New Hi Lo trailer owner 2806C
 

Hi everyone,

Just picked up a 2806C for a great price due to water damage. I will be doing a complete gut and redo in the upcoming months. This will be my first camper project and I will post pics and updates if anyone is interested.

The 2806c only sleeps 4 and I'm going to try to make it fit at least 6. Not sure how that is going to work yet, but we'll see.

Thanks to this forum before purchasing I read the checklist and found all the issues. The owner just left it sitting for a few years and didn't use it or take care of it.

If anyone has any suggestions please keep me posted. I will be calling JR Trailer for all parts as well as Midget. Thanks again for posting great info that saved me thousands of dollars!

I look forward to a great build and some camping fun later this year.

Best of luck, and welcome to the forum.

Welcome to the forum.
 

Many of us on the forum have done extensive repairs. We are here to answer any questions and help in any way we can. We love updates and pictures. Also many of the parts you will need can be sourced for other places than the one you mentioned. Also cheaper. Keep us posted. How is your roof?

I havent stripped it down yet but I think there may be a leak from the a.c. or roof vents. There are no visible hole in it and seems very sturdy since I was walking on it to put on the tarp. The roof is aluminum and the sides are fiberglass. There is 1 hole in the rear fiberglass above the the window and a small crack in the front that also needs to be repaired. I think the biggest problems are the window openings. I'll find out more once I start gutting it.

I'm going to gut the entire thing either way. All the appliances a.c., water heater works but the heater didn't turn on. This is my first camper ever so I still havr lots to learn and looking forward to everyone's advice.

I'll take lots of pictures and maybe some video of the renovation. If there is anything in particular you're interested in, let me know and I'll make sure to get some extra shots for you.

These are the things I know Im going to need.
1. A 48" dinnette benches and table that converts to sleeping area.
2. Bunk bed drop down platform that comes standard in most of these Hi Lo campers.
3. Window seals and the main deal that goes around the part that drops down.

I saw this the other day.

https://columbus.craigslist.org/rvs/...568620123.html

You might find some parts from this poor guy.

Thanks for the info.

I called him and he is checking to see if the trailer has the dinette. He is not sure of the length but from the pics posted, the layout is very similar to mine. I plan on getting rid of the queen bed altogether and making a U shaped seating area that converts to a bed and hopefully I can find the bunk bed platform hardware at least to put above it.

Not sure how tough it would be to move the current kitchen area to the side to the trailer and putting in a couch....we'll see when I start taking things apart. Thanks again for the info.

That's scary! Very similar to my unit. I'd really like to know how/why this happened. We can only guess, I guess.
Tree

You're right Tree climber, he told me a tree fell on it. He bought it that way thinking he was going to fix it, but got overwhelmed with the amount of effort he had to put into it and got unmotivated and gave up so he's parting it out.

How to get started with repairs.
 

The first thing I would do is safely get up on the roof. Do a good inspection. Remove AC unit and slide over onto some board on the roof. Check all vents and use Dicor self leveling caulk as needed. Coat your aluminum roof with the coresponding material. Take the AC shroud off and clean the unit up. Then I would work on the inside. When you remove your windows you will be able to see a snap shot of the wall layers. Not all units come with the drop down bunk. If you have cabinents on the upper side back then you would not have the bunk. Look in the library for a layout of your year and model. Don't give up on the heater until you do a thorough work up on it. Is your propane tank full and turned on. Light your stove and let the burners run for a while to get the air out of the line. Could be you need a new thermostat. Lexell caulk is what you want to use around your exterior windows. This can be bought at ACE Hardware or on line. UTube has a video on how to remove the windows and reinstall.This should keep you busy for a while. Check caulking on the entire exterior. Tail lights can be a source of leaks.

Citius
 

I checked out the bent HiLo on the Columbus,Ohio listing. My best guess is a tree came down on this HiLo. Hopefully you can get some good parts from this. Sometimes parts are sourced from the boating people at West Marine. Hopefully this HiLo owner had insurance on his rig.

Thanks for that info Citius, that makes me feel a bit better. We thought a catastrophic BEAM failure after a hydraulic or cable failure, something really bazaar. Thanks again.
Tree

Hi Citius; Welcome to the forum. Where in VA do you live? We live just west of Charlottesville. If you need any help let me know.

