Just curious....
 

Is there anyone here that previously owned a.....how do I put this.....standard hard wall travel trailer, and converted to a HiLo? I ask as a new trailer owner and have never towed a full size travel trailer. I love the 2693rd and have no buyers remorse, and actually I have no wish to ever have another trailer, I'm just curious if anyone found out how much easier HiLo's tow and made the switch.

Wow...no converts?

no hard shell camper
 

my wife and I started out with a 1975 (8 ft pop up camper) to a tent to a 1966 (12 ft hi-lo which i still use and now onto a 1996 hi-lo 21 FT so no .

Ive been tent camping for 25 years and finally into a trailer, this is my first and I don't understand why anyone would want anything else....it tows great.

We started out tent camping in 1980, moved up to a pop-up in 1989 and then to the Hi-Lo in 2007. It is surprising that Hi-Lo's are not more popular, but we really enjoy ours and think it is the ultimate camper.

Jeff

Back in the 1960's we transitioned from tent camping, to tent trailers, to hard-sided trailers before discovering and converting to a Hi-Lo in 1967. We tried probably 6 or 8 tent trailers and 4 or 5 of the more popular hard-sided jobs (Phoenix, Shasta, etc.)... and yes, in those days Hi-Lo construction and workmanship quality was very evident in comparison. Back then it was easy to rent a trailer and try it out.

Since then I've always had a Hi-Lo, so I'm honestly not sure how they match up, today, with other brands. My reasons for staying with Hi-Lo boil down to ease of towing... and I'm kind of a gadget guy, and like the innovation of the raising roof section... and frankly, our 1969 Bon Voyage just never wore out!

I've recently passed that same 1969 Hi-Lo to my son so he can use it to camp with his young family, a testimony of Hi-Lo reliability (at least of older models).

I'm a gadget guy myself and that's one of my reasons, well the two opposing couches turning into a residential size queen was a plus too. But Hey that's a transformer itself. Love that stuff!

replacing the cables
 

can someone please help me, my dad has a 1975 hi-lo and the cables for raising up need to be replaced they are fraying, does anyone know where i can get a diagram, so i can replace them ty
joyce

Joyce, I'm betting you have good answers before the end of the week-end. Also keep in mind that there are pulleys involved, and maybe a couple of other small items, that should also be replaced.

I moved from a popup to a HiLO late last year.. Just the ease of set up makes me not wish to move to any other trailer

Our transition:

Late 70s: Open air camping (Laying out a tarp and putting our sleeping bags on top, no tent)
Early 80s: Tent
Mid 80s: Very old, 18' mini motorhome
Late 80s: Old 18' conventional travel trailer
2012: Hi-Lo

After having a MH for a few years we got tired of taking our house with us whenever we wanted to explore areas surrounding a campground. We did not want to tow a car, so we bought a standard TT (late 70s Jayco). This served us well for many years.

We sold the Jayco because we had too many other interests. Two years ago we decided to get back into camping and bought the Hi-Lo. We did not want to pay RV storage fees, so we wanted to keep the trailer in our back yard. Our neighborhood has CC&Rs that prohibit over-height vehicles stored in a back yard. This limited our trailer choices to tent trailers, Trail Manors, and Hi-Los. My wife did not want a tent trailer; neither one of us like the design of the Trail Manors. So, we ended up with a Hi-Lo and are very happy with it.

I like the way the Hi-Lo tows and also like the fuel mileage. But, I would not be against having a conventional TT if we did not have a stored height restriction.

Started out tent camping like most folks.

Bought an older 22' class C motorhome next which I sold about 10 years ago.

After sleeping in and having the conveniences of an RV, there was no going back to a tent so just bought a Hi-Lo. Decided to convert to a trailer due to costs of buying, registering, insuring and maintaining a motorhome, and plus we already had a tow vehicle. After observing several conventional trailers swerving down the highway :eek: I learned about the Hi-Lo. Now I'm getting it ready and looking forward to our first real campout in it! :D

I purchased a 22 foot HiLo (3300lbs empty) this spring as a companion vehicle to my 32 foot toy hauler (7200lbs empty). Toyhauler is for motorcycles and lengthy stays at few(er) and closer locations. HiLo is for longer distances with more frequent stops. Comparison is an apple/orange situation for use, but I'll be glad to compare the two while on the road. Tow vehicle is a Dodge 3/4 ton with diesel power. Fuel mileage is 11 to 11.5 (toyhauler) at interstate speeds vs 17 to 17.5 (HiLo). Wife is happy to give me a break with the HiLo. Not so with the toyhauler. I have been pulling trailers for 45 years and the HiLo causes little stress over single vehicle driving. Toyhauler is much more stressful. Did a 915 mile day and a 1025 mile day on a recent trip to and from Austin, Tx with the HiLo last month. No way I would try that with the toyhauler. Much easier to see around the shorter, 96 inch wide HiLo, than the longer, 102 inch wide toyhauler. Much less effect from crosswinds and aero push from tractor trailers with the HiLo. Hope this info is what you are looking for.

