New Hawk on the Block

[Dphillip]

We just picked up our new Hawk from Chris at Rocky Mountain 4 Wheel Campers near Denver. Chris was kind enough to perform the install on his day off as we made our way home to Omaha from Easter Jeep Safari in Moab UT. Our Hawk is equipped with side dinette, heater, flat top stove and sink. I was pleased that the weight came in at 1177 pounds and minus the jacks should put me under 1100 pounds dry.

A sincere thank you to all the members on this site that's helped us over the past two plus years make an educated purchase.

 

[norcalhawk]

Congrat's to you....Nice looking set up.

 

[MANXMAN]

Looks great on your SCSB truck. Very nice combination.

 

[Bill D]

I have a very similar setup with a regular cab GMC.... Congrats.

Nice and easily within your payload rating even wet and loaded,

 

[longhorn1]

Enjoy.

 

[Lighthawk]

Hawk on the block! Alright!
Welcome to the cult.
You have already passed the first test and learned how to post photos!
Your next challenge, should you choose to accept, is a TR, aka trip report. Enjoy!

 

[Happyjax]

Congrats on your new camper!

 

[Bill D]

I'm assuming you didn't add the Firestone Ride-Rite Airbags yet. If not, you are going to want to. I added it to my GMC reg cab and it made a big difference. The ride is nicer, but more important, my headlights were in everyones eyes prior to adding the bags.

 

[JacintoKid]

Very sharp looking rig!! Fun adventures ahead

 

[takesiteasy]

Yep, looks good! Have fun and post pictures often. We all love pictures.

 

[Dphillip]

Airbags are in the future as well as a rear camera. The airbags are really needed when I pull the Jeep.

 

[Dphillip]

I'm still learning how to post pictures so this is tardy but a good view.

 

[Dphillip]

Like I said still learning.

 

[Bill D]

Oh yah, I remember talking to you a long time ago regarding the airbags.
When I first picked up the Hawk and didn't have the bags, it handled okay but I got highbeamed big time. I had to put duct tape on my headlights to make it home.
Now that I have the bags it is awesome. I pull a trailer too, so it's nice to be able to adjust the suspension.

I installed the bags myself and I have to say that it is a relatively easy job, bug it will take you a couple hours.
The instructions are horrible and there seem to be so many variations of Ride-rite bags that online videos are a bit confusing as well. Unless you like DIY and have a decent set of tools or you are broke, because you just purchased a Hawk, you may want to have them installed at a garage. I'm glad I did them myself because I like to know exactly how things work incase I need to repair something on the road.

 

[Fallbrook]

Congratulations!!! Ditto on the airbags, they made a world of difference in ride, handling, and the headlight issue. One of these days I'm going to learn to post pics...

 

[Dphillip]

I do plan on installing the airbags myself. I own a Jeep so mechanical skills and a complete set of tools are a prerequisite.

 

[craig333]

Why a dolly? Why not flat tow?

 

[wi_hawk]

Nice rides. ENJOY
You might consider spring loaded shocks on the rear and next time tires need replacing use 6, 8 or 10 ply tires. Makes the ride more stiff but rolls easier.

 

[Bill D]

Without Ride-rite airbags

With Ride-rite airbags

 

[Dphillip]

I pondered flat towing verses tow dolly for quite some time but decided on the tow dolly because it has electric brakes. I'm slightly over GVWR when towing the Jeep so I wanted to be as safe as possible.

Concerning the sport tires on my truck, I did some research and the wider foot print tires actually handle a load better than an average sized truck tire. Even when towing I'm well under the maximum load for the tires. The Jeep only gets towed about once maybe twice a year. The motorbike on a utility trailer gets the most road time behind the truck.

Hey Bill D, that's a big difference, air bags and a rear view camera are on the list.