Hawk - Just about Perfect for me

[syvjeff]

Options You Cannot Live Without?

Of the options you added, what were the best?

Extended bed?

Awning?

Hot water heater?

Solar, batts or generator?

Ice box vs refer?

Other than ice box or refer? Engel or Novacool?

 

[mtnman]

Sure is a small world

Fish More,
Yep, that would have been me parked off the side of the road just below Canyon Creek CG. My son and I were hitting a couple of holes on the creek. I have been up the road to Faucherie a number of times. I've also hiked, or taken my horses to many of the higher lakes in the area.

Say, were you by chance up in that area a couple of weekends back? I was on my way home from Faucherie when I saw a 2009 Hawk on a nice looking newer Ford (F150 I believe) parked with an ATV trailer in tow, just off the Bowman road across from the road to Lonney Meadows. I stopped to take a closer look, but nobody was around to talk to. Read the manufacture date sticker and it was a really new 2009 Hawk.

 

[mtnman]

Syvjeff - My opinion

Of the options you added, what were the best?

Extended bed?

Awning?

Hot water heater?

Solar, batts or generator?

Ice box vs refer?

Other than ice box or refer? Engel or Novacool?

- The extended bed is nice, but only necessary if you are planning to sleep two people up top, from a room perspective. When my son and I camp, he takes the upper bunk and I take the fold-out sofa. My son does not need all the room up top, but we pull the extension out anyway for gear storage. I'm 6'0" tall, and the sofa bed works just fine for me. If I were much taller, it might be a bit cramped.

- Like I said in my original post, the hot water is great. I would consider it a very high priority. So much quicker to wash dishes and clean-up than having to heat water on the stove.

- I have a generator but have not taken it on any trips yet. With the florescent lights, I'm not drawing my battery down much at all. And, if I move camp every couple of days, my battery get's recharged anyway. So far no need for solar or generator. If I plan to stay in one place for 4 or 5 days, I might bring the generator.

- I think an ice box would be a royal pain. Why not just use a coleman chest if you want to mess with ice. 3 CU' refrig / freezer is the only way to go. I like ice cubes in my rum and coke in the evenings I think the brand on mine (stock) is a NorCold. So far it has worked flawlessly.

-Awning - I don't have one and so far have not needed one. It would probably be a really nice option, but I don't know that I will add one. My priority for my Hawk is being mobile. An awning is one more thing to put up and take down. I do use my awning on my 22' travel trailer a lot. But, I am setting up a more elaborate camp when I take my travel trailer camping.

 

[syvjeff]

Horse Trailer and Hawk?

Norm - Thanks for sharing all the info about the Hawk you have. I don't have a 3/4 ton like you do (2008 Toyota Crew Cab) but investigating a Hawk and would like to also haul my horse trailer (2 horse Slant load/Aluminum Exiss/CTK 20).

Have you hauled with your Hawk and horse trailer?

 

[mtnman]

Norm - Thanks for sharing all the info about the Hawk you have. I don't have a 3/4 ton like you do (2008 Toyota Crew Cab) but investigating a Hawk and would like to also haul my horse trailer (2 horse Slant load/Aluminum Exiss/CTK 20).

Have you hauled with your Hawk and horse trailer?

Jeff,
No, I've not yet taken the horses and my Hawk on the same trip. My wife and I ride almost every weekend, but we've not yet been able to break away for an over-night trip. You have great taste in horse trailers. Mine is an Exiss, CXT30, 3 horse slant. I bought it about 4 yrs ago and love it. I haul two big qtr horses and gear in it. One of the reasons for purchasing my Hawk was to give me the ability to do some horse camping. I have no doubt my rig will handle the Hawk and the trailer with ease. I hardly know either of them are there when hauling them separately, and don't anticipate much difference together.

WhichToyota do you have? A guy who works for me has a newer crew cab Tundra with the big engine and I was surprised how good of a towing machine it is. Be sure to stay under the CGVWR of your truck if you plan to carry camper and horses. I really like a 3/4 ton rig for heavy towing. If you have a "heavy 1/2 ton" with significant CGVWR, you'll likely be okay. The other factor is where you are hauling. Steep mountain hauling is a lot different than flat land hauling.

