Need info on HiLo trailers

The important thing is to make sure it deploys perfectly. Even minor issues can be very difficult to have repaired.
My brother had a heck of a time just finding someone who knew how to work on it.

I believe they are only selling the 18 foot model now. Causes me concern about going out of business. No CA dealers that I can find.

I enjoyed mine for the low wind resistance, the ease of towing and storage, and the amenities. I had a 1996 22' towlight. I grew to dislike the need to set up every time I camped or needed to stop and use facilities. Dust came in through the 2 halves, even though there is a dust seal. Hi-lo went bankrupt and integral parts became hard if not impossible to come by. That is what scared me off and caused me to sell it. While I found mine to be completely reliable, the fear of losing a hydraulic pump or even a pully or cable (They are lifted by cables via a hydraulic pump) stayed with me. Now that hi-lo is back in business, those fears might be nothing to worry about if the company is still using those same parts.

I remember Hi-Los....you lost around 6 inches (more?) of interior space because the roof retracts down. That may or may not be important to you.

What was important to me (and the reason i did not buy one) is there is no "fail-safe"...manual way to extend the roof or retract it should either the cable break or the hydraulic motor fail.

The dealer I went to claimed "they never fail". He should speak to the one owner I met some time later at Gettysburg KOA who was using 2x4s to try to muscle he roof up.


FWIW.

we have a 17ft. 2004 hi-lo and love it. have owned it for 10 years and have camped from FL to CA and up to new england and all over FL and the southeast without any major problems. they are built like a tank and even if you did have a problem with the hydraulic pump or cables they are generic and could be obtained at auto part and hardware stores. top can be raised in less than a minute and have never had a problem with dust even on some long dusty dirt roads.

You may be interested in Trailmanior travel trailers.

We purchased a "very little used" 2008 model 19T last summer. We purchased the unit so we could return to the camping lifestyle after health reasons slowed us down several years ago. We use it for local trips in state and just for a few nights, but I would not hesitate making a two or three week trip with it at all.
To me, storage space is a minor problem, but if you travel light, it is o.k. I did not let the thought of mechanical failure of the lift system deter me, it does have a manual override. Raising and lowering takes about 30 seconds, so roadside pit stops are no problem. I never thought about drilling or mounting anything to the roof. The A/C unit, antenna and two vents take up a lot of space on the roof, the bigger units should have more roof footage than the 19 footer.
It tows very well, but I already had a F250 CC, V10 p/u, so did not notice any mpg drop or loss of power while towing...
The new Hi-Lo Mfg. Only has a 18 foot model with two floodplains, and neither have a bathroom/shower, a downer for us.

There's lots of Hi-Lo stuff on YouTube. One guy down south somewhere bought an older one and fixed it up to take up north. He did some electrical, replaced the water heater, and did other stuff. Might be worth a look.

2012Coleman wrote:
You may be interested in Trailmanior travel trailers.

Thanks. I contacted them last week and found out they have been sold to a Amish company and are in the process of moving to South Dakota. The lady I spoke to said production will start in November and they would offer some big discounts in hopes of getting their name out. I'm keeping a close watch on this company as I like the looks of their rigs.

Thanks to all who posted..very good info. If I can't find one here in N. California, I'll likely wait to see Trailmanior's new units this Winter. I'm keeping my eyes out for a gem until then.