Used Hitchhiker II LS

[THoltz]

I am thinking about buying a 5 yr old used HH II LS. I think it has super lube hubs by Tiedown Engineering. Any thoughts/advice on making this purchase or issues with the Super Lube hubs?

 

[HBarlow]

HitchHiker fifthwheels are good trailers but I am biased, I did my homework and bought one. They are well built using 2" Dow Corning blue foam insulation. The blue foam material is much more dense and much stronger than ordinary white foam and provides much greater insulation. All NuWa HitchHikers are genuine four season trailers.

You're probably talking about a 2006 when you say five years old. If it has a black painted frame and kingpin box it is on a Lippert frame with Lippert "imported" running gear as opposed to Young's Frame frame and running gear that NuWa used for about 30 years before that period and has now returned to.

The shorter versions of HH LS trailers are probably okay on Lippert frames but personally, I would probably not want one of the larger ones.

If you go to NuWa's website and look for archived information on previous models you should be able to review the original factory brochure with all the specs and information on the model you are considering.

 

[ringneck]

if you can see that it has been cared for with care,price is wrght. than check top,and axls. just looked up and see that you are from buckeye,i got a buddy there. just had their house built,and saleing their o4 carriage carrilight. just drop price to 26. 500 a very nice four season 5th wheel 34foot . let me know and good luck,gary

 

[THoltz]

Actually Harvey it is a 2007 32. 5 FKSBG. I did go to the Nuwa website but could not find any info on frames. Any other way to determine who built the frame? Thanks!

 

[HBarlow]

No, you won't find any literature stating the name of the frame manufacturer. The Lippert components started in use in model year '06. If I had to guess, I would guess that '06 HH II LS is built on a Lippert frame.

Have you seen the trailer or seen a picture of it? If it has a Young's Frame which is a high quality frame it will have a small metal Young's Welding tag on the kingpin box and the frame will be powdercoated white. If the frame is painted black it was built by Lippert.

A HH II 32. 5 is actually about 34' or 35' overall length and a heavy trailer. I would not want a heavy trailer on a Lippert frame. A small and light HH II 27. 5 or 29. 5 would, IMO, be okay.

You probably won't appreciate my advice. My advice is to pass on it.

Have you looked at NuWa's used inventory listed on their website? They have lots of trade-ins for sale that have gone through their service department.

Sorry, wish I had better news for you but you asked for information and advice. That's my opinion.

Ohh, I forgot the super lube hubs. I don't know exactly what a superlube hub is. Is that your own generic term or is that the formal name? I assume it is the hubs with zerk fittings at the end of the spindle. If so, those zerk fitting hubs are best for and best known for blowing out the seals and squirting grease on the brake shoes and brake drums. I would not own them personally. They do a lousy job of actually lubing bearings and almost always result in destroyed brake linings due to grease forced past the seals. I would prefer ordinary old clean and pack bearings over zerk hubs. My HH has the Nevr-Lubes which are sealed bearings expected to last five years. So far, at three years and 30k+ miles mine are fine.

 

[HBarlow]

NuWa Industries, Inc. - Archives Section

This photo from the NuWa website archives clearly shows a black kingpin box on a 2006 HH II LS trailer. That's a Lippert frame trailer.

Now, in fairness to NuWa and HH II LS owners, not all of them have experienced problems and in fact, it is likely that most have not. However, I do know from examining bare frames from Lippert and bare frames from Young's Welding that the Young's frames are clearly far superior in frame rail dimensions, metal thickness, quality of paint finish, etc. I also know that ChiComm running gear is not as good as Dexter. I know that some have reported spring perch weld failures, spring failures, axle failures, spindles breaking off axles, bearing failures, etc.

I can also tell you that NuWa made the decision after two or three years of using Lippert frames to return to use of their traditional frame supplier, Young's Welding and Dexter components.

 

[Newt]

Just keep it simple Harvey. My 04 Snowbird LS, same as a HH II has a Youngs frame. Sometime later, NuWa started using Lippert on all HH II and some DA trailers. Now all trailers are on Youngs frames. This is because when business was better Youngs didn't have the production capacity to meet NuWa's requirements. After the bust and reorganization Youngs is able to meet NuWa's production schedule. In the years when both Lippert and Youngs frames were used, Lipperts were black and Youngs were white.



Newt

 

[Hitchhiker-01]

I had a 2004 Hitchhiker II 30. 5 RLBG. It was a great coach but I had frame failure (Lippert) at the welds on the pin box. Lippert repaired the frame. I understand that NUWA had Lippert build stronger frames. If you get the VIN number and call NUWA you can may be able to get all the information about the coach.
If I was going to buy another trailer it would be a Hitchhiker.

Jack

 

[THoltz]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[HBarlow]

Just keep it simple Harvey. My 04 Snowbird LS, same as a HH II has a Youngs frame. Sometime later, NuWa started using Lippert on all HH II and some DA trailers. Now all trailers are on Youngs frames. This is because when business was better Youngs didn't have the production capacity to meet NuWa's requirements. After the bust and reorganization Youngs is able to meet NuWa's production schedule. In the years when both Lippert and Youngs frames were used, Lipperts were black and Youngs were white.



