Hi-Lo did not work out for me

[DonTX]

Since I liked my diesel pickup so much, sold the motorhome and got me a Hi-Lo. Bad mistake!

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

SO, what's the problem?

 

[PToombs]

Those things are just funky looking, only my . 02 though. :-laf

I thought they would be better than a regular pop-up, no cloth sides to get wet and moldy. I've never seen inside one though.

 

[HBarlow]

A good friend of mine formerly owned a Hi-Lo. It was one of the dumbest ideas I ever saw. It was utterly useless while on the road. It was impossible to stop and run back to the trailer to make a quick sandwich for lunch or even to use the restroom and even when the upper body was raised all the furniture suffered from the compromise necessary to fit under the lowered top section plus it had all the heavy and complicated electrics/hydraulics for the raising and lowering. He finally was forced to all but give it away when he grew tired of it.

About ten years ago five of us couples with four trailer rigs got together and traveled to Red River, NM from Lubbock. We all stopped and gassed up on the north side of Lubbock and because the women wanted to stop again in Clovis, NM, a distance of 100 miles, we topped off our tanks again. I was driving a '94 Ford F-250HD w/fuel injected 460 V8 and E4OD transmission and 4. 10 gear pulling a 9,500 lb. 34' triple axle Airstream. My good friend was driving a '93 Chevy 1/2 ton Suburban w/fuel injected 350 V8 and TH-700R4 automatic w/3. 73 gear pullling a 7000 lb. 24' Hi-Lo with half the frontal area of my Airstream. We ran together at the same speed, same road, same wind, etc. We both filled our tanks side-by-side and calculated our fuel mileage. I don't remember now what the actual mileage was but he got 1/2 mpg better than I did. So much for the advantages of a Hi-Lo. I don't think they are made any longer.

 

[DonTX]

You got that all about right. In fact, we bought it in Ohio, brought it home to spruce it up a bit, but decided it was not for us WITHOUT EVER EVEN HAVING CAMPED in it!

A good friend of mine formerly owned a Hi-Lo. It was one of the dumbest ideas I ever saw. It was utterly useless while on the road. It was impossible to stop and run back to the trailer to make a quick sandwich for lunch or even to use the restroom and even when the upper body was raised all the furniture suffered from the compromise necessary to fit under the lowered top section plus it had all the heavy and complicated electrics/hydraulics for the raising and lowering. He finally was forced to all but give it away when he grew tired of it.



About ten years ago five of us couples with four trailer rigs got together and traveled to Red River, NM from Lubbock. We all stopped and gassed up on the north side of Lubbock and because the women wanted to stop again in Clovis, NM, a distance of 100 miles, we topped off our tanks again. I was driving a '94 Ford F-250HD w/fuel injected 460 V8 and E4OD transmission and 4. 10 gear pulling a 9,500 lb. 34' triple axle Airstream. My good friend was driving a '93 Chevy 1/2 ton Suburban w/fuel injected 350 V8 and TH-700R4 automatic w/3. 73 gear pullling a 7000 lb. 24' Hi-Lo with half the frontal area of my Airstream. We ran together at the same speed, same road, same wind, etc. We both filled our tanks side-by-side and calculated our fuel mileage. I don't remember now what the actual mileage was but he got 1/2 mpg better than I did. So much for the advantages of a Hi-Lo. I don't think they are made any longer.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

DON be aware - if one of the features of a larger 5th wheel with slides is on your horizon that THEY often are as cumbersome to move around in at short rest stops for bathroom/lunch breaks - check the floor plan carefully to see what interior access is available when the slides are cranked in...

 

[DonTX]

I just got rid of my fifth wheel, see other post. The bathroom WAS accessible when stopped for a quickie, in fact you could use the trailer very well with the slides IN. The truck camper we have now, I am too big to get to the bathroom without slightly extending the right slide, a minor bother, the wife can fit in without sliding.

The biggest disadvantage of slides, is that truck stops are not built for overnighting with slideouts extended.

 

[HBarlow]

Yep, you're right. Flying Js and other truck stops aren't set up for slideout parking and neither are interstate highway rest stops. It would anger a trucker or two taking an extra space or even occupying three spaces to park a private RV forcing two tired truckers to park somewhere else. Wouldn't be a good idea. Might find ten flat tires upon waking the following morning, or worse and couldn't blame the truckers.