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm going to start on Sunday! Can't wait to get started.

Hi
I have a 2308 HILO which I bought on EBay .. therein lies a story of threats and blackmail!! Another story.
It was lightly used but water damage was evident in the wall paper. The roof was aluminium mesh with a flexible polymer coating, guaranteed to be leak proof I was told. However in the manufacturing process iron staples or nails pierced through the roof plywood decking whereupon the Al and Fe formed a battery that consumed the Aluminium around the impact point was beyond the polymer's ability to accommodate.
There were hundreds of perforation holes! Tried sanding the roof before re coating it with polymer. That was a wasted of time. Finally found a aluminium foil coated polymer roll which was laid in 3 foot widths along the roof length. This material is recommended for roofing. After two years I am confident it has stopped all roof leaks.

My roof deck is solid for walking on but has been damaged in to the extent you can push a screwdriver through.

Also had to rewire the brakes as the wires from the frame to the wheel hubs were unsupported allowing the wire to fatigue and snap off .. no brakes!

Also had to replace all the cables due to the leak .. quite a job. Suggest you do not trust entering the trailer unless the roof is supported by 2x4s.

Happy to chat with anyone who need more information .. Chris 416 225 2654

I'll keep you in mind. Thanks for the heads up. I'll be sure to prop up the too while I'm doing the work inside. I plan to remove alot of the cabinets which seems to support the weight of the too of the trailer when it's lowered. I plan on building supports back in once I start rebuilding.

Thanks again for the advice. I love this forum!

Chris Stoute
 

Welcome to the forum. Quite a story about all the repairs you had to do. Not suprised about the metals clashing in the roof. Others have suffered this same fate. Enjoy your camping this year.

Finally started Reno.
 

Just started the renovation.

All leaks came in from Windows and lack of caulking around the ceiling fan.

1/4 Luan looks like it was glued onto 1" polystyrene. Should I replace with same material or is there something more waterproof that is lightweight?

All the windows had to come out as well. The caulking There had completely deteriorated.

Will have to fix all the seals on top section since it's all hard and cracked.

I'm about to rip all the polystyrene out and replace with pink board but not sure if it's worth the extra hassle. It's taking forever just to scrape the rotten lush off.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Repairing damage
 

I can only tell you what we did to fix our 1990 25ft. Classic HiLo. Start by covering the floor with cardboard. Join some pieces together at the seams with duct tape. Take pictures of anything before destruction. Take out your dinning room table and chairs. Label small parts and where they came from. Cover with plastic anything that has to be left in. Cover the counters with cardboard. Harbor Freight is your friend with 20& coupons. Rip your walls out until you come to the fiberglass. Use 3M bondo on the fiberglass. Check out their website. This will seal up any pin holes you can't even see. Use an industrial respirator and a chip brush. The walls consist of three layers. Replace with luan,foam insulation and paneling 1/8. All layers can be put together with Heavy Duty liquid nails. It does not eat the foam. Use a generous amt. in a s pattern. One tube per sheet of paneling. It is cheapest at wall mart. This project is worth doing. It will take a tremendous amt of time and materials. Done correctly it will last many years. DH used a multi tool to remove the wall layers. Remove as much as you can. DH also used rajor blades(many). He used a floor roller to smooth/press the wall layers together. If you can remove the paneling in a big piece then you can use it for a paneling. TYou tube has a video on how to remove and reinstall windows. Reinstall with butyl tape and Lexel caulk. Rebuild your wall then reinstall the window. Replace all screws with stainless steel ones. Lexell caulk can be purchased at ACE Hardware or on line. Use foam spray caulk to fill in any gaps. We didn't have to replace our rubber roof. This is all I can remember. Our repairs were done in 2012 and have held up. You are correct in saying the water intrusion cane from the windows. You can do this. Keep thje questions coming.

Typo correction
 

Big pieces of paneling can be removes and used for patterns especially around the windows.

Hi,
Thanks for letting me join. I just was given a 1990 fun lite. It needs very little tlc. I'm looking forward to camping again.