Got My Hawk Installed

[RonK]

Got my Hawk installed yesterday. It's now sitting on my truck in the driveway. It's been raining steady all day so haven't taken decent photos yet...

I'll get a proper profile photo soon, next week is the shake down trip, good opportunity for shooting on location. So far the plan is looking like Whidbey Island to the Olympic peninsula and down the Oregon coast. The return portion of the trip is up in the air.

I want to get more battery capacity quickly... I don't think the factory 75Ah is going to be enough for the Engel MT45, furnace and lights without using shore power or driving daily.

Among the options I ordered was the rear awning - I posted photos in leadsled9's thread.

Driving around town the truck hardly feels different - it certainly didn't drop the rear end any visible amount. I can feel a bit of difference on bumps and stopping, but the exhaust brake helps a lot with stopping as long as I plan ahead.

Ron


Rainy Picture of Hawk on My Truck...

 

[orion]

Ron, what's the finished weight of your hawk? There should be room for a second battery in the battery box if you wanted to wire in another in parallel to double your ah
I'm planning on bringing my Honda eu2000 along on trips , I thought about solar but I tend to hit up the coastline and north is better in my opinion, so I don't always get reliable sun.

 

[RonK]

The rear info sticker says 740lbs. - but I think that's a generic number. I'm going to fill the truck tomorrow and take it to the commercial scale. I don't have my Engel installed yet, and no water or propane on board either. I've weighed the truck and occupants before, so I'll have a pretty good number for the camper soon. I'll update as I get the camper outfitted.

And yes, there's room in the battery area - it's a rectangle about 14.5 by 16.5 inches by 10 inches tall (with the thin divider lid removed there's another couple inches) - I've been crawling around the camper with a tape measure. Pretty soon I'll have the entire camper broken down into measurements.

I've been out today, looking for decent batteries here in Langley, but the RV shop guy was useless to put it politely (all he could do was tell me how he doesn't like AGM batteries etc.) and the local Sears was devoid of informed staff so I'm going to have to research online to find what I'm looking for... or think I'm looking for.

I don't think I'll be able to find a "pair" for the factory Interstate battery - so I'm thinking I'll have to get two new batteries. I'd like to get above 200Ah if I can. Part of the fun is researching, learning and figuring out what will work. Or I'll just have to get a generator right away... I've been looking at the Honda EU2000i already.

What did you order? You said you get it next week or so?

Ron

 

[Ramblinman]

Ron K,

I am living vicariously through you so keep the posts coming!

Questions:

Did you get your camper from FWC Canada? If so how was your experience dealing with him?

Is there anything you would have done different?

I would be interested to know if the batteries were installed from the factory or not and why you do not think they will be appropriate?

Also. if anyone has any experience with Solar, how sunny does it have to be to get a charge? I too will be using my camper in Western Canada. Can anyone give me and idea how much sun has to contact the panel for it to be effective?I am hoping to run a compressor fridge and the other standard equipment with the standard panel and two batteries offered by FWC.

 

[highz]

Congrats RonK. Happy trails!

 

[RonK]

highz - Thanks! I'm hoping to get out on the road next week.

Ramblinman - I did order the camper from Gary at FWC Canada. I spoke with Stan and asked about ordering from FWC direct - I wanted to go get the camper from the factory, make a trip out of it etc. However, Stan said I had to deal with Gary since they have a 'non-competition' agreement with him, and he's the Canadian dealer. I wonder how that works for someone like yourself in another Province.

Dealing with Gary in person was pleasant and easy, he was very generous with his time when I went to see his display models (I think it was three visits in total). The install work he did appears to be good - I haven't had the camper off the truck yet, so I can't speak to the quality of the eye bolt mounts or the electrical plug-in - but I'm thinking it's all good.

That said, I did have some frustrations over emailing with Gary - I'm not sure if he was always clear on who I was, what stage of ordering I was at, or what information we had already discussed in person. I'm not doing laundry in public here, I let Gary know what my concerns were - and eventually all the details were clear for everyone involved and the camper showed up as ordered. I prefer to speak in person or on the phone, rather than emailing - however, it is handy for keeping a record of what information was exchanged and when. But, a lack of clarity can lead to all sorts of misunderstandings - so my advice on that is: keep asking questions or clarifying the details until you are satisfied things are as they should be.

What would I do different? It's a little too early to say much about that... except I should have asked if FWC could install two batteries with higher Ah ratings. The 'auxiliary battery' option (which I did order) only comes with one battery (Interstate AGM 75Ah) and I didn't read anywhere or receive any information that would have led me to believe two batteries were available from the factory (I thought Gary told me once last year that you could only get one battery and the US battery isn't warrantied up here). But then again, FWC does offer certain things if you ask for them - but what those things are... you won't know until you ask them specifically.

I have an Engel MT45 that's going into the camper - a portable 12V compressor fridge/freezer - which will be my heaviest and constant draw on the battery. A non-issue if I've got access to shore power - but my goal is to camp where there is nothing or no one else around... so I'm going to need capacity or regeneration.

