No-lo
 

Dang! My father has a 1987 hi-lo 22foot fun chaser. He bought it in 1989. It has been stored indoors and has been used very little in the past 22 years. He has had it in the up position for a few years. Yesterday we went to pick it up so that my husband and three kids could enjoy it....but....it wouldn't lower. We looked at the hydraulic res. And it was empty! There was no leak on the floor, so where did it go? Under the trailer, everything looks great. Cables are on straight. We had power. The manual switch wouldn't put the top down either. We are at a loss. My dad lives about 7 hours from us in a very small town in sw Colorado and now the trailer is stuck in the garage since we can't get it down. Where did the fluid go and are there any suggestions as to how we may resolve this issue? Please help! I was sure happy to find this site and any help or advice is sure welcomed.

It sounds like it settled. Try raising it then lowering it. As for where thefluid went....after being stored for that long, it's anybody's guess.

Fill the reservoir to within 2-3" of top when up. Be sure you have a good battery hooked up and not just plugged into 110V. Raise the top a bit. Pull out on the release cable next to the up/down switch and push down while pulling out on the safety release cable. If you get it down be careful towing it with those old tires! Good luck!

It's in the hydraulic cylinder under the trailer. It's in its fully extended position now so all of the fluid is in it and the lines. When the top is down, the cylinder is contracted and the fluid needs a place to go, hence the need for a resevoir.

Does the pump turn on and try to push the top up when you use the switch to lift the top? Can you manually pump the top up enough to unload the safety latch? The top has settled on the safety latch and is preventing them from disengaging when you pull the release cable. It needs to be lifted off of the safety catch by a hair, either by the lift pump or manual pump. You might be slightly low enough on hydraulic fluid that the pump can't lift the top up.

We are unable to get the top to raise up any further than it already is (stuck up)... And nor can we get it to lower. We did fill the res up, but doesn't appear to be going anywhere now that we have fluid in it. Still at a bit of a loss. Appreciate the feedback though!

I'm looking through my owners manual for my 2404TL and on page 23-24, paragraph 7.9, there are some troubleshooting tips on the lift mechanism.

When the top is up the reservoir is and should be almost empty, the fluid is in the hydraulic cylinder, if you fill the reservoir when the top is up and you get the top to go down, the reservoir will over flow and push out a lot of fluid, you may even blow the fill cap off. Don't know if this model has a master switch but it may be in the wrong position. Are you sure the battery is fully charged?

OK, lets diagnose the problem.
What process are you using to raise the hi-lo?
What process are you using to lower it?
Do you hear any noises coming from the pump?
What happens when you pull the safety release cable?

Fireball and pop are right about the fluid. When in the up position the reservoir is almost empty, its in the cylinder. If you have filled it the fluid will be all over the floor when you do get it lowered. You have still not said if the pump runs when you press the switch in the up position. The pump does not run to lower the top. An electronic valve opens when you press the switch to the down position and the weight of the top pushes the fluid back into the reservoir. Did you put a new battery in the rv? It takes a good battery to lift the top and as the previous comments have said you must raise the top to take pressure off of the safety bar before you try to lower the top. Just plugging the rv into house power will not provide enough power to run the pump. Keep working with us here and we will get this fixed. If it would be easier to talk you thru this problem email your phone number and best time to call an I will call you.

I forgot to give you my email, its loghm@aol.com.

Nice post, Jim - I couldn't have said it better! *thumbsup*

To the OP, you could also try "jumpstarting" the battery in the trailer with cables from a known good vehicle battery to raise it off the safety bar.

- Jack

We have tried two batteries. One known good one. We do not hear the pump making any noise.

Next tell us what your abilities are at troubleshooting. Do you have a volt meter and know how to check for voltage? Do you have a owners manual for this rv? If the rv has been setting for years with a battery you could have some corroded connections that need to be cleaned. Are you knowledgeable in the operation of the Hi-Lo? Many of these rvs have a fuse or circuit breaker in the power circuit. If a circuit breaker is popped some have a button on the side to push in and reset it. I have a newer Hi-Lo, 2005 so have limited knowledge on the electrical system on older ones. Your problem is mostly likely a minor one and you will get help here on the forum so keep working at it and keep us posted on what you find.

I appreciate your help and encouragement! My dad is pretty knowledgable and experienced.....he's very handy and mechanical, so I am sure he has a volt meter that he can check with. He does also have the owners manual. I think it would be best for you to give him a call to discuss....he is at 970.327.0364 and the best time to reach him would be in the evening/night. He is mt. Time zone. I am at 720.870.1174 and can be reached just about anytime.

The pump not making any noise is good news. I asked for specifics (Which we do need to help you fix your problem) to try to troubleshoot the problem.