My HH has slides on both sides which makes it about 16' wide with the slides out. I used to overnight in interstate highway rest stops all the time with my own travel trailers and when I was transporting and only sleeping in the trailers (which was not permitted) but don't do that anymore with my own fiver unless I'm in one of the rare rest stops that has individual parking ares or on occasion if I can get away from everybody else at one end and extend over into an unused "no parking" area. Same w/Flying Js. I only overnight in them if I can get over to a side away from other parkers and extend over a curb and grass.

I love large, comfortable fifth wheels for the comfort they provide at a destination or for extended living but for traveling hard and overnighting along the road they are nowhere near as convenient as a simple travel trailer or slide-in camper.

Everything in life is a compromise of some sort.

 

[CUMMINZ]

One other issue. My DayDreamer has 3 slides. The one up front is on the drivers side. Most campers parked on their site have most access around the passenger side to the camp site. With the front slide on the driver side it is out of the way. The new 40 foot DayDreamers have the front slide on the passenger side. Way stupid. All your neighbors will be cracking their forehead on that slide.

 

[WStephens]

My Dad gave me a 26' HiLo that I pulled from Wyoming to PA and got the wife to use it once. The floor plan was terrible and every time I took it out to use or for a trip I needed to work on it manly the battery compartment. Then it got a leak in the line feeding the toilet. It was easy to pull and I could see over the top in the rear view mirror and would know if I left the vents open or the TV antenna up. But after the one time my wife and I used it we both decided that we had to make a change because of the fact the top lowers over the bottom you loose floor space and with out a good floor plan they can be just terrible. I pulled it back to Wyoming to store and if there were any electrical problems then you could not raise the top we traded it for a 30 Sand Piper 5th wheel with a slide out in Riverton, WY. I like the 5th wheel much better and I can hook up to the truck alone.

 

[AClayton]

What Harvey was saying is the exact reason these trailers are manufactured... they supposedly save fuel by decreasing wind drag and are easy to tow. They were in production last year because friends of mine were interested in buying one and I talked them out of it.



I like the MH for traveling convience but a 5th wheel in the same length has more useable room. The 1st 6ft. of MH is dash and seating.



Alan

 

[Grizzly]

My brother had a Hi-Lo. Whenever we'd go dry camping with them, it would take much time and work to get his trailer unhitched and perfectly level before we could open it up. Unlike my Lance camper (now sold) we'd get it somewhat level, drop the jacks and we're home. My brother liked how quick we would get set up, so after a few years, he got rid of the Hi-Lo and bought a small cab-over-camper for his F250. You can't haul much of a camper with an F250 gasser.

 

[DonTX]

I only towed mine (it was a 31 footer) from Ohio to the lower Rio Grande Valley, but I must admit it was a very easy tow, very stable at high speeds. My high gearing automatic OD allowed me to get several more miles per gallon than with conventional RV's since I tend to drive too fast.

 

[AABEN]

I have a 39 ft fifth wheel 4 slides and we stop at rest stops and sleep in are trailer also a few times at Flying J also at wal-mart never had any trouble at any of them. But we stop around 10:00 and leave around 4:00 at rest stops and F-J . If we stay at wal-mart we try to be there around 11:00 do are shoping and stay till 8:00 then move on. But we always ask some one where to park some Wal-Mart does not alow parking so it is best to ask. We are snow birds. We are gone 6 month a year.

 

[DaveHess]

Mine is a 29' Jayco Eagle TT with a driver's side super slide. We can use everything (fridge, bathroom, master bedroom) in ours without taking the slide out. The two teenage monkeys I am raising simply climb through and over the dinette and they're back in the bunks. One of the reasons I took the floorplan. Actually I love this trailer. Wish I had more time to use it

 

[Silver Ratler]

You definitely need to check liveabilty with slides in..... just traded our '94 Road Ranger ( Single Slide ) for a Heartland Big Country triple slide... ... . we have access to fridg... table... . bed and of course the bathroom with out moving the slides out. This works well for our roadside stops... ... when we find a suitbale place to stop..... many are to "tight" for a 34' ffiver and truck..... or too low for the 13' height.