I've read a whole lot of the threads on WTW about solar, and I really like the idea of getting a 125W panel and relying on that - but I don't know if there will be enough sun (outside of summer) to provide the recharge I'll need (rainy west coast weather for 8-9 months of the year). The other option is a generator (i.e. Honda EU1000 or EU2000), but then I have to deal with extra storage space for the generator and fuel - and I don't know if it will provide enough charging to stay on location for however long I want (I would like water to be my limiter, not battery capacity).

Ron

 

[pods8]

What truck do you have it on?

On the battery front for this trip, how long are you planning to stay at any place? I'd bed you can get at least 2 days while staying above 50% on the battery, probably longer since the temps aren't that hot right now.

Is the 75ah battery brand new? If it is and you want to match the model (which you should do) there is an interstate battery dealer right by me here in Everett, WA (which I'm assuming you'll be coming past to get over to the Olympic Peninsula) I could check in with. FWC still using the DCM0075 model?

If you're looking for new batteries outright a couple 6V deep cycles in series aren't a bad option. AGMs would probably run you ~$500 for the pair though (assuming no sales or closeouts) which is steep. $160 for a pair of wet cell golf carts but you'd need to vent and maintain them.

 

[Ramblinman]

Thanks Ron,

Great info. I am corresponding with Gary now and will be ordering a unit similar to yours. The more info the better from my perspective. Keep us updated on your impressions.

 

[orion]

Hey Ron- yeah I get my camper either next week or the week after. I got a Hawk w/ furnace, Waeco compressor fridge, dual AGM batteries, solar plug, rollover couch, hot water w/DSI, flood lights, screen door.
I originally wanted to go with 2x T-105 6v batteries, which would give me over 200ah wired in series, but I would need to vent the battery box, plus I deal with the possibility of spilling when going off road. I just said heck with it and stuck with the AGM batteries. If it weren't me living so close to Woodland, and going to the factory a lot, I probably wouldn't have known about many of the options being offered, such as the Waeco fridge and dual batteries. There seems to be a bit of a disconnect between the sales unit and the production building team, not to mention the FWC website doesn't have a current options listing. I'm super happy with how everything's going nonetheless, tho I still feel like there are some options I'm not quite aware of.

I have a Honda EU2000i which I absolutely love, and used it with a trailer I used to own. That generator sips fuel and being out remote, it doesn't matter if I run it a couple hours now and then to charge the batteries when needed.

 

[Walldiver]

I was'nt aware that FWC offered a compressor Fridge/Freezer. I went with the 3.0 3 Way, which I am regretting now. Mine is pretty sensitive to being level. What size is it and what was the cost, KeithJ ?

Ronk, I went with 2 100 amp Lifeline AGM GPL-27T. Yes, they were expensive. I got lucky and got them reduced to $220 each. I had the aux batt option too, Stan let me have it less the factory battery ( I, like you felt I would need at least 200 amps do to the fact I camp where there is no shore power.)They are heavy 62 Lbs each, but are lighter then the Sears Diehards with equivalent amps.

Lifeline has 2 dealers in Vancouver. Western Marine and First Yacht Services if you are interested. I think that Lifeline is the top AGM battery on the market and worth the price. If you maintain them correctly they last twice the life of wet cell.

 

[orion]

I was'nt aware that FWC offered a compressor Fridge/Freezer. I went with the 3.0 3 Way, which I am regretting now. Mine is pretty sensitive to being level. What size is it and what was the cost, KeithJ ?

It seems that FWC is offering two compressor fridge options, the Waeco CR-80 and the Waeco CR-110. Found this out about half way through my camper build.

I originally had requested the 2.0 3-way because I understood my options were a 2 cu ft 3-way or a 3 cu ft 3-way, but when I found out about the compressor fridge offerings, I called my sales guy and requested one of those. Because of how my cabinetry was built to house a smaller fridge, they said I could do the CR-80 for a couple hundred more than the 3-way. I don't know exactly how much more I paid for the Waeco, but I believe it was like $240 more than the 2.0 3-way.

The bigger CR-110 is nice , but it's also heavier and a lot costlier. So I wasn't bummed about having to stick with the smaller Waeco, but it's not that small at all really as you can see. They said some tear out of some parts of the cabinetry and patching would have to happen to accommodate the CR-110 in my build, plus they would have had to order the CR-110 since they didn't have any in stock. Both fridges have internal lighting too.

Waeco CR-80 (CR-1080): 2.8 cu ft fridge + 4.8 quart freezer. Avg power consumption (35-40 watts)

Waeco CR-110 (CR-1110): 3.8 cu ft fridge + 8.9 quart freezer. Avg power consumption (40-45 watts)

I was told that they tested the Engel fridges out in the field and didn't like them as much for a few reasons, one of them being noise, so they settled on offering the Waeco fridges.

 

[Ramblinman]

This is what I have found out for pricing with respect to the fridge:

3-Way "Refrigerator Only" (1.9 cu.ft.) $ 700.00

3-Way Refrigerator / Freezer (3.0 cu.ft.) $ 995.00

Waeco Compressor 110 Liter Refrigerator/Freezer $ 1,390.00

Waeco Compressor 80 Liter Refrigerator/Freezer $ 1,190.00

Waeco Compressor 65 Liter Refrigerator $ 990.00

Then again it also sounds as though you need to factor in Solar and two batteries to run compressor. Big money for the compressor side of the house. WTW posters seem to think it is worth it.

