Attaching things to the roof (or back!) of a Hawk

[CamperSam]

I pick up my Hawk this week and then immediately depart on a 7-day trip to Oregon. We have an infant and I was wondering about attaching her stroller to either the roof or rear of the camper - since we don't anticipate using it much (but probably just enough to warrant bringing it).

The Hawk has the factory Yakima tracks installed. What are peoples experiences with

1. Putting eyebolts (or tie down attachment points) directly into the yakima tracks? Then using these to lash things to the roof (like a stroller)
2. Attaching a cargo roof basket directly to the yakima tracks - so it's flush. I don't like the idea of installing crossbars and then installing a cargo basket on top of these.
3. Attaching things to the rear of the camper. I assume there's a place that would be good to install eye bolts of other lashing points? (We don't have the roof steps installed)

Thanks in advance!

 

[larryqp]

I have used the yakima "A" nuts in the yakima roof rails to attached my solar panels as well as tie downs to attach such this as a screen house and pop up bathroom tent. Works great. I believe I purchased the "A" nuts from eTrailer.com, the two hole tie downs were purchased from my local hardware store. They have 2 mounting holes and a triangle. I have four of these mounts, two on each rail towards the back of the Hawk's roof, so I can stand on my rear step and tie or untie stuff.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Sam, I suspect you can bolt components like a basket directly to your tracks, You’ll need to find bolts that fit the track nuts. I’ve used both Yakima and Thule track nuts, and prefer the Thule, since you don’t have to remove the end caps to insert the nuts into the tracks. Either will do the job.

I believe some people have use modified carriage bolts that are placed heads down/threads up in the tracks, but I don’t have any feedback on them.

For simplicity, you might consider traveling with the stroller in the camper, and moving it to the cab at night.

 

[CougarCouple]

Hi Camper Sam
Congratulations on y’all’s Hawk, and have a great trip.
If you do come up with something to attach to the Yakima tracks, use caution with the horizontal force placed on the tracks, associated with straps or rope. Supporting a load seems like vertical forces to me.
Tossing it in and out might be a pain but might be the easiest short time solution.

Russ

 

[Ronin]

Congratulations on your new Hawk!! I've attached a pic of my ATC Panther during the build to give you a visual of how your FWC may look like under the skin. Be very careful about drilling holes into the interior/exterior walls. There are very few places where you can attach load bearing add-ons, plus you don't want to drill into any of the wiring. Each side of my rear frame was built to hold an ATC can holder and Rotopak, so all frames may not be exactly alike. Maybe the factory can provide you with some guidance on where it's safe to add things like lashing points or steps.


Happy Wandering!!

 

[makalutoo]

I like the idea of installing a basket directly to the tracks. I would be leary of using the tracks as a connection point to lash items directly to the roof. The roof skin is pretty thin and would easily dent. I would use something like style this if I was looking for a low profile rack. You could also make a rack out of 80/20 strut angle.

https://www.autoanything.com/roof-racks/77A9009A6930381.aspx?kc=GOOGADW&DZID=PLA_g_1776970275_69104286396_9009-6930381_c&utm_source=g&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1776970275&utm_content=69104286396&utm_product=9009-6930381&gclid=CjwKCAjwps75BRAcEiwAEiACMazrjOZLnxE6RCMJnThm4xq6ExpWSOpIPMryLcuXvJD-QZGbik9pIRoCcHIQAvD_BwE

 

[six5]

I'd be very careful about not having a metal part of the stroller touching the roof, the vibration could rub a hole in your roof.

 

[Beach]

Mounting to the rear is ok for certain items but I wouldn't put a stroller there unless you have a travel bag/cover for it. First time you drive down a dirt road during a rain event you'll have it caked with mud. I had mine bikes so covered you couldn't tell what color they were. Even on paved roads, you will get lots of road grime.