 with a fully loaded trailer and TV. I might also add that your WD hitch settings will alter your braking very little.

 

[Luckydog671]

A little late at this point, of course but the 1000 pound bars were all that would ever be needed with that unit. Too late now, but you have two spares. A quick rule of thumb for a good starting place is to measure the bumper of your TV before you start and return to that height using the chain links on the bar. Pulling the 1000 lb limit will take ALOT on your pry bar, believe me. And if any drums/disks are hot it should be the trailer drums taking the brunt of the braking. We started with a 3.5 setting, dropped to 2.5 and finally settled on 3.0 with a fully loaded trailer and TV. I might also add that your WD hitch settings will alter your braking very little.

Thanks for your input Dee and Jim. I've ordered the new bars but have not received them yet so could probably cancel the order if I do it today. Maybe I need to rethink this . . . Other than overkill, are there any negatives to using the 1400# bars?

Thanks,

 

[Luckydog671]

More specifics

A little late at this point, of course but the 1000 pound bars were all that would ever be needed with that unit. Too late now, but you have two spares. A quick rule of thumb for a good starting place is to measure the bumper of your TV before you start and return to that height using the chain links on the bar. Pulling the 1000 lb limit will take ALOT on your pry bar, believe me. And if any drums/disks are hot it should be the trailer drums taking the brunt of the braking. We started with a 3.5 setting, dropped to 2.5 and finally settled on 3.0 with a fully loaded trailer and TV. I might also add that your WD hitch settings will alter your braking very little.

Jim, what kind of brake controller do you have as my power settings are much higher? I was initially using 6.0 on the Tekonsha Prodigy P3 and have bumped it up to 7.2.

My understanding is that the spring bars should be parallel with the trailer frame after prying the bars into place, and the trailer should be level. Is that correct? In my case, the bars were bending up, even though I only had 2 links hanging loose (I was on the third link from the end of the chain).