If someone has the time would they mind putting a brief post regarding the different types of batteries. I know nothing in this regard.

 

[pods8]

Then again it also sounds as though you need to factor in Solar and two batteries to run compressor. Big money for the compressor side of the house. WTW posters seem to think it is worth it.


I wouldn't say the average user needs solar AND two batteries unless you expect to be boon docking somewhere for a week or more without moving. See my thread here when I ran my ARB fridge for 6 days with some water jugs in it to get an idea of power usage: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4958/ I've got ~200+ah in my battery pair and was sitting at 12.34V after 6days.

I recently ran it for a couple days loaded with ice blocks while hunting, with it set at 2F. Day temps were in the 60s and nights in the 40s, after a couple days my batteries were only down in the 12.6V range.

 

[orion]

My battery bank will be ~160ah, hoping it will be OK for the common 2-3 night trips I'll do. I might add a 3rd battery at some point if I have to, not sure where I'd put it yet. A solar panel is tempting, but don't know how often I'll get reliable sun.

 

[pods8]

My battery bank will be ~160ah, hoping it will be OK for the common 2-3 night trips I'll do. I might add a 3rd battery at some point if I have to, not sure where I'd put it yet. A solar panel is tempting, but don't know how often I'll get reliable sun.


I think you'll find you're just fine in normal weather assuming you don't have some other high amp usage. You've got a solid 80ah available to reliably use there, with another 40ah or so to dig into if you need to here and there (do it regularly and it'll shorten the battery life). Consider the last 40ah off limits otherwise you'll be doing damage to your battery, generally speaking.

 

[griz]

The solar panel is a good way to go, lite and out of the way. Myself no problem with it. Winter time, all depends on the sun and how long your out.

If you are going to add a gen. make it the 2000, to many guys wish they had the 2000 instead of the 1000, hindsite I guess.

Remember the reason we own a FWC (one of the reasons) is the liteness of it. So keep that in mind. Enjoy.

 

[leadsled9]

I have 200 ah of batteries....two Sears Diehard Platinum AGM's....135 watt solar panel.

I also own a Honda 2000 and a Honda 1000 generator. I much prefer the 1000. It is quieter...lighter...and will run all night on a tiny bit of gas. Provides all of the juice I ever need except when I run the AC. When running the AC I use the Honda 2000.

 

[orion]

I wouldn't say the average user needs solar AND two batteries unless you expect to be boon docking somewhere for a week or more without moving. See my thread here when I ran my ARB fridge for 6 days with some water jugs in it to get an idea of power usage: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4958/ I've got ~200+ah in my battery pair and was sitting at 12.34V after 6days.

I recently ran it for a couple days loaded with ice blocks while hunting, with it set at 2F. Day temps were in the 60s and nights in the 40s, after a couple days my batteries were only down in the 12.6V range.


pods8 -- how many amps does your fridge/freezer draw?

 

[pods8]

pods8 -- how many amps does your fridge/freezer draw?


I don't have an amp meter to say for sure.

Making some broad assumptions on my voltage numbers form that run test it looks like after 142hrs of running my 210ah of batteries (mind you they are 2.5yrs old now) were drawn down 30% to 12.34V so theoretically 63amps were used so on average for that block of time .44amps per hour were used. That number isn't really that useful for critical calculations based on the assumptions but what it did provide me is piece of mind that I can run my fridge on my battery bank quite easily considering most trips are 2-3days long. That is why I was saying above with a 160ah one would likely find the performance to be just fine for long weekend trips.

 

[RonK]

So the last several days have been busy getting the camper ready for the shakedown trip. It turns out that the onboard battery isn't an Interstate after all. It's an East Penn (Deka) 'Intimidator' 79Ah AGM. I call the East Penn rep here in Langley and they put me onto Napa Auto Parts as a dealer, who told me that I could get a 79Ah pair for my battery but it would be labelled with a 'Napa' decal.

Walldiver - Thanks for the tip, I used the Google machine to read about Lifeline batteries. I'll keep them on my list of contenders, they look like good quality.

After reading the various replies, I'm going to run with the single battery for now, use it as is and look into getting two new batteries later on down the road. I bought a multimeter and will be checking the battery as we use it and see how it does.

Some of the additions to the camper thus far - carpeting cut to fit the floor layout, Hypervent underneath the cabover mattress to provide ventilation to help prevent condensation, anti-slip shelf liner for the cabinet bottoms, Engel fridge installed with a Transit Slide-Lok (Engel's spelling, not mine), LED bulb for the rear amber light with silicone around the lens cover to prevent water intrusion (the RV shop said the LED bulb doesn't like water) and built my dolly to store the camper in the garage.

It's surprising how much time it takes to prep the camper with all the little things needed to get out on the road, but it's the kind of puttering I enjoy.

More to follow,

Ron