johnmack
st. louis,mo
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Joined: 06/18/2008
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I wouod appreciate any info concerning Hi Lo's. We are thinking of buying and are curious about the good and the bad of a Hi Lo. ANy info is appreciated.
Thank you
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jbh1993
Tennessee
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Joined: 02/10/2006
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Be sure to also check trailmanors, same concept but much lighter...
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agesilaus
North Florida
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Joined: 05/06/2008
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We have a Trail Manor and are really enjoying it. The TM forum is very active and you can get plenty of info there:
TM forum
We also thought about Hilos and there is a very active Hilo group on Yahoo groups. Join that and ask there. There is a Yahoo TM group but it is generally inactive.
BK
04 Trail Manor 2619
08 Ford F150 5.4L TV
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10tca01
Columbia Missouri
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Joined: 02/25/2008
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Our friends have a Trail Manor, they love it. The smallest hi-lo was featured in this months trailer life mag. It seems pretty good also.
Tyler
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kknowlton
Wisconsin Border Country, IL
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Joined: 05/27/2005
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HiLos have a good reputation, generally speaking, for being solidly built. They tend to be a bit heavy for their length, and setup is probably comparable to a popup in terms of time (perhaps somewhat less). HiLo owners tend to be loyal to them, and it's hard to find used ones in good condition (well, our dealer told us that, and he does sell HiLos.  ) We like the hydraulic lift system, but dislike the relative lack of space in them for their size & weight. Also, you can't just step into one and use it for potty break or fixing/eating lunch at a rest stop, like you can a regular trailer or 5er; you'd have to set it up first.
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meriflower1985
Twin Cities, MN
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Joined: 10/28/2005
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I think kknowlton is confusing a Hi-Lo with a TrailManor. TrailManors take more setup and time. Hi-Lo sets up in 12 seconds and there is no further setup inside so yes, you can and we do all the time stop for potty breaks and/or eating lunch at a rest stop - it's just takes an additional 12 SECONDS compared to a regular TT or 5er.
What we like: the low profile towing (easy tow and we get better mileage towing our Hi-Lo compared to our past full size TT), ease of setup/takedown (push of a button), reliability (on 2nd year and have had zero problems), sturdy and well made RV.
What we don't: we have a 22T and dinette is a little small to fully sit 4 people. Being the top lowers down, the fridge has to sit on the floor so you always have to bend over to get food in/out. I think if I had to do it again I would have gone with the 24T which has a big dinette plus it has the tip-out (slide-out).
We really like our Hi-Lo and recommend them to anyone who is interested in a hard-sided fold-down.
TrailManor was mentioned and we looked at those too before purchasing and IMO there is NO comparison.
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kknowlton
Wisconsin Border Country, IL
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No, I'm not confusing the two. Our dealer sells HiLos, and we saw one before the inside was set up for camping. There is setup involved. Maybe not with your model, but there is with this one (a large one) - interior walls & such.
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jbh1993
Tennessee
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Trailmanors are fast to put up basically just 2 pulls and sliding out each in.. Be sure to take a look go to trailmanor.com and watch the video. We are so glad we purchased it ,my uncle has had a hilo and looked at ours and was amazed at how much more room it has. trailmanor is made from the same materials they put in coolers so it makes it much lighter.
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agesilaus
North Florida
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I don't think we want to get into a mine is better than yours contest, we looked at both and liked both. Both have strong owner groups. The Hilo doesn't have a serious unit until you get to the 27 foot model, by serious I mean one where you don't sleep on the sofa or table every night. The 27 has one bed. And it weighs 5000 pounds and up.
The TM small model, the 2619 has two queen size beds and weighs about 3500 pounds. It takes maybe 5 minutes to set up, inside and out. Not counting leveling time.
If you have a marginal TV then the TM can make your life a lot easier, even medium SUVs can easily pull a TM. The low profile that both types have makes towing easier. The TM is made of aircraft grade aluminum plate with foam in the middle of the sandwich. No fiberglass chalking and gel coat problems. And they have very good insulation because of the foam. I think the TM has more window space too.
But anyone should look at both and get the dealer to let you put a TM up and down. It is amazing how easy it is, and there is no comparison to a popup (we have had 3 popups). Both are good and both have points in their favor. Both are expensive and finding used models is hit and miss.
BK
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gcandcc
Upstate NY
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Joined: 03/28/2005
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I considered both the HiLo and the Trailmanor before buying the Hemlock. I'd liked the concept. I was leaning toward the Trailmanor and if it had slideout capabilities I would have gone for it. The HiLo had a slideout in some models but was heavier.
I ended up with the Hemlock because of the roominess with the slide and the relative lightness.
Cynthia & Gary
Jeffrey 25
Angel 14
Aaron 6
99 Explorer EB
98 Expedition EB
93 Palomino Filly
04 Fleetwood Hemlock
http://community.webshots.com/user/cynthiacook777
34 Nights camping in 2008
37 Nights camping in 2007
26 Nights camping in 2006
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