High Lift Axle

[Daniel W]

We are researching the Casita travel trailers to possibly purchase.

Please let me know what the high lift axle option is and what the benefits are.

Thanks.

[Steve L.]

The high lift option raises the trailer about 3". I wish I had the option on my Casita. It gives you more clearance at the hitch entering/leaving uneven sites and it puts the grey water exit higher to make draining into a grey water tote easier.

I sometimes scrape the bottom of the jack post entering a campsite. On one occasion I scraped a hole in the rubber J trap under the shower. Not a particular hassle to replace but slightly embarrassing when I exited the trailer and saw the stream flowing away from the trailer. That was an extremely tilted site. Never been on a site that bad since.

Most grey water totes are thick (tall?) enough that even laying flat it's an uphill trip from the end of the drain outlet into the tote. On longer stays (5-7 days) I sometimes want to do an intermediate drain of shower and dish water. I can drain into a dishpan and then transfer to the tote but it's another step. If I'm lucky, the site is slightly elevated and I can locate the tote lower off to the side. Or I use a pump I've modified for this application.

[Dave Fish]

We got the high lift axle because we live on an island. I was concerned about scraping when boarding or departing at low tide. Never has happened yet, so I guess it worked.

We needed a hitch insert with about a 9" rise to tow level with our Ridgeline. It is the kind you often see dropped behind a 4WD with big tires but it is turned over. Your needs might be different than ours depending on your TV.

We also have a 2" receiver with a bike rack on the back. The high lift axle helps to provide clearance for the longer tail as well.

Dave

[Alf S.]

Hi: Daniel W... We have the high lift axle on "Our Escape Hatch" and it allows us to fit a full size 2002 GMC pickup under the trailer. The Escape 5.0 was designed to be towed by Ford Ranger/Mazda, GM Colorado/Canyon size trucks.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Ray N]

The high lift would probably be handy if you do much boondocking. I used to wonder how much the extra height adds to wind resistance and if it decreases stability much - I've since decided that these are probably non-issues since many people have the high lift and I've never heard of it causing significant problems along those lines.

[Daniel W]

Thanks for the informative replies everyone!

[Chris Z]

I think you need the hi-lift if you want the 15" tires too.