Moved my Hawk from F150 to Tundra

[Old Crow]

Over the weekend I finished up the move of my Hawk from its older F150 to a 2013 Tundra. I had bought the 2001 Hawk and 2001 F150 as a complete rig in December 2014. At the time, I thought I'd replace the F150 within a year but instead grew to like the rig as it was. But the Tundra became available this summer from a family member and I decided it was time to modernize. I had first-hand knowledge of the vehicle through its entire history and it had the options and color I wanted so it was an easy decision.

Here's a shot of the Hawk on the F150.... (click to enlarge)



and here are two of it on the Tundra....




My Hawk has a single AGM battery which powers the LED lights and (occasionally) the furnace. In the old rig, I charged the battery using an inverter to power a 120-volt battery charger. That worked for the way I travel and how little I use the battery. But I didn't want the same setup in the new rig as it was too easy to accidently kill my truck battery with a small mistake (like forgetting to turn it off).

I first thought I'd go with the Blue Sea isolation switch many of you use. But then I started keeping an eye on alternator voltage using a digital voltage display and voltmeter. When I saw the Tundra was only putting out 14.0 volts upon startup and that voltage dropped to 13.4 or lower when it warms up, I decided I'd better go with a DC-DC charger to get charging voltage up to something more in line with battery-manufacturer charging recommendations.

The CTEK D250S came to mind. But as I researched it I learned the new model-- the D250SA-- is available in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. That model has an option to charge AGM batteries at 14.7 volts (as opposed to the D250S charging at 14.4 volts) so I ordered one from England.

Here's a shot of mine in place...



-Old Crow

 

[longhorn1]

Nice set-up. Thanks for sharing. jd

 

[BillTheHiker]

Just curious if you had considered an F-250 and if not, why not?

 

[Vic Harder]

Over the weekend I finished up the move of my Hawk from its older F150 to a 2013 Tundra. I had bought the 2001 Hawk and 2001 F150 as a complete rig in December 2014. At the time, I thought I'd replace the F150 within a year but instead grew to like the rig as it was. But the Tundra became available this summer from a family member and I decided it was time to modernize. I had first-hand knowledge of the vehicle through its entire history and it had the options and color I wanted so it was an easy decision.

Here's a shot of the Hawk on the F150.... (click to enlarge)

HawkOnF150AtBigGumSwamp.jpg

and here are two of it on the Tundra....

HawkOnTundraViewFromLF.jpg

HawkOnTundra.jpg


My Hawk has a single (Lifeline AGM) battery which powers the LED lights and (occasionally) the furnace. In the old rig, I charged the battery using an inverter to power a 120-volt battery charger. That worked for the way I travel and how little I use the battery. But I didn't want the same setup in the new rig.

I first thought I'd go with the Blue Sea isolation switch that many of you use. But then I started keeping an eye on alternator voltage using a digital voltage display. When I saw the Tundra was only putting out 14.0 volts upon startup and that voltage dropped to 13.5 or lower when it warms up, I decided I'd better go with a DC-DC charger to get charging voltage up to something more in line with battery-manufacturer charging recommendations.

The CTEK D250S came to mind. But as I researched it I learned the new model-- the D250SA-- is available in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. That model has an option to charge AGM batteries at 14.7 volts (as opposed to the D250S charging at 14.4 volts) so I ordered one from England.

Here's a shot of mine in place...

CTEK250SA.jpg

-Old Crow

Nice ! I liked the idea of the CTEK D250S, but that low output voltage was less than ideal. PERFECT now!

 

[MattC]

Nice set up
you will like your Toyota

 

[Old Crow]

Just curious if you had considered an F-250 and if not, why not?

Hi, Bill....

The choice of Tundra has more to do with that specific truck than with merits of Tundra versus another brand.

One of my two brothers leased it from new. He has an early-90s Sun-Lite truck camper and the three of us go on 7 to 10-day trips in the old beast once or twice a year. We don't see each other much so we really look forward to those trips and the Sun-Lite/Tundra combination served us well. The point here, though, is I learned to like that Tundra from our trips.

When the lease expired in 2016, my nephew bought the truck from his Dad's lease. And when he started talking about trading it in this summer, I jumped at the chance to get it for my Hawk. I had been looking for one (and also at F150s and F250s) but hadn't yet found the right combination of options, mileage, color, condition, and price.

 

[Bill D]

How do you like the Toyota compared to the older Ford as far as carrying the camper is concerned?

 

[fireball]

Just spotted you outside Starbucks off route 30. Small world!

 

[Old Crow]

How do you like the Toyota compared to the older Ford as far as carrying the camper is concerned?

Hi, Bill D!

Well, so far so good. I went from a 4.2L V6 engine ( 202 hp / 252# torque ) to a 5.7L V8 ( 381 hp / 401# torque ) so it does seem a bit peppier .

According to spec sheets it appears I theoretically lost something like 150 pounds of payload capacity. But the Tundra also went from the P-rated tires used by the manufacturer for payload calculations to E-rated tires and I don't know how that changes those calculations.

Your question prompted me to finally get my rig weighed this morning. I called up my county trash incinerator folks and was told I could get a weight for a nominal $5 charge. But when I went down there, the nice ladies at the window said if all I wanted was to see the weight on the display (and didn't need a printout), I could just look at the display and then bypass the payment lane on the way out.

Weight was 7030 pounds. That includes the rig and most of my gear (less cooler contents and day-pack) plus me. The certification sticker shows GVWR is 7100 pounds (on P-rated tires). I don't consider that an issue given how the Tundra acted with the heavier Sun-Lite camper and three guys.