It sure would have been nice if the large variety of toy haulers that exists today existed when I did a lot of motorcycle riding, mid-70s to late 90s. Back then there was pretty much only one manufacturer of this type of trailer and they were very expensive. I believe that the original Weekend Warrior company (not the current one) pretty much invented the toy hauler type of trailer.

Instead of using a toy hauler, I used to load 2-3 dirt bikes or 2 street bikes in the back of my truck, in addition to pulling an 18' TT.

You can find your cables here.

https://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f56/...parts-com-893/

I have a similar set up. I load the bikes into the back of my van and tow the hilo. Load the canoe on the roof with the wife and dog, we're ready for anything.

They all fit on the roof? :eek: :D

- Jack

Ha!! They love sitting in the canoe on the roof of the van..:D

:D :D

- Jack

Vannooch,
Might your last name be Clampett?
:D:D

Years ago, friends and I took a trip to Maine and beyond. We welded some uprights on a 6x8ish utility trailer to carry two canoes. There were two Goldwings on the deck, interspaced with various camping supplies, and a towable motorcycle cargo trailer hanging on the tailgate. Truck was a 4 door crew cab with 4 adults and two kids inside. The truck bed was full of more camping gear, clothing, tackle, boating gear, and personal items. When we left to come home, the in-laws stuck a "Beverly Hills or Bust" sign on the back that we didn't discover until Jersey.

History of trailers owned
 

When I was growing up our family tent camped. Then My mother bought a truck camper for my dads 1/2 ton truck. She didn't ask my dad. I now realize that with seven of us in the family we were severely over loaded. Two of us slept in a pup tent. Second trip out to thousands islands my dad stopped at sears and bought camper insurance. Dad was pulling into a curbside park and ripped the corner of the camper out. We finished our trip. Then my dad parked it in the yard and let it rot. Many stopped and wanted to buy it. Moral of the story is don't buy an RV unless both parties are in agreement. I also extensively tent camped with the Girl Scouts. My young body could sleep just about anywhere. We got married in 1982. DH never camped a day in his life. We bought a 1966 Apache popup from his brother for $250.00. We had a 1/2 ton pick up truck. The trailer had 1 inch mattress on each bed end. Thought we died and went to heaven with one electrical outlet in the Apache. The add on screen room was full of broken zippers,but it had a rubber floor. My sister worked at a awning/canvas shop and was able to go in evenings and days off to repair it all with Velcro. It served us well for a number of years. The rubber room still got wet on the floor when it rained hard. This is when I realized it was a good idea to pack everything in plastic bins. I passed this along to my sisters family and they used it for a number of years until the canvas fell apart. It is still used as a utility trailer on their country property. Bought a beautiful Palomino hardside camper with canvas bedends. It was used but the 90 yr. old owner had chest pains setting it up. Certainly an upgrade with cupboards and a built in Ref. We used this for 5or 6 years. DH plumbed in a propane heater. Got tired of setting it up and the dripping condensation on our faces when the heater was used. My sister's family still has it and it is in excellent shape. Then we got the HiLo. Fell in love with the interior colors and layout. It is a breeze to tow with our F250. Still taking care of it so it will last many more years. Joined our HiLove NY HiLo owners club and have made many life long friends and memories.

Started camping in 1987 when the wife said she would like to go camping. I told her no way I was sleeping on the ground in a tent so we bought a 1984 Rockwood popup with a 6 ft box and towed it with a 1987 Mazda pickup with the 2 litre engine. Found a 1999 Aliner in 2001 bought it to get away from wet canvas. Towed the Aliner for many years with a 1990 Toyota pickup V6 which we still own. Two years ago found a deal I couldn't refuse on this site for a 1996 24' Hi-Lo Classic and did some rebuilding to make it usable and we now tow that with a 2006 Toyota Tundra V8. We still have the Aliner but haven't used it since we got the Hi-Lo, of course we haven't been able to use the Hi-Lo much either.

