Camper won't raise by electric pump or manual.
 

Just installed brand new battery and camper raised great 3 weeks ago. Manual pump doesn't work to raise to get to battery posts. Tank is full of fluid and no leaks are noticeable. Any idea how to raise and what the problem could be?

I have a 2002 23' Towlite with the first year fold out and the camper is for sale so any help to fix is very appreciated.

I'm assuming you want to get to posts so you can jump it? Whats happening when you push switch to raise? Did you install battery three weeks ago- or just install it? Unsure why pump wont work. hang tight- someone will come along with an idea.

rick

Hi,

Do you have the master switch located next to the lift switch in the proper position?

Has the battery discharged?

If you have an inverter you can plug the 120v system in and the battery should recharge and the lift pump work.

Jim

I believe you mean the converter/charger rather than inverter. The battery will have to have time to get charged up because the converter will not provide enough current to directly run the pump. MDHILOCAMPERS, check to see if you didn't leave something turned on, like the refrigerator, that drained the battery. If it was drained it could be ruined. There is the chance the battery was bad from the getgo.

Ya that's it! the converter.

I thought that is what you meant. :) Let's hope he gets it working with just a charge.

Yes, trying to get to the posts to charge. I do have the manual pump option and that doesn't work either. I used manual pump to install new battery. Camper lifted several times after that and I recharged battery before lowering the last time. Thanks for the help!

Did you check inside the trailer to see if you have any lights or any power getting to anything? No sounds when pressing the lift switch?

I have checked everything. The problem is getting the camper raised far enough to get to the battery and the manual pump is not working either. How can I raise the camper without the electricity and the manual pump?

You could raise it with farm jacks on all four corners. But I still don't get why manual pump isn't working. Do you have a manual as there are some suffggestions in there regarding blockage of the valves etc. you could also call j and r if you don't get an idea, here. Makes sense to me that there is blockage or air in hydraulic lines.

Check this thread: https://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f17/...-trailer-2764/

Does the manual pump offer resistance? Could the return valve be stuck open?

Camper won't raise electrically or manually
 

I had a similar problem this past late November on our 2009 Hi-Lo Classic. Below are the steps I used; hope they help:

The wife and I were heading to Fort Wilderness Campground in Disney World. Here at the house in Summerville, SC, I raised the Hi-Lo, we loaded everything, lowered the Hi-Lo and set out for Florida. We stopped at the Savannah, GA, KOA the first evening. I leveled, chocked, and prepped to raise the Hi-Lo. Nothing! No sound, no movement, nothing! I had previously installed a heavy gauge wire from the positive terminal of the battery that hung under the battery compartment in case of battery failure (it’s enclosed in a split sleeve). I turned the F-250 around and jumped the truck’s batteries to the Hi-Lo battery. Still nothing! My wife insisted that there was a wiring problem behind the Main Switch and Up-Down Switch. The only access to those switches was to raise the Hi-Lo and remove the drawer because the Tip-Out blocked the drawer with the Hi-Li lowered.

I got the manual lift handle and proceeded to pump away. I must have pumped twenty, thirty or more times before the Hi-Lo started rising. There is a small turn bolt near the pump handle that needs to be tight before the manual lift will operate. This turn bolt is also used to lower the camper manually. It looks like a straight screw with a pin through it (resembles a T). Although not a problem with me, you may have accidently turned this while installing the battery.

Well back to my story. I put out the Tip-Out (it worked electrically), removed the drawer and got on my hands and knees with a flashlight to inspect the wiring that went to the three switches at the entry door. The right switch is for the outside lights on the back sides for our Hi-Lo. The center switch is the Main Switch. The left switch is used for raising and lowering the Hi-Lo. Anyway, I found a wire disconnected from the Main Switch. It had not been crimped very well to a female spade terminal that would have connected the wire to the Main Switch. This wire was a jumper between the Main Switch and the Up-Down Switch. I removed the flawed spade terminal from the Main Switch and re-crimped it to the wire from the Up-Down Switch. I reinstalled the spade terminal and wire onto the Main switch and everything worked as advertised.

The wife and I have made numerous trips in our Hi-Lo and why this wire chose this time to come loose is Murphy’s Law and faulty factory maintenance. Anyway, we were able to complete our trip and return home without any further incident. I did install better spade terminals when I returned home. Just so you know, the spade terminals Hi-Lo used are really cheap. Kudos to my wife for knowing the location of the problem.

Hope this helps!

Beach

Beach, thanks for your response. I did get the top up. Now it won't go down. I have tried the manual release value and still no go. The top drops about an inch and then stops. I have checked all cables and made sure I don't have anything wedged. The camper is level in all directions so no binding there. I tried the lift toggle switch but didn't think about the main switch until your issue. My manual pump didn't work but I also remember the manual t-knob wasn't completely closed. Maybe I might have caused a blockage using the manual pump? I will also check out the switch you had trouble with thanks again.

Marty

There was no resistance as before when I used the manual pump. There is no fluid in the return line and the manual release value doesn't lower the top either.

Did you pull the safety catch release cable near the switch when you tried to lower it?

Yes, and made sure it was working properly. It seems to be such a simple system. I must have some built up pressure in the lift since the manual release value doesn't work either.

Crawl under the camper and with a pair of gloves on give one of the cables a yank, that will tell you if you have a hydraulic problem (cables tight), or if something is jammed inside or outside and won't let it come down (cables have play in them). Make sure you raise the camper all the way up before you pull the safety wire and push the switch to let it down. With what you said in an earlier post, I would doubly check the safety bar down at the hydraulic cylinder and make sure it is releasing. (The top drops about an inch and then stops)

Thanks Garyk52, I checked the cables when it was down this morn and they were tight and then after getting it up this afternoon I checked again and they are still tight. I read an earlier post about possible binding on the slide bar. It is rusted a bit and could use a good lube job. Also the post having trouble with the master switch. The problem I still can't get around is the manual release not working. No matter what, unless the binding is the issue that should work. I will try both of those possible fixes tomorrow and let you all know how it goes.

The guide rod(slide bar) can cause real problems, like damage to the lift cylinder, if not properly maintained. Sand it smooth before applying a liberal coat of grease. Make sure it is not bent.

I sent you a private message