We recently bought a 2008 Hilo 170T. We were misled on the extent of the water damage. Needless to say, we are in need of a big remodel. The top is not lined up properly now and the wall needs replaced completely. My husband has big hopes to be able to do the work himself but is not sure he can. Has anyone on here taken a Hilo to someone in Ohio to have it repaired? Or do we push on and try to complete the remodel ourselves? Desperate to make this work. We were able to camp with it 3 times before it stormed on us and showed us just how much worse it was than we thought. Any suggestions or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Katrisha, bummed in ohio.

Kat, welcome and look through the forum. There are several threads here where people have essentially stripped their trailers down to the frame and rebuilt them. So, it CAN be done DIY. However, it can be a big job that's intimidating to anyone who has no experience in this process.

If you want to get the trailer rebuilt professionally, you could take it to Midget RV in Bellville, OH: https://hilotrailerparts.webs.com/. There used to be a place called J&R Repair in Butler that serviced HiLos, but I'm not finding them now.

Edit: J&R is now in Mt Vernon OH, as shown in the posts below, and they don't seem to have a webpage anymore.

- Jack

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Hi-Lo 1707T - Tire Minder TPMS on Tow Vehicle and Trailer, 300W Solar Battery Charger, Equal-i-zer WDH, Progressive Dynamics Converter, Fan-Tastic Fan, LiFePO4 battery 12V DC Electrical System
2014 F150 Platinum 4x4 3.5L EcoBoost SCrew

The question you have to ask your self is how handy is your husband? Do you want to spend at least a $thousand dollars for materials ? Do you have the time to do a big project. J&R is in Mount Vernon, OHIO. I have had work done by them. Seal replacement and some odds and ends. Many owners don't realize that after five years the windows need to be taken out and resealed with butyl caulk. Lexel caulk is applied on the outside. The roofs are made of disimilar materials/metals. This causes pin point holes and leaks. My first HiLo suffered water damage in the walls. Thus DH and I had an extensive wall rebuilding job. Recently DH had to replace a part in the roof television antenna. He discovered a slight crack in the roof caulk that was letting in a drip of water. Best of luck what ever you decide.

My 1990 model needed a new roof and I was able to do it by reading different items online. The main factor, I believe, is that if you have had a little mechanical and carpentry experience in the past you can do it. You will need the tools and time. I removed the a/c unit and the two skylights, tore off roof, replaced the plywood and used a roofing kit ordered online. If you are confident that you can remove something and put it back like it came off you can do it. A couple of spots on my walls inside need a little patching and I caulked my window frames on the outside. This was 3 years ago and not one drop of anything to date. If an old 78 year old man can do it.....you can do it.

Kat, We have had J&R Trailer Repair in Mt Vernon, OH do you twice on our previous 2006 Classic. They are very good at what they do. Rob is the contact and Jim is the expert repair guy. Jim worked for 30+ yrs building HiLo’s. The phone number is 740-392-1600, email jandrhilo@gmail.com. Leave a phone msg, then patiently wait for call back.
John

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Jonboy
2022 Venture Sonic Lite 27 ft. 2007 Navigator
Previous 2006 25 ft Classic, and 1999 26 ft Classic

We used J & R Trailer too! Happy with work though it wasn’t extensive!

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Elaine and Bill Stevenson
Former HiLo-Classic 310S
2011 Toyota Sequoia

Kitty 418, Did you decide to do the work your self? Or will you get an estimate from J&R for repairs.?

We are still trying to figure out the extent of the damage. My husband is pretty handy but we have now determined that the frame under it is bent. It is causing the back half to no longer line up. Not sure if we can fix this or not. I would love to hand it over to J&R but most of our money was spent to buy this rig. Not sure we can tow it to them at this point yet. My husband has not given up yet though.

I here you on the $ issue. I remember one person that had to forcibly strap the HiLo together for transport for repairs. Post pictures of the damage. What have you to lose by tearing into the trailer? We can guide you as you do repairs.

Here are a few pictures of what we are dealing with. We have not had much chance to work on her yet as my hubby has been working extra hours and has not been feeling very well. Hopefully we can work on her this weekend. I appreciate all the advice and encouragement!

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