Newt

That's a nice story if you choose to believe it. That story was offered up on the NuWa owner's website back when I first began studying NuWa products and before I bought mine to justify NuWa's move to the cheaper Lippert junk but the truth is that NuWa was trying to improve profitability competing against the cheaper and cheaply made Elkhart trailers. If NuWa had ordered the frames from Young's, I believe Young's could and would have geared up and produced them.

The NuWa owner's forum participants also offered the excuse that Lippert frames were built to NuWa's specs. Duhhh, of course they were built to NuWa's specs. NuWa provided the measurements and told Lippert where fittings and attachment points should be.

Have you ever inspected bare Lippert frames and bare Young's frames to compare them? I have. The differences are obvious.

What bust and reorganization? NuWa simply shut down stopping production for a few months, downsized drastically, and began production again with a revised business model.

Have you ever been to Chanute and visited the factory, service department, talked to the sales managers and employees in various areas? I have. Numerous times.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I am thinking about buying a 5 yr old used HH II LS. I think it has super lube hubs by Tiedown Engineering. Any thoughts/advice on making this purchase or issues with the Super Lube hubs?

Here's the link to Super Lube Hubs: Hubs Kits



You can come to your own conlcusion...



I have owned two HHIIs in the past and towed them thousands of miles without a problem. BTW, they had Young's Welding frames and the old fashioned "you pack'em" wheel bearings.



Bill

 

[Grizzly]

RVCG does not say anything about frames on any Hitchhiker, but the 07 HH II LS 32. 5 FKSBG is rated 4 stars and is rated for Snowbirding use.



JD Gallant of RVCG has this to say about HH:



Let's face it, the management at Nu-Wa deserves a lot of credit for building a fifth wheel that has consistently been a good value. The main reason it has maintained this reputation is that they've paid attention to detail during the construction process. They'll change when necessary -- such as when the public told them they wanted aluminum framing -- but they work hard at getting the design, materials, and workmanship just right. They use an excellent vacuum-bonding process that laminates a very strong blue foam between the skin and the interior paneling. (Yeah, believe me, there is a big difference in foam quality. Blue is the best!) Because they use this foam, they can get by with perimeter framing, thus keepng the insides warmer or cooler -- as you desire. Although I've found a few flaws when doing my roof inspections, the rubber roofs were laid down better than average. I've picked them apart for suspension deficiencies, but these were never enough to stop me from giving Nu-Wa a good grade. The construction features in the past have been very good, but have never received my 'excellent' rating. However, if the new construction process holds together as I think it will, who knows what the new way will bring to Nu-Wa.

 

[Newt]

Have you ever been to Chanute and visited the factory, service department, talked to the sales managers and employees in various areas? I have. Numerous times.

Yep Harvey, I was there last July. Talked to Ed, Darrell, Rick and the ladies in parts.



Newt

 

[HBarlow]

Maybe you mean Daryl Dennis?

 

[THoltz]

Here is a copy/paste of an e-mail from folks at Hitchhiker regarding frames. I am providing this info in case any one is interested in used HH's. It provides info using the first three characters of the HH vin (1NW or 1C9). I deleted the name of the individual, but I did not change any of his info.



quote"

Tom,

The Hitchhiker models built in the Hitchhiker plant (units with VIN's starting with 1NW) used Lippert frames on select models from 2007 until 2009. The best way to tell the difference between a Lippert and a Young's frame is to look for the Young's Welding label attached on the area where the pin box is attached to the frame. During 2007 through 2009 both brands of frames were painted black. A white pained frame on an older model would be a Youngs.





The Hitchhiker II models built at the Custom Covers plant (VIN's starting with 1C9) used Lippert frames exclusive from 2004 through 2008. On a Hitchhiker II model, if the frame is white it's a Youngs, if the frame is black then it's a Lippert.

 

[Newt]

In reply to your informed source above, My 04 Snowbird LS (same as a HH II LS) has a Youngs frame.

Newt

 

[HBarlow]

Here is a copy/paste of an e-mail from folks at Hitchhiker regarding frames. I am providing this info in case any one is interested in used HH's. It provides info using the first three characters of the HH vin (1NW or 1C9). I deleted the name of the individual, but I did not change any of his info.

quote"
Tom,
The Hitchhiker models built in the Hitchhiker plant (units with VIN's starting with 1NW) used Lippert frames on select models from 2007 until 2009. The best way to tell the difference between a Lippert and a Young's frame is to look for the Young's Welding label attached on the area where the pin box is attached to the frame. During 2007 through 2009 both brands of frames were painted black. A white pained frame on an older model would be a Youngs.


The Hitchhiker II models built at the Custom Covers plant (VIN's starting with 1C9) used Lippert frames exclusive from 2004 through 2008. On a Hitchhiker II model, if the frame is white it's a Youngs, if the frame is black then it's a Lippert.

I don't know who your source was but I think some of that information is confused. It does not match with things I know and have observed with my own eyes.

 

[THoltz]

It very well could be confused, but that was the reply to an e-mail to NuWa inquiring about Lippert and Youngs frames.