Getting a Hawk home

[Oilbrnr]

Stopped briefly in Goldfield, NV. Otherwise it was pretty much just windshield time. Left Phx. Friday for the Bay area eagling in the morning, was back home Sunday night with a brief detour though Flagstaff.

Truck tires barely fit though the jacks, but otherwise it was pretty easy. Used the ratchet straps in a X pattern to secure. It didn't move, but it is sitting on a Bedrug FWIW.

 

[Cayuse]

Looks good! Now comes the fun part!

 

[Oilbrnr]

Well, I now know I want to return to NV. Lots of interesting areas worth exploring once it cools down some! Though, since we're used to it, the nights now really aren't all that bad in remote desert areas.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Stopped briefly in Goldfield, NV. Otherwise it was pretty much just windshield time. Left Phx. Friday for the Bay area eagling in the morning, was back home Sunday night with a brief detour though Flagstaff.

Truck tires barely fit though the jacks, but otherwise it was pretty easy. Used the ratchet straps in a X pattern to secure. It didn't move, but it is sitting on a Bedrug FWIW.

Looking good.
If you have a problem with the tiers too snug on the jacks you can get "jack bracket" extenders.
Some of the narrower campers on full size trucks need them.
Enjoy the camper.
Frank

 

[Bwht4x4]

I just bought a 2018 Ram 2500 and ended up also getting the jack extension brackets. It was only clearing my stock fender flares by what seemed like millimeters.

 

[trailerpup]

Looking good @Oilbrnr!

Yeah, I had to get the jack extensions, too. Steven in Boseman was nice enough to provide me a couple of them. Seems like it may be cheaper to do those DIY.

I would like to know more about your issues with the Expo1 bumper. Not able to fix/adjust the latches in the field? I heard they were incorporating gate stops into the newer bumpers. Want to see how you make out with having the swing outs modified. May have to do that myself. I did as much research I could prior to ordering... there are not a lot of options for swing gate bumpers for the 2500. Now that you have the FWC on how far back do you think the swing gates need to be? Thanks.

Enjoy!

 

[Oilbrnr]

I *think* I've got some flat stock that I can make some extensions. One site had them at $119! (I didn't look for very long at any rate, maybe there are some cheaper out there)

The primary problem with the Expo1 is with the latch-hook release handle design. Maybe they've revised since mine. I just kept getting the run-around on a remedy to the problem. "This needs to be looked at by Engineering." Oh, you mean the guy two cubes away... Or, "we'll get back to you." On and on.

They tend to jam up after any distance on washboard and dust. Not easy to relase from the backside either in that situation.

As to what I'm going to do for the FWC? Well, I think it is going to be a combo of moving the whole mount back *maybe* 1/2" (any more it will start to loose the aesthetic lines of the bottom of the bed and decrease departure angles) and then modifying the arms. They'll need to be cut at the bearing hub, extended out 2+" and then the latches will need to be cut and 'tunneled' back in that same amount to mate with the bumper side latch pads.

I'm somewhat concerned that arms in modifying them, will suffer some rigidity. You throw my 35" or possibly 37" tire on, or 120# of fuel or water, they may flop a bit or oscillate especially on highway expansion joints. This causes a bucking that you feel in the truck. Though this happens with any swing out design that I've had on now three different trucks.

Again, I'm going to take it to a custom fab shop here in Phoenix that makes some nice stuff, and see what their suggestions are. Heck, they may offer a complete design that I like better and I'll just take it in the shorts and sell this one.

@trailerpup, are you putting yours on a RAM?

 

[trailerpup]

Yes. Going on a 2018 Power Wagon. But, I won't run the swing outs with the Hawk. I read those threads on expoport and pwr. If I had a do-over I would've tried the Buckstop first. Not sure if Expo1 is doing anything to get their house in order. Couldn't bring myself to do the Aluminess. Slim pickens. Wish FWC could match the length of the bed that the camper is going in. But, I'm sure that would not be a feasible business model. Please, post on the internets how it goes.

Thanks.

 

[Oilbrnr]

FWC's fit a lot of trucks - poorly. At the rear, that extra 4" is a pain. And the gap between the cab and the front wall is wasted real estate.

Do you carry extra fuel?

I'm really kinda vacillating on what to do. I need at least 10 gallons extra. I know AT offers a kit to mount a carrier on the jack brackets. Haven't seen one in person yet to judge how robust that approach is. Raises the CG. Could run a tighter rear bumper and not deal with the swing-out hassle.

Limits me to 35", which is not the end of the world. Yet.

 

[Cayuse]

FWC's fit a lot of trucks - poorly. At the rear, that extra 4" is a pain. And the gap between the cab and the front wall is wasted real estate.

Do you carry extra fuel?

I'm really kinda vacillating on what to do. I need at least 10 gallons extra. I know AT offers a kit to mount a carrier on the jack brackets. Haven't seen one in person yet to judge how robust that approach is. Raises the CG. Could run a tighter rear bumper and not deal with the swing-out hassle.

Limits me to 35", which is not the end of the world. Yet.

I carry 5 gallons on one of the AT brackets. Has worked well for me. If you want to see it let me know and we can figure a time to meet.

 

[Oilbrnr]

Is it only bolted to the jack bracket, or does the holder also tie to the camper at the tapered end?