 

[syvjeff]

Horse Trailer and Hawk?

Wow Norm - I think we could share some thoughts!

I have two Quarter Horses ($hay eating monsters) that my 12 year old daughter, wife and myself ride regularly. However like yourself, we really only have weekends to play and with my set up, I'd just like some more comfort from, wind, sun, heat, cold, etc while my daughter does Gymkhanas and recently in Santa Maria, sponsor flags at a rodeo (trust me 5 straight days to and from a dusty event center). Also I'd like to just like to get away personally once in a while. Stan at FWC/Six Pac has answered many questions including AC in a Hawk too.

I switched from a 2002 F-150 crew 4X2 to a a 2008 Crew Tundra with 4X4 well over a year ago and don't regret it. There were pluses and minuses of each brand, but the increased horse power, bigger passenger back seat and off road with the horse trailer here on the central coast of CA made it worth our while to go with the modern Tundra. Your employee/co-worker probably has the same unit I do and yes I'm impressed with it's tow capability even on rough and steep roads which I've done about 6 times in the last year.

Actually your and my horse trailer are identical except you have a 3 horse and I have a two. I purchased my Exiss in 2003 and it is serving me well. I misspoke and mine is a CXT20, we thought about getting a trailer without the dressing room, but thought otherwise when the dealer said it was not much more. Now we use it for everything and storage.

I don't have a camper yet, but heavily looking at FWC, Northstar and others. The FWC is great for weight and simplicity with the aluminum frame and the Northstar has a great interior layout, but heavier with a wood frame (which worries me for long term ownership and storage, I've heard of owners finding their wood units falling off of their jacks). Of course I'm open minded to other brands, but haven't gotten that in depth yet.

Please share your thoughts Norm and I'm open minded in hearing from others too.

Jeff

 

[syvjeff]

Truck and Horse Trailer

Here's a pic of the truck and trailer out:

 

[fish more]

parked on bowman road

Yep, that was my F150, we atv alot in the area. some great fishing in a few of the lakes. Roads too rough to tow a boat in, beats the heck out of the trailer and boat, float tubes the way to go, strap it on the quad and go ! Will look for you next I,m in the area.

 

[mtnman]

Wow Norm - I think we could share some thoughts!

I have two Quarter Horses ($hay eating monsters) that my 12 year old daughter, wife and myself ride regularly. However like yourself, we really only have weekends to play and with my set up, I'd just like some more comfort from, wind, sun, heat, cold, etc while my daughter does Gymkhanas and recently in Santa Maria, sponsor flags at a rodeo (trust me 5 straight days to and from a dusty event center). Also I'd like to just like to get away personally once in a while. Stan at FWC/Six Pac has answered many questions including AC in a Hawk too.

I switched from a 2002 F-150 crew 4X2 to a a 2008 Crew Tundra with 4X4 well over a year ago and don't regret it. There were pluses and minuses of each brand, but the increased horse power, bigger passenger back seat and off road with the horse trailer here on the central coast of CA made it worth our while to go with the modern Tundra. Your employee/co-worker probably has the same unit I do and yes I'm impressed with it's tow capability even on rough and steep roads which I've done about 6 times in the last year.

Actually your and my horse trailer are identical except you have a 3 horse and I have a two. I purchased my Exiss in 2003 and it is serving me well. I misspoke and mine is a CXT20, we thought about getting a trailer without the dressing room, but thought otherwise when the dealer said it was not much more. Now we use it for everything and storage.

I don't have a camper yet, but heavily looking at FWC, Northstar and others. The FWC is great for weight and simplicity with the aluminum frame and the Northstar has a great interior layout, but heavier with a wood frame (which worries me for long term ownership and storage, I've heard of owners finding their wood units falling off of their jacks). Of course I'm open minded to other brands, but haven't gotten that in depth yet.

Please share your thoughts Norm and I'm open minded in hearing from others too.

