Winterization Hi -Lo up or down. Wall Repair.
 

I have just finished getting my hi-lo ready for the winter here in New England. Can you tell me the best position to store in up or down.
I also have a wall that has water damage the leak has been repaired but i was looking for the best way to repair the wall.
the trailer is a 22' 1989 fun lite. :)

Down it is.
Thank you.
Roy.

If it is going to be outside it definitely needs to be in the down position. The added weight of ice and snow can cause a collapse and it is not a pretty picture. I saw one that had that happen to it. It took a trip to J&R for a costly rebuild.

Winterizing in New England
 

We are also in New England. I don't believe there are many HI-LOs here in NE. We store ours down with a very large green tarp tied over it. The snow and wind load can be great in this part of the country and keeping it up would be asking for trouble. I also clear some of the snow off if it gets to be more than a foot or so. Haven't had a problem with condensation under the tarp or otherwise. Our biggest concern is mince setting up winter camp in the Hi-LO. So we place about 20 laundry dryer sheets is all the closed spaces before lowering. So far no mice. There is an old joke with the punch line "if you don't see any pink elephants then it must be working"; perhaps that is how the dryer sheets work. We also remove all paper and cloth products to reduce the amount of nest building materials.

Stored in up position all year with snow on it
 

My Hi-Lo is stored in our back yard in the up position all year and has snow on it during the winter. I use 6 support jacks that relieve all weight from the cables and they have slack in them. They were purchased from Menards and and it takes less than 10 minutes to install.

See the attached photos and you can see how I made them. We live in the Chicago area and just had the 3rd worst winter storm in history with a lot of snow.

This works for me and I will be conducting a seminar at the 2011 Hi-Lo Rally, with a sample of the jack, and I will show you how this is done.

Stored in the up position
 

I would never store our Hi Lo in the up position in the winter time. Hi Los are very expensive to replace. In the low position it takes the strain off the cables. We were instructed by our Hi-Lo service manager to use 2x4 at each corner when camping. This takes some strain off the cables. I believe it says not to store in the up position in the owners manual.Our trailer is stored away from our house and I feeel the down position makes it "burgular proof"

Not sure if it would be "burglar proof," but Sam may have a good point about the down position making a Hi-Lo a less appealing target.

Regarding winter storage in the up or down position, other than for easy access, I'm not real sure why one would want to store in the up position, but what pcandella has done certainly looks safe and secure! Installing 2 X 4's in each corner, I actually lived in my 1969 Hi-Lo for 3 years while attending university in far north snow country, without adverse effect. The thing is still raising and lowering more than 30 years later.

Jim

Hey, you buy quality and it lasts! :D

I think storing in the down position makes more sense too. As for camping, doesn't the "lock pin" that slides in actually hold the top up (removing any strain on the cables)?

- Jack

Jack,

The lock pin/plate/latch, attached to the other end of the release cable, only keeps the hydraulic ram from retracting in case of a seal, or some other hydraulic failure. It will not prevent the roof, or a corner of the roof, from dropping if a cable breaks.

Please don't let this keep you up at night, or diving for the door whenever the trailer creeks! The chance of one of these cables parting, if properly maintained and periodically inspected, is almost nil. Thousands of Hi-Lo trailers have never had a problem. Actually, the only ones I've ever heard that failed were the ones where someone had installed the "bolt," style cable crimps.

Just joking,
Jim

This thread brought up a question for me. My Hi Low is stored outside in the down position and was wondering how much snow would be too much to raise it temprarily to get some things out I need (some being the curtains) as the wife is making new ones?

Harry

If you have a 1" equivalent of water on the roof, that could weigh 700 pounds. It doesn't take much hard packed snow to weigh up in a hurry. Your best bet is to remove as much snow as possible before raising. It is not worth risking to raise it with any appreciable amount of snow on top.

The groundhog said Spring is here. Wait a few days, maybe the snow will all melt.

Smartass! :p

But thanks, it makes sense the way you said it. Since I lubricated all the cables, guide bar and pulleys last fall, I'm quite confident they are all in good shape. No corrosion or fraying at all, and I took the inside strips covering the top pulleys off so I could inspect the cables near the ends too.

- Jack

That's what I'm thinking too. Did try to raise it and it kinda groaned so not gonna force it.


Harry

Now, if you notice at atleast 4 places around the camper where the top rests on metal frame, you could cut some 2x4's to length for when up, & rest roof section on them. this is what I did while repairing the cable on mine.

Mine is a 5th wheel version over 28ft long, I keep it shedded in winter and it sits beside my house (not covered) in summer. So when at my house, when I put it up I rest the top on the 2x6's I made (I have 6 places it rests on), actually if I plan to go in and out all week like I do when getting the camper situated (I've only had it 6 months yet). No, I probably dont need to, I just feel better that way.

I just like to save strain and wear and tear, and overly cautious probably, since my top is soooooo big, lol.

Snow load
 

Is not 1" of rain equal to 9" of snow? So, if I get 6 or 7 inches of dry powdery snow or 2-3 inches of wet snow remove it??? One thought was to overlay a tarp over the camper cover and it could be slide off with the accumulated snow??seems that would be easy?? Thoughts??? Joe

Tarps are bad news as they trap moisture and cause damage. That is why RV covers are made of a breathable material.

Sliding off a tarp with that much snow on it would not be an easy task. It is heavier than you may think.

I agree with Rich R on that one. I use a cover but It is not easy to get off even in spring with any snow or ice left on. Tie ropes get frozen, snow melts and freezes----cover freezes to trailer etc.

rick