Is the extra 18" worth it?

[rvp7777]

I am looking at the FWC Hawk and Grandby to go on my 3/4 ton, short bed, truck. For those of you with a Hawk, do you ever wish you had the Granby even though it hangs off? For those of you with the Granby on a short bed, do you ever wish you had the Hawk. From my read of the drawings there just doesn't seem to be that much more liveable space. Am I wrong?

I will use the camper off road but not agressively, may tow a boat (I understand the limitations as stated on the website), and probably not for more than 3 days/nights.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[5 Speed]

For a short bed truck, I think the extended bed over the cab would be better than hanging over the rear bumper if you are going to do any off road work. I backed into a bush and it hit the camper, if the camper stuck out past the bumper I bet you will hit some hillsides for sure on those 3 or 4 or 5 or 10 point turns we always have to make. If I had a long bed I would be all over the extended inside, I could make a ton of extra storage inside with the extra 18 inches but not with the short bet truck.

 

[the fisherman]

Short Bed Truck

I have a Granby on a long bed Ford

 

[the fisherman]

Pulled The Trigger Too Soon

Got a Granby on a long bed truck, I tow all the time, I don't think you're going to like the way the overhang if you ever have to manuver your trailer in tight quarters. For me, when I see that set up something dosen't look right but that's just my opinion.

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

All we've ever had is a Hawk on a short bed.

The other day the three of us adult-type people were having breakfast in the rain, listening to birds and raindrops, and I thought to myself, "This is the perfect sized camper for two or three people!"

I can't imagine why I would want it any larger, unless there were four or five of us.

 

[chnlisle]

I agree with Mark the Hawk is the ideal size for us. And now that we have the King Sized Bed conversion its perfect. When we had the 8 foot Ranger (Thomas Tierra's now) It worked well for us even though the over hang was a PITA at times. As Kyle (CJ8Rockcrawler) has pointed out to me, with the wider Hawk you do need to be a bit more careful in tight places.

 

[Sam]

I had a Hawk & was always short on room. 2 people 2 full size dogs. I now have a Grandby on a short bed. Even though it's only 18" longer, I always have room to spare. I normally tow a small trailer (with hitch extension) I don't get crazy off road. The long camper on a short bed just looks wrong, it does not have the same compact manuverable look of the Hawk. With the Grandby on a 1/2 ton short bed you will surely need some suspension upgrades as the weight is carried back further.

Bottom line, when we are actually in the camper I really appreciate the extra room, when driving, towing etc, I would prefer the Hawk. With that said, when it's time to replace my truck I will probably get a long bed to fit the camper rather than get a Hawk . I don't think you will have huge regrets either way, it seems that the Hawk is the most popular model, but that may be because short bed trucks are the most popular sellers?

Good luck.

 

[the fisherman]

By The Way

Welcome to the forum, I could never understand why people bought heavy duty short bed trucks in the first place. A friend of mine and myself both bought trucks at the same time, me a long bed, him short, I argued with him as to which truck would be more useful overall, well after four years, I still have mine. He has a new longbed.

 

[craig333]

Not that its an option now, but I would go with the long bed and grandby if I was buying it now.

 

[EdoHart]

Hawk with a crewcab.

I thoroughly enjoy my Hawk on a short bed, crew cab truck, but if I were to build the perfect combination, I would probably go with a standard cab or extended cab, long bed truck with a Grandby instead. In my opinion, those extra 18 inches are more useful in the camper than in the cab. I have learned to adapt (more like I'm still learning, as every trip has a different packing method). I try to pack things in the cab that will come out once I'm in camp, thereby leaving the interior of the camper open and accessible for things I want to mostly keep in the camper.

However, I would rather not have the overhang of a Grandby on my short bed truck, primarily for the reasons 5 speed gave, that is, backing into something with the camper instead of the more sturdy bumper.

 

[Star152]

O If you can swing it the Grandby would be worth it. I have a crewcab long bed for the wife and two kids the room is nice for all of us. and If you later want or need a bigger truck. the camper is there. I tow a 18' boat with no problems except getting use to the backing with the new truck.

 

[Tailfins]

I'm afraid that long beds are getting harder to find. I've been around to the dealers and virtually everything is short bed. Tell a salesman exactly what you need in a truck and it's almost certain that he doesn't have it on his lot. And now that it's May, you can't order one from the factory and get it delivered until October. I sat in a Grandby at the Sportsmans Show and really liked it but will probably have to go with the Hawk. I sure don't want that overhang in the back.

 

[rvp7777]

Thanks for all the comments and advice, very helpful. Since I can't trade out my truck (and long bed crew cabs are a bit long for me and everyday use), and the overhang likely to be cause me problems beyond the mere looks, the Hawk wins for me. Wish me luck, and thanks again.

 

[Tailfins]

Since the Hawk is a necessary choice for many of us, and I believe I read somewhere that it's the top seller, seems like it would be worthwhile for FWC to keep refining the design more or less in the direction of what the industry calls "self contained." I realize that cramming so much stuff into a 6.5' floor space and leaving some room for user storage is something of a magic trick, and I'm sure that FWC is working on this constantly, but I just hope there's an ongoing effort in refining the Hawk. It looks terrific on most short bed trucks. With a few more interior refinements it could be the best camper out there by a mile. Sell your Lance stock!