 

[Cayuse]

Is it only bolted to the jack bracket, or does the holder also tie to the camper at the tapered end?

It is supported from underneath as well by a piece of stock that is bolted through the camper "wings".

 

[trailerpup]

I think the first Hawk was made for a Ford and they called it good. On the Fords they all seem to fit flush to the truck in the rear... 6' 8" bed?

I bought one of the AT can brackets, I got the LP bracket, too. The LP bracket is pretty nice. The can bracket came with lots of major scrapes from the brake they used. The edges in some places were razor sharp. It was kind of hideous at first sight. I had a friend powder coat them both. And, they look great now.

I ordered the mount kit for the can bracket and sent it back. In my opinion it is way overpriced. It is just a couple pieces of aluminum stock and some fasteners.

My first thought, when I went over my Hawk, was that the batteries needed to be moved to the floor below the front window (in cabinet/bench) which would also allow for more enclosed storage. In the end, my purchase of the AT brackets kind of defeats the idea of keeping the weight low. The may end up on one of the swing outs on the bumper.

Speaking of the front window, they really need a slider option. From what I gather, when they did offer them, they had problems with them leaking. So, I guess the solution was to just not offer them any more?

As you said, the front, between the camper and truck, is wasted space, But, with a slide in camper I found there is a lot of that.

 

[Bwht4x4]

My 2013 Hawk has been on both my 2005 Dodge 2500 and now my 2018 Ram 2500 and on both trucks it is about 2-3 inches too long. I have a Wilco Tiregate and have trouble using it with my Ram/Hawk combo. I'm thinking of grinding the front bumpers around 3/4" to see if that will give me just enough clearance. My worry is the backside of where the tire mounts to the tiregate hitting the rear door of my Hawk and crushing/breaking it.

 

[So Cal Adventurer]

Hope you eventually get your EP1. If they told you 8 weeks, double that figure. It is a nice bumper, but the latches are VERY problematic. Especially when you're in BFE and they won't open. Kinda makes getting in the back of your bed/FWC a, um, challenge. And, there is no welded hard stop to prevent them from swinging all the way open either. The flag latch pin will not self center themselves, so make sure they are ready to drop into the stop holes. Oh, and if you have park sensors. They won't work anymore. Forget about any after sale support too.

Yeah, the EP1 swingout bumper has become the proverbial dead horse that keeps getting beat in the Tundra groups due to the rage its bringing many owners with the issues of the latches.

2 folks i know personally went back and forth with EP1 for almost a year and eventually both sold their bumpers for a loss and went custom. Hopefully you have better luck.

Great looking truck/camper!

 

[Mayday]

Hey quick ? From a fellow Chevy owner. I’m picking up a used Hawk and was told by a dealer at 10/40 that I would potentially need to build a platform with 2x4’s to accommodate the Chevy bend at the end of the bed. Did you run into this scenario?

Cheers

I guess, like other folks have said, the stock tie downs will work. When I was looking at used I thought I could do the same, but I was just looking local, no more than an hour or two away.

I have the same bumper on order. I've attached a couple pictures of someone (sorry for not having the info to thank the person for posting the pictures on the internet) who extended the bumper mounts. You can see the gap the extensions provide to clear the camper.

I was just reading that Aluminess has mounting bracket extensions for FWC fitment. Not sure Expo 1 has anything of sort.

Camper shell set up looks cool. What didn't you like about the camper shell set up?

Thanks.

 

[Mayday]

Not to hijack the thread but this video from four wheel camper shows the hawk protruding a little past the tailgate (not flush) with the end of the bed. Do you guys think this is to accommodate the "Chevy Notch"of the truck bed? Apparently Chevy is the only truck that has a rounded edge near the gate of the bed. Will a platform or 2x4's be needed? Or is this how it sits on the bed of other truck models? Hopefully this makes sense. Thanks!

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I don’t believe so. I think it’s just additional length. If the Chevy notch requirement is like that of the old Ranger notch, it’s because of a rounded area on or near the tailgate that causes the 90° joint of the camper floor pack to not fit. If your camper doesn’t have the “notch” the best way is to raise it. On the Ranger, some folks have pounded the rounded area down, but I don’t believe you can do that on the Chevy.

 

[Oilbrnr]

I think they stick out because FWC designed them to fit a Ford or Chevy bed 20+ years ago that was longer than what is the current norm for full size shortbeds today. And for whatever reason, they seem to not really care to address it.

For those of us that have the need for heavy duty rear bumpers that provide rock crawling protection while also carrying fuel/water, spare tires or other gear on swing outs attached to the bumper, causes major issues.

I can't address the Chevy question.

 

[Zoomad]

Not sure how I missed your thread Don! I'm totally digging the look of the FWC on the Waggy. I admit it would be nicer if the gate still fit, but still "if it fits, it sits".

I think you'll adapt to the use of the camper over the topper. Not having to unload to sleep and reload when you are done is the ticket. I'm down to the point that I pull out my chairs and Pelican box with my cooking gear, pop the top up and I'm ready. Reverse the order and I'm on the road.

It took me a few variations on my loading to get to the point where I'm at for sure. One of the big changes was getting the ARB fridge from Richard. Not having to pull a cooler out of the way simplified what I bring along.

Interested to see what the fab shop down there comes up with for the bumpers.