When you try to raise the top. Do you move the 3 position power switch to the correct position? On mine, it's all the way up but mine is a 2002. The pump won't move unless this switch is in the "lift" position. All other 12V functions will work in the middle position of mine. With the switch in lift position, no other 12V functions should work.

Hey Nodowner - where are you guys at?

I recognize the 970 phone # as being western CO - which is where I am. Maybe I can swing by and be of some help?

My dad is in Norwood, closeish to telluride. I am in Denver.

I know that spot well -

Not exactly right next door, but perhaps I can take a motorbike ride over and chip in. I'm leaving for a while, but I'll keep tabs on the thread. When I get back perhaps I can check in on you guys.

I'm no HiLo expert - but I'm happy to offer moral support and whatever else I can throw at the problem!

Great! Hopefully we will be all fixed up soon....my dad is a motorbike fan as well!

HI Nodowner, Has your Dad gotten the top to lower yet if so what was the problem?

Success! Now it's a matter of us figuring out when we can go pick it up. Seems like it was sort of a flukey deal. He bypasses the toggle switch and after trying that, it started to work again. We are so thrilled and are very excited to start using it!! That was the most of an explanation I could get from him on the phone. When we go get it, I hope to have a better understanding and will post more information when I know it. He told me that if it were to happen again, he could fix it in a matter of minutes. But, like I said, I will follow up when I know more exactly.

Getting your HiLo to raise up aqnd down
 

The guys on the HTF are great with the mechanical/technical stuff. Take some time to read old posts. Especially mainteniance items. You might need a new set of tires to make the seven hour trip home. Carry some tools with you. We are here to help you every step of the way.

Hi All,
I know this is an old post, but you were all so helpful, and I have similar story: a 1987 Hi-Lo that was stored in the up position for many years and now won't lower. I just inherited it and hauled it to Portland, OR from California after airing up the tires. We were able to get the trailer lights working by cleaning the electrical connection (it had some corrosion). But we couldn't get the top to lower. We pulled the cord and the red light came on, then we used the toggle switch and heard something engage/disengage, but the top remained up. I could use some advice on what to try first. Corrosion (is there an obvious location to check)? Hydraulic fluid (is there a level to check)? Battery (what voltage should it be)? I'm pretty handy, but I have no idea where to start troubleshooting. Thanks, Debbie

Debbie, did you raise the top first so you could release the safety latch?

Hi Charlie,
It was stored in the up position, so I was trying to lower it for transport. I was not able to move it.
Debbie

Do I need to raise it further to release the safety latch before lowering? If so, how do I do that?

push the "up" side and it should raise just a small bit, that will take the top off of the safety catch. Then pull, and hold the safety cable out until the camper top lowers a couple inches, then you can release the cable.
You may have other problems now, especially after towing with the roof in the up position, but maybe you will get lucky. Make sure everything inside is stowed below the level of the roof in the down position, and that all windows are closed and don't lower the roof door onto your head. :D

Ah! Okay, I will do that. Thank you so much for the tip. Let's hope it works :). I will try not to hit my head, too.
Debbie

Debbie, Charlie is right. The top may have settled and the safety is not releasing. Make sure the top is fully up, then pull the cable release and try to lower it. Being that it was in the up position for so long and the fact that you towed it quite a long way in the raised position, you may have stretched cables now. Here's a procedure that I've added to my preventive maintenance.

https://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f61/...o-trailer-129/

Thanks Ruben! Let's hope I didn't stretch the cables. I will follow your maintenance advice and see what I can do. One question to you both, is it better to store a Hi-Lo trailer in the up or down position? I'm assuming they stored it in the up position for a reason, but I don't know.

It should be stored in the down position to relieve strain from the lift system. Also, the upper half provides protection to the lower half when down.

I am haveing the same issue with my 1987 hi lo camper did you guys figure out what to do to get it to lower? thanks for the help

Yes, figured it out
 

My Hi-Lo issue was a combo of operator error and a low battery. To get the top to lower, you have to pull out on the cable and keep it pulled out the entire time while lowering so that the red light stays on.

If you can't get that to work, then it's probably your battery. I learned that you need to disconnect the red battery lead while storing the trailer or the battery will drain within a month or two due to the gas sensor inside the trailer. Hooking up the battery to a trickle charger or the truck with the truck running may work after hours of charging, but a quicker way is to use jumper cables and jump start the camper battery.

If that doesn't work, your battery is probably shot. Replace the battery.

One other thing that helped a little was the advice to raise the top with the switch slightly to get it off where it settled on the seats before trying to lower it. If your red light is coming on when you pull the cable, this could fix the problem and get it to lower.

Last, the cables underneath the trailer need to be lubed occasionally, and it's always possible the hydraulic fluid is a little low.