Is Hi-Lo coming back? - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

GWolfe · 09-21-2011, 11:23 AM

I haven't posted here in a while but thought I would share what I came across in a different forum I frequent.

Another new/old camper coming to life

I think it would be very cool if they could make a go of it.

Rolff · 09-21-2011, 02:55 PM

That would be great - He should talk to this forum - many have owned several and have opinions of what was best in each of the years.

sayhonkmon · 09-21-2011, 04:08 PM

At least someone has a vision; we know that this is a great camper because the HiLo was Made In America! That should be one of the top selling points. I cringe every time that I have to buy something that's made in China!!!!!!!
Send these people a big HELLO!

JIM L · 09-21-2011, 08:08 PM

This would be great if true. Everyone give them our support

GWolfe · 09-21-2011, 10:09 PM

I will PM him this link on the other forum.

sam · 09-21-2011, 10:16 PM

I hope this happens. If the new CEO would gather input from us owners I feel he would have a chance at being successful.

Meriflower · 09-22-2011, 10:17 PM

Good news with the promise of Hi-Lo making a comeback. Bad news for TrailManor, just read they are possibly out of business now.

RichR · 09-26-2011, 08:42 PM

The person that has entered into a deal with Jim Snyder is a dealer not very far from me. He became a Hilo dealer not more than four years ago.

sam · 09-26-2011, 09:12 PM

I wonder if four years of Hi Lo selling would translate into a viable business. Hopefully he could recrute some of the former employes.

MrWizard · 10-02-2011, 05:14 PM

I hope the new owner seeks out all the past parts guys and gets them in line. I would hate to see litigation over patents etc... get in the way of getting Hi-lo back on its feet. On an upbeat note though I would hope this might allow someone to look into new ways of manufacturing the Hi-lo's instead of the same ole routine. Might make them better than they where before!

Davidsalem · 10-02-2011, 07:20 PM

We just got back from a great weekend of camping. Our friends christened their "new" 15' Hi-Lo with us on this trip. Several people were interested in our trailers and we even discussed how great it would be for these to be manufactured again. I hope it happens. Best of luck to them.

Wyoming · 10-05-2011, 10:40 PM

One of HiLo's biggest mistakes was not doing everything they could to have more dealers out west. We have WIND!!! The advertising talks about the low profile and wind safety BUT they never really worked to get dealers where the wind blows! I've had so many people interested in how mine handles in the wind. Huge market potential never taken seriously.

Boy would I love them to go back into production!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RichR · 10-06-2011, 08:52 AM

HiLo suffered from having weak marketing and advertising practices. They had trouble keeping their website up to date as many of you may have noticed. Their office staff consisted of about three people that had to take care of everything. I believe they could still be going strong had they corrected some of these shortcomings. They also needed to listen to their customer input and apply their suggestions into the trailers. As you can see from the ideas that this forum has produced there are many good things that could be incorporated into HiLo trailers.

PaulS · 10-06-2011, 11:39 AM

I agree with Wyoming, the low profile with the HI-Lo make it nice to pull in these windy conditions, I would start a Hi-LO sales right here in Pierre if at all possible. With our area in Central South Dakota we roughly have around 20000 residents and with the missouri river that attracts tons of fishing, hunting and sporting people. And only 1 RV sales dealership.

Rolff · 10-06-2011, 12:02 PM

I don't think there was a Hi Lo distributor in Utah - We have the highest per capita of RV ownership. (ATV, boats, dirt bikes, jet skis.) They need to market out West more I often drive 300 miles at a time to camp and the fuel efficiency is a great selling point. A neighbor paid $14,000 for an MPG trailer. I could not believe how poorly it was designed. The living space was tiny and everything is inconviently placed. It would be useless for Boondocking. If they can make a go of it I think that a new Hi Lo with proper marketing could out sell them.

campthewestcoast · 10-09-2011, 05:11 PM

Would like to see Hi-Lo back in production, There is a market for them.

JMDoering · 11-02-2011, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rolff

I don't think there was a Hi Lo distributor in Utah - We have the highest per capita of RV ownership. (ATV, boats, dirt bikes, jet skis.) They need to market out West more I often drive 300 miles at a time to camp and the fuel efficiency is a great selling point. A neighbor paid $14,000 for an MPG trailer. I could not believe how poorly it was designed. The living space was tiny and everything is inconviently placed. It would be useless for Boondocking. If they can make a go of it I think that a new Hi Lo with proper marketing could out sell them.

Rolff,

I think you're correct about the lack of Utah dealers, and I'm pretty sure your closest Hi-Lo dealer was in Idaho Falls.

The HiLo dealer in Tualatin, OR, told me in 2009 that he was going to discontinue carrying the line because Hi-Lo's were comparatively too expensive and therefore didn't sell well. He also reported that of all the manufacturers he dealt with, Hi-Lo was the hardest to work with and demanded he up front purchase his Hi-Lo inventory. No deals of partial payment with the remainder after sale as other brands apparently allow. I'm not sure how the RV retail world works, so he could have been blowing smoke my way, but it sounded good. Bottom line: He was unhappy with Hi-Lo, and I don't think he was the only dealer to be so.

Yup, proper marketing and pricing could make a big difference in the success of a future Hi-Lo venture. Sometimes new management and fresh and flexible ownership makes all the difference needed! HOWEVER, the economy still stinks, and money for luxury items (like new travel trailers) is still very scarce. Not a good time for a new trailer manufacturer to start up.

Jim