Very nice, there's always a joker in the house!

My son and I started tent camping in the late 70’s and when I remarried in the mid 80’s my wife and I continued tent camping until 1995, when we bought a used 16ft 1985 Estrelle hard top, hard side, fold up camper, using a 1994 Toyota 4 Runner as a TV. In the late 90’s I tried to buy a Hi Low, but the dealer would not sell to me since I did not have the proper TV! I am thankful he was so honest about the pending sell. In 2009 we bought a 1999 21T Tow Lite and in January of this year it was replaced with a 2705T Tow Lite. In those 14 years I had never considered anything other than the Estrelle or Hi-Low/ Tow Lite.

Camped many many years in tents or the back of a pickup with a topper. Few years ago I "bought" an older class C Winnebago which my dad wanted but didn't want to tell his wife he was buying so he gave me the money, I "bought it" and titled it and then lent it to him. :) The t hing rattled and scared me on the highway but it did have a nice old eight track in it. When he passed away we sold it and I bought a slide-in pop-up truck camper and a 97 f150 which was mildly undersized for the camper but I made it work with some upgrades including air-bags. The f-150 was my daily driver. We did one of the nicest trips ever in Colorado one summer where I hit national forest roads and campgrounds and didn't come off them for two weeks-----However the set-up was cramped for gear and I was always worried about the limits of the truck----suspension and brakes. Went back to a large tent and expensive cots but my wife had back and shoulder surgery and the cots were not working for her. Started looking for a vintage Airstream but was always enamored with the hi-lo concept especially after experiencing the high gravity of the C class and truck camper. Hi-lo was much less exspensive and work than a vintage Airstream and we like it A LOT. Nice size- and with the newer truck I forget its back there sometime. I don't think I would like a taller trailer nor a tent camper due to a number of reasons. Rick

84 funchaser
 

hi im mike ! my wife to be and i just bought an 84 fun chaser hi-lo. ive been looking for a couple years for a camper and i couldnt stand the fact id be dragging a roof top over the top of the truck with a standard camper. so we looked for anhi-lo and i got lucky the one i got was set up for three years and it finally came up for sale. so i bought it. i dont think id ever buy a standard camper. hi-los are a very simple yet versital design and i look forward to the outtingwe will have in our first camper.

Welcome
 

Hi Mike! Welcome to the forum. If you have questions there are numerous members that have years of experience with Hi Lows and a number of them have completed or in the process of complete restorations on their "babies".

If I couldn't have a HiLo I wouldn't mind having one of these: ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56XL0TysIn0

My wife and I have read almost every post here and had lots of laughs. (Beverly Hills or bust) They all brought back memories. We're a little older than most of you, but our comfort needs are still the same. We're not sleeping on the hard ground! We're at the Ponderosa Sun Club in Indiana right now, sitting around the pool having a couple cold ones. I better get the charcoal fired up.....

@luckydog671

...then here is a VW upgrade with a HI-LO horizontal twist. :)

Practical Motorhome Doubleback VW Camper review - YouTube


Rick

Very clever- I like it! Is it called an IN-Out?

I used to live 6 months a year in a 1972 VW camper bus. The ultimate camper.
Had several TT during the 80/90's.
Went back to tent camping, but hated to fight the weather. I have done 4 weeks in Florida spring weather in a tent (not fun).

In 2011 I bought a vintage(old) 1985 funchaser. Since then it has traveled Nevada to Florida for a 3 month trip, and this year we did a 2.5 month, western states 8k+ mile trip.
I have repaired all of the funchaser, electrical, appliances, lift system, etc. I feel comfortable in taking my old hi-lo anywhere.

My TV is also old, 1997 toyota t-100 with 214k miles. The toyota while loaded and towing gets 14mpg-17mpg while on flat ground and no wind, down to 11 mpg in mntns or high wind. Tows like its not there.
Reminded me of driving the VW over the mntns. Find the right gear and keep the rpm in a good place. It has pulled everything I have aimed it at.

While traveling this year we were camped in a rv park and I had the oldest trlr in the park, and had the least issues after several discussions with other campers. Parked next to mine was a new 2013 ? with 5 slide outs. His slide outs had more sq footage than my entire trlr. (never did see his TV).

While on our trip this year I did see a Trailmanor(?), in Escalante NP, and a newer Hi-lo on the road in S Dakota.