F250 cab clearance with Hawk

[photohc]

Had my 2013 Hawk on a 2013 F150 and just got my new 2018 F250. What I thought would be a 5" clearance from the top of the truck cab to the bottom of Hawk overhang is actually 2" with this new truck. FWC is saying, I should really have a 3"-6" clearance to be safe. I wonder if anyone has had this 2" clearance issue and what did you do.
Suggestion was to add a thick rubber mat or install 1x3 slats to the bottom. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Harv

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

Are you planning some serious off road adventures?
. Do you know if the new trucks flex more than the older models

 

[photohc]

Are you planning some serious off road adventures?
. Do you know if the new trucks flex more than the older models

Most I've done is going down Canyonlands White Rim trail. No major rock climbing. These new (2017+) Super Duties are suppose to have a stiffer closed box frame.

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

Your idea of a 1" rubber mat would put you at the mfg recommended minimum, I would think 3" is would plenty.
I have an Eagle on a 150 with about an 1" gap and have not had an issue. Doesn't seem like my truck flexes very much.

 

[esimmers]

A heavy rubber mat not only gives you a bit more clearance but it makes the floor warmer, too. That's what I did. Three inches of clearance is plenty; two inches is OK if you don't off-road and twist the bed sideways.

 

[kmcintyre]

I guess I would ask, why risk it even if you don't plan on 'off-roading'? Put a few 2x4 spacers under the camper and call it good. Never worry about it again. Or you could put a few piece of 1" strips of plywood underneath too (save some weight). ATC did that to mine at one point to clear the water drain (on my Eagle w/ a Dakota; old set up).

 

[rtpvibes]

I had my hawk on tundra 2 on roof and 1/2 on truck sides . No issues now if your off roading then may need it

 

[klahanie]

Harv, 2" would be my target clearance if I was spec'ing out a flatdeck or camper and choose the number. I'm surprised FWC states 3-6", seems like they are expecting a lot of slop in their construction - not something I have experienced with our old Granby. Mind you our camper overhang is 30" and yours might be more which I expect would make a difference.

I don't think your new truck itself will need that much - it won't have anywhere near the frame and box flex my old '91 F250 had and there was only ~2" cab clearance with that set up.

I do like a rubber mat underneath and also some method of addressing drainage.

This all assumes you are measuring from the highest point of the cab, all areas sloping down from there and therefore adding to the amount of clearance.

 

[longhorn1]

The height difference recommended by FWC back in 2014 was a minimum of 2". Something isn't right about 3"-6"!!

 

[Durango1]

In my new Grandby Flatbed/Ram 3500 Chassis Cab I'm (impatiently) waiting on the cabover clearance should be around 2 5/8". I'd prefer getting it down around 1 1/2". New trucks just don't flex.

Steve

 

[photohc]

The height difference recommended by FWC back in 2014 was a minimum of 2". Something isn't right about 3"-6"!!

I'm not sure if I spoke to someone who was qualified (he sounded confident in answering). They picked the phone and said he would try and answer my questions. Probably need to make another call and double check.

 

[Timothy McGowen]

Although I have a 2016 F150 the camper was made for this truck. I got curious and went out and measured. I have 3 1/2" clearance.

 

[tomcoul]

Had my 2013 Hawk on a 2013 F150 and just got my new 2018 F250. What I thought would be a 5" clearance from the top of the truck cab to the bottom of Hawk overhang is actually 2" with this new truck. FWC is saying, I should really have a 3"-6" clearance to be safe. I wonder if anyone has had this 2" clearance issue and what did you do.
Suggestion was to add a thick rubber mat or install 1x3 slats to the bottom. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Harv

Harv,
I'm also considering purchasing a new Ford F250 (w/ 6.5' bed) and a FWC Hawk camper. But, I need to be able to open the camper door just enough to slip inside to take a quick nap while traveling with my motorcycle mounted on a receiver mounted carrier.

Could you please measure the distance from the back of your camper to the front of your trucks trailer hitch opening? This will help me determine if it's possible to enter the camper with my motorcycle in place.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[TemeculaTim]

Harv,
I'm also considering purchasing a new Ford F250 (w/ 6.5' bed) and a FWC Hawk camper. But, I need to be able to open the camper door just enough to slip inside to take a quick nap while traveling with my motorcycle mounted on a receiver mounted carrier.

Could you please measure the distance from the back of your camper to the front of your trucks trailer hitch opening? This will help me determine if it's possible to enter the camper with my motorcycle in place.

Thanks,
Tom



I made a custom hauler to allow entry with a bike on the back and have a place for fuel cans- the commercial joe-hauler type racks are not far enough back-. It makes it easy to get in the back on my way to my favorite riding areas. With the bike loaded - I can just open the door wide enough to crawl in- If I need to I just loosen up the inside tie-down a bit and let the bike lean back away from the truck .


I also added mount points to the end of my bumpers to cut down on side to side movement when off-roading.



This one has served me well in the last 8 years. But hauling around a much lighter bike these days ( CRF450) and have been planning to build an aluminum one to cut down on weight. just need to find the time

 

[photohc]

Harv,
I'm also considering purchasing a new Ford F250 (w/ 6.5' bed) and a FWC Hawk camper. But, I need to be able to open the camper door just enough to slip inside to take a quick nap while traveling with my motorcycle mounted on a receiver mounted carrier.

Could you please measure the distance from the back of your camper to the front of your trucks trailer hitch opening? This will help me determine if it's possible to enter the camper with my motorcycle in place.

Thanks,
Tom

I don't currently have the camper on the truck as I'm just now installing the Torklift kits. I did measure the camper and according to my tape rule, the end of the camper to the start of the hitch opening is approximately 8.5". Hope that helps. Harv

 

[tomcoul]

I don't currently have the camper on the truck as I'm just now installing the Torklift kits. I did measure the camper and according to my tape rule, the end of the camper to the start of the hitch opening is approximately 8.5". Hope that helps. Harv

Thank you, that helps me determine if I can open the camper door with the bike in place.

 

[AdventureDave]

Harv,
I'm also considering purchasing a new Ford F250 (w/ 6.5' bed) and a FWC Hawk camper. But, I need to be able to open the camper door just enough to slip inside to take a quick nap while traveling with my motorcycle mounted on a receiver mounted carrier.

Could you please measure the distance from the back of your camper to the front of your trucks trailer hitch opening? This will help me determine if it's possible to enter the camper with my motorcycle in place.

Thanks,
Tom

Hi Tom,
I have a 1999 F-250 with a 2013 Hawk. I have a 3/8-inch rubber mat under my camper and that gives me 3-inches of clearance between the top of the cab and the bottom of the camper overhang at the center (more at the edges due to the radius of the cab roof). Three inches is plenty and I go off road. I measured the distance between the back of the camper and the face of the receiver hitch - 8-1/2 inches. I also plan to mount a motorcycle on the back but I'm probably going to build a custom bumper to mount it to and that will include a pivot bearing on one side so I can rotate the whole mount with the motorcycle to pivot it out of the way of the door.
Dave