Intro...The adventure Begins

[INYO]

Well, suppose it’s time to come out of the shadows. I’ve been following this form for quite some time now and am finally a new (used) Hawk owner. Thought I’d share a couple pics and let you all know how the shake down trip went over the Memorial Day weekend.

Background… We live in Ventura County CA but have been Owens valley explorers for years. I have family in Lone Pine and family ties to Olancha. We are a two truck family. A 04 4WD Tacoma (that has seen many an off road adventure) and a new 08 Tundra.

After making the decision to go from tent expeditions to a camper, the dilemma of course was Eagle or Hawk (there was never really any other choice for us than a 4WC). The decision was really made for us when a Hawk came up on Craigslist that was too nice to pass up.

So, after a frantic week of nights working on the Tundra adding Ride Rites, tie downs (the S/B Tundra necessitated adding a bit of structure for the rear tie-downs since there was none where I wanted the I bolts to go), replacing the battery in the camper, topping the propane and kluging a quick wiring harness we were ready to hit the road.

We decided to just stick to campgrounds being the first trip out and the busy weekend and all. Without question the first, break her in, spot had to be Tuttle, just out of Lone pine. We have been going there off and on since high school (over 30 years ago) and it just seemed right. A great night’s sleep in a queen size bed there was something I would have never pictured though. After waking up to a sunrise in an area that takes a backseat to no other in the country, as far as sunrises go, we were on our way to independence and Onion valley at 9400 ft.

The theory was to try to get some altitude an away from as many people as we could. We lucked out and probably got the best spot in the campground for a camper. I was a little concerned about the fridge after reading the owners manual that stated you shouldn’t use propane above 5,000 ft because of the lack of oxygen and problems keeping the pilot light lit. Both it and the furnace worked flawlessly.

The only problems really were the outside water spigot and the faucet .The water spigot practically disintegrated in my hand one night and we had to work frantically to keep from losing our entire tank of water. Already have plans for a small brass ball valve replacement that seems like it would be a little more durable than the standard RV plastic spigot. The sink was a different story though. For some reason it keeps loosing the pump prime. I’ll have to dig into that one a bit more, I’m sure it’s just a seal somewhere.

All in all I can’t say enough good things about the camper. Already planning the next trip and have a list of mods I would like to do to the camper that is a mile long. Looking forward to summer and especially fall and winter trips with a heater….go figure.

Hope so see some of you on the road….or even better, in the middle of the desert.

Ken-

 

[pods8]

The only problems really were the outside water spigot and the faucet .The water spigot practically disintegrated in my hand one night and we had to work frantically to keep from losing our entire tank of water. Already have plans for a small brass ball valve replacement that seems like it would be a little more durable than the standard RV plastic spigot. The sink was a different story though. For some reason it keeps loosing the pump prime. I’ll have to dig into that one a bit more, I’m sure it’s just a seal somewhere.


Congrats. I had the same thing happen on the 9year old spigot happen on mine when I got it.

I think the way you leave the handle on the sink can affect whether it seals the prime in or not by the way. I ripped mine out without ever really using to so I'm not too familiar though.

 

[BenG]

welcome aboard enjoy n keep the pics coming, lots of neat imfo on this forum

 

[brett13]

Lookin' good. Welcome. I like to see Tundra's with campers.

 

[mtn-high]

Welcome. That was a great intro....and 2 darn cute pups!

and many (searchers) here will tell you (especially those outside of CALI) that you were VERY lucky to snag a used Hawk!! Congrats!

IMO...Those owners manuals are often written in "CYA" mode. I live @ 7250 and often use my camper/propane refrig/freezer/heater above that altitude (more often than not) and higher. We camped @ just shy of 11K a few weeks ago and I never gave it a second thought.

have fun (like I need to telll you that)

mtn

 

[chnlisle]

C'mon in the camping's great. Lots of good folks here from Ventura and The 'Nard. Many with Lone Pine contacts. Do you know Gene Rubin?

 

[craig333]

Keep up the travel posts. I hope to be in that area sometime this summer (I hope).

 

[INYO]

Thanks for the welcome all. It's much appreciated.

Mtn..Yeah we know how lucky we were to find a used Hawk.. We like to think it was a little luck and a little persistence (over 4 months of daily scouring the internet in all forms)..

chnlisle.. We are in T.O. The name in Lone Pine doesn't ring any bells. The family we have there is Hames.

 

[dsrtrat]

Water Valve

Here is how I fixed my plastic water valve. Brass ball valve with a 90 degree fitting and a close nipple to the the tank.
Plastic barb fitting and hose to extend the line. I don't use the water tank for drinking water and also don't use it when it is very cold so this set up has worked for me.
I bobbed the handle so it is about 1 inch long to keep it from snagging on tree limbs.
Dsrtrat

 

[Marc]

Inyo

Congrats on the new rig and thanks for the pics. In regard to keeping your H2o primed ... generaly if you leave the handle in the forward position this will keep the pump primed. Enjoy.

 

[Ted]

Ken, welcome to the forum and congrats on the new rig. Not sure what year it is, but ours is an '03. And unlike Marc, our handle has to be back to hold the prime. Not sure if it different equipment from different years, or the way it is installed, or what. So try both ways.

Our spigot died after a few years also. Going brass is a good permanent fix. But if you want to go with a cheap,temporary fix, those plastic spigots are only $2 at rv stores.

I noticed you left the tailgate on and don't have legs on the camper. On our Tundra, you can't get the spindle through the slot to lower the spare with the tailgate down. If we got a flat, we would have to lift the camper to lift the tailgate to lower the spare. Your Tundra is a newer generation than ours, so this may not be the case for you. But you should probably check.

Happy camping. -Ted

 

[INYO]

Dsrtrat .. Thanks for the pic. Thats exactly what I had in mind for the valve. Didn't think about the plastic hose though. That's a good idea, seems like it would be easy to change out as well.

Ted, thanks for the advice on the faucet. I'm pretty sure there is something wrong with it. We were doing the " storing the handle in the back position to keep prime" thing thing for the first night and it worked great. After that nothing we did worked. It's good to hear they are cheap... think the future holds a good sturdy brass one, as you said, or maybe change out to electric.

You know, now you have me wondering about the tailgate and being able to drop the spare...that could be not fun... I checked it just before I put the camper on (to the point of lowering it a couple of turns, newer truck and all...) but didnt look at it with tailgate down. Have to check it when I get home tonight. I know theres two schools of thinking, tailgate on v.s. tailgate off, but for me it makes sense to leave it on. I know there's risk of rock dings and such (figure I'll buy some of that magnetic sheeting to help with that) but the extra support plus the nice step and place to put muddy boots at night outweighs that. If it covers the spare access though I may have another specialized tool to make.