I'm stranded!! HELP!! Please!! - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

SeaGypsy · 05-10-2013, 09:53 PM

Just pulled into my campsite.
Just picked up the trailer from the repair shop last night.

Apparent when they lowered it the squished the cable. It won't go up.

What can I do besides drive the two hours back home?

So bummed.

JackandJanet · 05-10-2013, 10:53 PM

Laurie, I'm probably too late with this. Hope you got it working.

First, is the 3-position switch in the top raise/lower position?

Second, is your trailer battery charged? If not, you will need to connect it with a jumper cable to your tow vehicle battery to raise the top. Or, raise the top manually - there should be a handle you can insert into a receiver near the pump motor and then you move the handle back and forth the raise the top.

My thoughts are probably much too late to be of help, so I hope you're OK by now.

- Jack

SeaGypsy · 05-11-2013, 12:38 PM

The crank is in a storage compartment in the back and it can't be accessed because the top part is covering the opening.
Battery brand new and charged. Fluid full.
On my trailer, there was a thick coiled cable that is part of the lift system I guess, and it must have gotten In the way when the guys lowered it. I think it is why it won't go up- the power supply is squished off.

The manager at this campground thinks I will have to have an electrician cut the cable and rewire it to get it up.

I'm just going to go home and take it back to the RV repair place and make them fix it.

I'm really upset about the whole thing.

JIM L · 05-11-2013, 02:35 PM

Laurie; My HiLo is a newer model than yours and does not have the coiled cable. It is my understanding that the coiled cable just supplies power to the top half and should not be a part of the lift system. If it got pinched and got shorted, maybe it blew one of the circuit breakers. Also considering the year and model you have it is unlikely that it has a manual hydraulic backup pump to lift the top manually. If you are still at the campground, walk around and ask the RV owners if anyone is good with electrical. If the cable just needs to be cut and reconnected for power that is an easy and quick job. Many RV owners do there own maintenance and willing to help. I sent you a private message thru the forum several days ago. Did you get it?

gus · 05-11-2013, 03:43 PM

like Jim said older models have the coiled cable, Mine does have the coiled cable, and it does provide 12v to the upper part of the trailer, but running thru the fuse panel, it probably shorted and blew a fuse for the lift part, its always a good idea to have one person watch the coiled cable when lowering the top to prevent it from getting squished, if you can not access the fuse panel in the down position, a jump from the battery to the pump motor (basically automobile starter) directly may worth trying bypassing the fuse panel, 3 way switch etc.., kinda like powering automobile starter using a screwdriver touching 2 post on starter.

davidc · 05-12-2013, 07:53 AM

Hopefully you got your rig up, but...

Is the pump making any noise when you hit the switch?

Mine wouldn't raise because the hatch on the very back was left unloked when itwas lowered and just caught enough to prevent the top from raising.

SeaGypsy · 05-12-2013, 09:22 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I slept in the trailer in its down position. Lol. But we went home the next day. I'm planning on taking it to the repair shop that screwed it up n the morning. I'm hoping they will be able to retire it. Thanks again.

SeaGypsy · 05-13-2013, 08:48 AM

*rewire is what that was supposed to say.

davidc · 05-13-2013, 09:07 AM

Your other post is about a stain underneath that looks like oil... did you get that fixed?

The only oil should be fluid for the lift system... the same thing that isn't working...

SeaGypsy · 05-13-2013, 12:24 PM

They only had to lift the top part about an inch to release the squished cable and its working now just fine.

Just wish I could have a re-do of my camping trip!!

JackandJanet · 05-13-2013, 01:02 PM

I'm confused. I don't see how the "squished cable" caused problems with the lift system. You don't "cut off" electricity by "squishing" an electrical cable. It flows through the wire just as easily if there is pressure on it as it does if there is no pressure at all.

Is it possible that somehow the cable was caught on the trailer in a way that it "anchored" the top to the bottom so they could not separate? (Maybe it tied the two together?)

Anyway, I'm glad it's working now. I hope you can find a reputable place to take your trailer for service.

- Jack

gus · 05-13-2013, 01:57 PM

Jack, I believe your possibility is correct, the coiled cable got jammed in the middle and kept the top from rising, when we bought our trailer, the nice people that sold it to us told us it was a 2 person operation to lower it, one person has to keep an eye on the coiled cable so it always stays out of the way, I didn't understand the concept, but we followed their instructions because they had it for over 8 years, and they knew what they were doing, and we follow a check list of things to keep an eye on. But glad Laurie's trailer is working again.

robobd · 05-14-2013, 09:41 AM

if your coiled cable is sagging(not taught in the up position) then it needs to be shortened from the bottom by the connection block and this will eleminate future problems like this from happening

shari253 · 06-17-2013, 10:53 PM

Where, exactly, is the infamous coiled cable found? We don't see one on our 2000 17 ft Towlite. Someone said it is on the older models. How old, lol? If we have one I want to know where it is so this does not happen to us.

RichR · 06-17-2013, 11:29 PM

You don't have one. Your wires are inside in the cloth cover, usually in the back corner in the bathroom.

shari253 · 06-24-2013, 08:59 PM

Thanks! One less thing to worry about, lol!