New Hi Lo Owners (Soon)!
 

Hi all,

Well, we put down a deposit on a Hi Lo today! We were originally targeting a 22' model but we ended up purchasing a 2407T in excellent condition. We really liked the way the tip-out opens up the trailer and this trailer looked practically new so we decided to pull the trigger on it. The seller is including an EAZ-LIFT brand WDH with sway control so that solves the issue of towing back home.

We will be driving to pick it up in the Sierra foothill town of Sonora, CA (about 5 hours away) this coming Thursday so wish us luck!

Thanks to everyone who has generously given me their advice, tips, and knowledge as I've made my way through this steep learning curve. Now the real questions begin!



Thanks,

Congrats.. I love mine. Haven't had it a year and still rearranging stuff in it.

Don't forget that you'll need a brake controller in your tow vehicle. If you don't have one yet many here recommend a Prodidgy P2 or P3.

Yep! I ordered a P3 online. I'll be picking it up on Tuesday at the post office and installing it before I head up on Thursday.

About the only negative on this trailer is that the tires are the original ones from 2007. You wouldn't know that by looking at them as the tread looks new and there are no sidewall cracks noted. I'm thinking I can tow it home like that then re-pack the wheel bearings and inspect the brakes. I'll probably replace the tires to be safe before going camping though.

Thanks,

I just replaced my tires w/ Maxxis D rated tires

Hi Les,

Can you explain the difference between the tires you bought and the stock ones? Where did you purchase them and what do they cost, if you don't mind me asking.

Thanks,

soon to be HiLo owner
 

Just thinking of your safety and your family. Your tires are seven yrs. old. Wouldn't want you to have a blowout on the way home. Blowouts will cause thousands of dollars in damage to your HiLo. Have some type of roadside assistance. If it were me I would find a tire shop/RV place and get brakes/bearings checked before you hit the road. Bring new tires with you and find a truck shop that will install. New tires could cost around $100 to $150. a piece. Best of luck as you bring the HiLo home.

Tires used on trailers should be ST tires designed for trailers, Larger trailers(over 10,000lbs.) have had better luck with LT tires designed for trucks. For our size trailers I would stay with ST tires.
I was not impressed with tires oftered by large tire shops. Over the years, tires are more common coming from china. Alot of people have had problems with these tires. I wanted a higher quaility tire.
I upgraded from c rated tires to d rated tires. I installed Maxxis tires that I bought from amazon.com with free shipping and had a local tire install them.

Since I forgot to write down the tire size, can your tell me the size I should be looking for?:o

Thanks

Good advice, Sam- think I'll take it. I just need to verify the tire size and find a good tire store near Sonora. We do have AAA insurance which has roadside assistance but I need to call them tomorrow to add the trailer to our policy.

Thanks,

ST205/75/15 which is on my trailer but check yours, I would still upgrade to D rated tires. Most tire shops carring C rated in this size.

Thanks, Les! I called the seller and verified the size, the same as you stated. There is a Les Schwab in Oakdale, about 40 miles away. I've never bought from them but have heard good things about that chain so I'll check with them. Looks like all the tire stores are closed for the holiday so will call tomorrow.

Thanks to any active duty and vets on the forum, by the way! God bless you!

I have heard good things about Les Schwab too. I got my tires at Discount tire. Smaller than yours 13". I got 4 wheels and 4 tires on sale for about $500 w/ $200 rebate. Then I sold the used wheels with a disclaimer that the tires were worn to people as spares - or extra spares for about another $120.
You can check availability online before you drive up there.

Just found out that Les Schwab is a Maxxis dealer which is the brand campthewestcoast just bought for his trailer. I'll be giving them a call tomorrow morn. Don't guess I should try and sell the old tires on the new trailer since they are over 7 years old!

As with any tire shop, watch what they do. The trailer must be disconnected from the truck when jacking up the trailer(the side ways stress with trailer connected may bind on the hitch and bend the frame). Have them jack up one side at a time to do the tires and bearings. Complete the work on one side, install tires and lower down. Then jack up the other side. This way will take the tire shop longer but stand your ground. I don't want you to have a bent frame like I had on my 97 towlite which I didn't know until after buying it. Also, watch where they jack-up the trailer because of the type of axles you have. DO NOT JACK UP ON AXLE. Only jack up on the frame between the two tires using a bottle jack( make sure the tire shop has one). A standard floor jack will not work because it's to wide. The other tire Les Schwab sells is TowMax, I didn't get the life out of these. Go with Maxxis.

Hi Les,
The seller gave me the owner's manual for the trailer and in it it states "place a scissor jack under the frame (on frame only) adjacent to the wheel that is to be removed." It shows an illustration with an arrow pointed to the frame just in front (or behind) one of the tires. In this case it looks like they are changing one tire. If the tire store does not have a bottle jack, do you think it would harm the frame if two jacks were placed outside and adjacent to each tire (on the same trailer side), and that side was lifted simultaneously using the two jacks?

Thanks,

yes that would work, disconnect the trailer from the truck.

The guy who bought my two used tires that were still mounted on rims was using them on a utility trailer that he pulls behind his UTV on his farm. I was upfront with him about their age and he was thrilled to get them.