Jeff

Jeff,
Really nice looking rig. This does appear to be the same truck as my co-worker's, and it is a really nice rig for towing. I'm sure you would do well with the Hawk and CXT20 from a towing perspective. A few thoughts on the camper:
I've not owned other campers, just trailers. For me, I really wanted to keep the weight down. Even though I have a huge towing / carrying capacity, I don't like to feel like I need to approach every curvy mtn road with extreme caution. I'm not a fast driver, but I don't like the mushy suspension / tilting feeling - ever. The FWC is definitely, by far, the lightest from what I looked at. I am also impressed with the construction. I get into the back country on some pretty rough roads. I don't want to worry about my camper coming apart. I did a lot of research before deciding to buy. I've visited Stan at the factory. I've toured the factory floor with Chicali. I really like the way these campers are constructed. However, they are not plush or spacious. They are utilitarian. I did not find another brand that I felt as comfortable with.
Now, considering your use case, you might want to think of some options that are not as critical for me. I am almost always in the mountains at higher elevation, and heat is not as much of an issue for me. I am usually in the camper only at night or early morning. It sounds like you will be using this rig in some pretty warm conditions. You would probably appreciate an awning, and would want as much ventilation as possible. You’d probably want two vents with fantastic fans. The air conditioning is not a standard option, but I’ve seen plenty of pics on the forum of guys who have them. This is maybe something you would want to pursue. An arctic pack may be useful as well, but I don’t have experience with this option.
Don’t know if I helped you much, but these are just some additional ideas to throw around. Again, check your GCVWR. You will probably need to watch the weight on your camper – especially if you are putting two big quarter horses in the Exiss. I’m attaching some pics of my rigs. One is of my truck and camper and ATV trailer on a fishing trip with my son. Another (which Fish More will appreciate) is of my truck and Exiss CXT30, with the horses at Lonney Meadows.

 

[mtnman]

Yep, that was my F150, we atv alot in the area. some great fishing in a few of the lakes. Roads too rough to tow a boat in, beats the heck out of the trailer and boat, float tubes the way to go, strap it on the quad and go ! Will look for you next I,m in the area.

Fish More,
Thanks for the reply. I agree that the Bowman area roads are a royal pain. I've been thinking about getting tubes for me and my son this year, but have not yet done so. It sounds like you have a great system. I think I'll be doing the same before too long. I do a lot of stream fishing early in the year. But after the flow gets too low, and the pressure has hit them hard, it's not too productive. I'll bet the lake tubing is more consistent throughout the year. I hope to run into you sometime. Do you live in the area?

 

[fish more]

Yep, Auburn

Live and play in Auburn. Go up to the Sierras alsmost every weekend to fish, if not going to the ocean. You can make it all the way to Meadow Lake from Bowman Road in no time on a quad. Saves alot of wear and tear on the Ford and my Hawk. If I go camping up there I take the road thru the town of Washington and access the Bowman area from the other side of the mountain, nice drive also. Tight lines, Jim

 

[mtnman]

Traveling Mt Vernon?

Jim,
I envy you. I'm not able to get into the Sierras quite as often, but usually fit in some kind of outdoor sporting activity every weekend (around the chores). Hey, do you by chance travel on Mt Vernon Rd, heading west during the weekday evenings? I'm usually out in my horse pasture training my labrador retreiver just before dusk and have been seeing a Hawk on a newer F-150 drive by fairly often. The color of the 150 is about the same as yours, but I don't think the Hawk has running lights, so maybe we have another neighbor with a nice looking F-150 / Hawk combo? Anyway, we'll have to link up one of these days.

Cheers,
Norm

 

[fish more]

Mt Vernon Road

Yep, that the way I go home at night, like to stay off HWY 49, if you know what I mean. Next time you see me driving on Mt Vernon, throw a rock or beer to get my attention, beer would be alot better !! I take Mt Vernon to Joeger Road, just live off Joeger Road on the other side of Bell Road. Just got back from a trip to a lake in the Sierras, camped and fished for five days, now back to work !! See ya