The rig has a bit of what I call 'shudder' sometimes. It kind of feels like you're towing a trailer with a too-loose ball-hitch and the trailer's moving back and forth, sometimes tugging on the ball and sometimes pushing it. It mostly happens when I get into the roiling air behind a big-rig on the interstate and sometimes on a windier day when wind is coming from ahead. The F150 also had that and the Tundra had it with the Sun-Lite camper. I've started to look into adding some type of air-dam.

(Edited 10/19 to correct weight from 7060 to 7030 per my note taken at the scale.)

 

[Old Crow]

Just spotted you outside Starbucks off route 30. Small world!

HA! Small world indeed. Sorry we didn't get a chance to chat.

Yeah, that was me. I was getting my Iced Caramel Macchiato after getting the rig weighed at the county incinerator right up the street from there.

 

[fireball]

Very nice! My camper wasn't on my truck this morning, but if you are local and see it outside our shop stop in and say hello.

 

[Old Crow]

Very nice! My camper wasn't on my truck this morning, but if you are local and see it outside our shop stop in and say hello.

Will do, fireball. Looking forward to it....

 

[Moody]

Is your Tundra on stock suspension? Any airbags?

 

[jimjxsn]

Old Crow,
You might consider adding a sway bar. It seems to make a difference for me.

 

[Old Crow]

Is your Tundra on stock suspension? Any airbags?

Stock at the moment. I added Firestone air bags to the F150 and liked them but did have some leak-down issues (I had to air-up every few weeks). I'm happy to see the Tundra installation is relatively easy (no drilling) but before committing to bags again I want to do some more reading. I know there's lots of good info on the subject here on Wander the West but need to read through it carefully.

Old Crow,
You might consider adding a sway bar. It seems to make a difference for me.

<snip>

Thanks for the recommendation! I do feel like I have too much roll and need to address it.

 

[Bill D]

Old Crow,
You might consider adding a sway bar. It seems to make a difference for me.

You could eat off the bottom of your truck it is so clean under there. Very nice
BTW, that red sway bar looks pretty cool too.

Sorry to go off topic Old Crow. Research is fun. Hopefully you find a setup that works well for your needs.

 

[Old Crow]

Nice ! I liked the idea of the CTEK D250S, but that low output voltage was less than ideal. PERFECT now!

It's interesting to see the D250SA's temperature compensation in action. When I installed it, I saw 14.7 volts at the house battery as expected. But in the days to follow I saw voltages as high as 14.9, 15.0 and even a 15.1. It took me a bit to realize I had installed the unit on a 75-degree afternoon but overnight temperatures were freezing and I was seeing those higher voltages before the day warmed up. The voltage changes are due to temperature compensation.

That 15.1 seems pretty high and I was thinking perhaps I should contact CTEK. Then I remembered I have a temperature-compensation chart for my CTEK 25000 battery charger. It shows....



[SIZE=11pt]Temp C˚ F˚ Max Charge V[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]-20˚ -4˚ 15.45[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]-15˚ 5˚ 15.34[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]-10˚ 14˚ 15.22[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]-5˚ 23˚ 15.10[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]0˚ 32˚ 14.99[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]5˚ 41˚ 14.87[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]10˚ 50˚ 14.75[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]15˚ 59˚ 14.63[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]20˚ 68˚ 14.52[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]25˚ 77˚ 14.40[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]---------------------------------------------[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]30˚ 86˚ 14.28[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]35˚ 95˚ 14.17[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]40˚ 104˚ 14.05[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]45˚ 113˚ 13.93[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]50˚ 122˚ 13.82[/SIZE]


As we see in the chart (at +77F) the CTEK 25000 has a 14.4v, not a 14.7v baseline. Still, the chart gives us an idea of how the charging voltage varies when compensated for temperature.

 

[rruff]

Stock at the moment. I added Firestone air bags to the F150 and liked them but did have some leak-down issues (I had to air-up every few weeks). I'm happy to see the Tundra installation is relatively easy (no drilling) but before committing to bags again I want to do some more reading. I know there's lots of good info on the subject here on Wander the West but need to read through it carefully.

I have heard that poly bushings on the lower shackle pivot are helpful. And leaves are a good way to go if your camper will be on the truck most of the time.

Not sure if I'd want a rear swaybar. Definitely better on road, but not so good off. I'll probably end up getting stiffer shocks and ditch the front swaybar too, but it will be awhile before I get the camper built.

 

[Old Crow]

I have heard that poly bushings on the lower shackle pivot are helpful. And leaves are a good way to go if your camper will be on the truck most of the time.

Not sure if I'd want a rear swaybar. Definitely better on road, but not so good off. I'll probably end up getting stiffer shocks and ditch the front swaybar too, but it will be awhile before I get the camper built.

Thanks for the tips, rruff. I'll look into them!

 

[So Cal Adventurer]

Congrats on the Tundra!

I have a 2014 DC and love it... well, other than the MPGs! hahaha

Mine is fully built and has about 30k of DIRT miles on it.

My strong advice is good ROTORS and pads!! Even stock, mine went through stock rotors fast with just a Leer shell and a ton of camping/photo gear!

Airbags make a world of difference. I did the firestones, and install was under 2 hours, zero leaks in 2 years and lots of abuse. I run them at 20psi on the road and 5 off road. The help tremendously with body sway and load carrying.

I installed the 2.5" Old Man Emu Suspension with an add a leaf in the rear pack.

I know not everyone likes to "lift" their trucks, but this is the 6th truck ive run Old Man Emu on and cant say enough good things.

People always compliment on the ride. Fully loaded going down a fireroad, it feels like a luxury sedan on the freeway!

Any questions let me know, ive built many Toyotas and used to be a tech contributor to Toyota Trails!

Cheers
Kevin