Campofthewest, I'm curious as to why you would need to take the Hi-Lo off the hitch. A well lubricated ball connection allows for flexibility when there is pivoting of the camper. Believe me, there is a lot of wide-degree pivoting of that hitch when you are on bad roads getting to your camp site.

If you prefer not to use a jack at all, we carry with us a tire ramp (you must have a double-axled Hi-Lo for this). For example, if you want to work on the back left tire (driver's side), disconnect the weight distribution bars, place the small tire ramp in front of the front tire on the left side, get in the truck and pull that front left tire up on the tire ramp, set the truck emergency brake, and then change or do what needs to be done to that left back tire. Same is true for the front left tire, place the small tire ramp between the tires, pull the back tire up on the ramp, and work on the front tire, always remembering to set that truck emergency brake. It is the same process for the right side tires (passenger side).

Dee
2509 Hi-Lo Classic
2010 F-250 Powerstroke Diesel

P.S. The only time I would think that you would need a jack is if you experienced two flat tires at one time on one side of the Hi-Lo.

Dee

Dee - I agree with you regarding using a ramp vs using a jack. I'd ALWAYS use the ramp method to change tires if I had tandem axles. Much safer and easier than using any kind of jack.

But, I think the reason to disconnect the trailer from the tow vehicle has to do with a weight distributing hitch. The effect of one of these is to limit side to side "tilting" of the trailer, which would happen if you raised one side. I think before jacking or driving up on to a ramp, it would be wise to at least disconnect the weight distributing bars.

- Jack

Dee,

We were working with the premise that Lucky Dog is replacing all 4 tires at a tire shop and doesn't have a ramp. We also wanted to aleviate any possible mistakes done by inexperienced tire shop technicians.

Our first Hi-Lo had a bent frame probably the result of such an error. We knew that if the lower door opened and closed then the trailer was as level as it was going to get.

Jack, great minds think alike!! (LOL). You will note that I mentioned that step in my above message. You read my mind and set forth the reason for disconnecting the weight distribution bars.

Around 2002 my husband changed a tire on the side of I-26 on our old single axle heavy popup camper with lots of traffic racing past and used a jack. On this camper, the tire was set deep into the body of the camper, and the camper was low to the ground. He will tell you it was hell changing that tire. That was when we vowed never to own a single axle camper again.

Dee

Les, believe me, tire companies have tire ramps. It may take longer for the tire company technicians to use the ramp for each tire, but it is worth your peace of mind that they are not messing with the frame using a jack. We had four new tires put on last year, and dear husband stuck around and watched them to make sure they did it "his" way. If they had denied him access to the bay, he would have taken his business elsewhere. Of course, since he is retired, he has the time to stick around to make sure the job is done right.

Dee

Was this a private party sale or did you find at a dealer? I'm just starting to research for a hi-low, but it seems most for sale are hundreds or thousands of miles away (I'm in Sacramento, CA). We would want to see in person before buying and just cannot see driving 700+ miles to just look. Thanks!

Hi Slouie,

This was a private party sale. I hear you on the problem of finding a trailer in California, as they seem to be rather sparse, but keep looking as they do pop up now and then. We gave ourselves a drive time limit of about 6 hours to search in which, for us, would get us as far as Phoenix, St George Utah, Reno, and Las Vegas.

I checked several websites daily such as Craigslist, e-bay, RV Trader, Oodle, and this forum, of course! Have you posted a wanted ad on this site?

There are several up in Oregon right now on C/L such as this one in Medford which is less than 5 hours from you:

https://medford.craigslist.org/rvs/4457179130.html

Just do a search on C/L for "Hi Lo" and some may pop up in the various areas you search. I found I get better results for some reason by leaving out the hypen in Hi-Lo. You may see more near the end of the camping season.

Good Luck!

Also try HiLo without the space, that is the proper spelling.

Hi Rich,

I found when I did it that way I either got no results or something to do with Hilo, Hawaii. Hmmm . . . I wonder if I could haul a HiLo to Hilo??? :)

I have had that happen as well. You could mount one on a pontoon boat and call it a redneck yacht. :D

no jack for tow vehicle? No problem...just find a guard rail...

Ouch- think I'll pass on that method!

Well, just installed the Prodigy P3 brake controller in the Tahoe. I'm just waiting to see if it goes into sleep mode after some time. I called the rep and he said it should sleep after about 20 minutes.

Found a real useful video on You Tube which aided in the install. This is for the P2 but pretty much the same, I think:

How to install a trailer brake controller in a GM Truck or SUV - YouTube

Of course I can't really test it until I have a trailer hooked up. Launch time is 0500 tomorrow morning to make the 5+ hour trip to Sonora. Prayers are welcomed!

Congrats, and you think you can sleep tonight?

Confirming the brake controller went into sleep mode, not sure if I'll be able to! :D

Just to clarify, this was NOT me, lol! I saw this somewhere and saved the pic. I thought it was pretty quick thinking for a redneck floor jack!

Hi all,

Just got home safely a couple hours ago with our new (to us) Hi-Lo! :D Photos to follow on a new thread.