New to FWC — maintenance to be expected?

[DavidinPhx]

I am about to pull the trigger on a flatbed Hawk rig that I’ve lucked into. It’s a 2017 installed early January 2018 by AT, with only a few trips on it. The owner got most all of the upgrades, including the cassette toilet. He also improved the electrical with a progressive dynamics replacement for the iota shore power charger, solar and LiPo batteries, But otherwise it’s got the factory installed appliances. For never having owned one, I guess I am sort of familiar with the FWC’s, having crawled around almost all of them, and visiting AT and the factory.

As a long time off-roader, I certainly am in favor of going over the rig for each trip, and keeping on top of things, but for now, my big question is just how much maintenance (not upgrades) should I be expecting on this relatively newish Hawk? I’m thinking about the furnace, the water heater, cassette toilet, the vent fans, the water system, etc. Is it a once or twice a year type of go over, or more of a consistent effort on the appliances? What bears watching that I might not think about? I am aware of the issues with lithium batteries, and there’s some charging issues I may need to resolve.

Also, just how much care and repair does the camper body, frame (I know they're rugged), door, fasteners, etc kinds of things take when using relatively frequently on rough tracks? Any quirks with the Norweld trays anybody might be aware of?

Sure would appreciate any insights!

 

[buckland]

My 2011 has 50,000 miles on it and much was backwoods. The frame of the camper is still without issue. I do light sand and repaint every 3 years the plywood base. Using a good '303' spray on Vinyl every season as well as door window gaskets. I look at the roof mount screws yearly to be sure the sealant is still good. That said the rest is just keeping it looking good. I have been remarkably surprised at my Eagles durability. I am not a rock crawler but do not shy away from some crazy roads etc. Just do your pre-flight walk around and you'll keep it in good shape.

 

[longhorn1]

Depending where you live, if cold climate, you will need to winterize the water system, pump, hot water heater, and cassette toilet. We use RV anti-freeze, flush the lines till pink runs out and leave 2-3 gallons on the water tank. In the spring we flush the system out, fill and add Thetford water system cleaner, run through the lines empty, fill and empty, fill and add Thetford sanitizer, flush lines, fill, empty and fill final time. You will be good to go for the year. Keep you batteries charged. Our camper has the power off and the solar is keeping the batteries charged. We wash the camper after each longer trip. The Aerospace 303 will keep the soft side in good condition. We also use the 303 cleaner. I have painted the wood tub a couple of times. I check the caulk joints regularly. Check the bolts that hold the camper to the tray. Our thermostat also uses batteries so we change them once a year. Other than a few dings, camper looks as good as the day it was loaded on the truck in 2014. We had to replace our batteries after 4 years. Happy Camping.

 

[Vic Harder]

These things are pretty solid. Stuff I've run into on long washboard roads include the fridge popping open (BIG mess) and some of the outside screws backing out from the vibration (120 mile in/out/in/out on Hole in the Rock road at "considerable" speed). Keep a tube of 3m4200 and a 1/4" nut driver in the truck to put those back in now.

+2 on the 303.

Given what I read about others having issues with furnaces/stoves and spiders crawling in the propane burners, a can of compressed air might come in handy.

If you have not got one yet, a real battery monitor (with shunt) to give you an accurate SOC reading will keep your batteries alive a lot longer.

DO develop a routine to make sure the roof latches are done up before hitting the road, and UNdone before attempting to put up the roof.

 

[DavidinPhx]

Thanks all! Helpful and reassuring. I too am a big 303 fan - that stuff is amazing. Kept a vinyl cover on a previous tonneau like new for years in the sun. Think I’ll at least write down a check list to remind me on some things (like latches!) till they become second nature.

Luckily, the rig has a good solar install w/ Victron shunt. Think I have to work on the alternator charging as its Blue Sea ACR, not a DCDC for the Lithium batteries.

We’re in Phoenix, so the main winter worry is freezing temps in the Four Corners areas while we’re using it. Figure maybe a 35° or 40° garage thermostat might be in the future, but we’re more likely to be above freezing.

Anybody know how if the eventual bottom plywood maintenance is less of an issue on a flatbed, since theres no bed channeling water under?

Thanks again!

 

[Vic Harder]

Luckily, the rig has a good solar install w/ Victron shunt. Think I have to work on the alternator charging as its Blue Sea ACR, not a DCDC for the Lithium batteries.

If you like the Victron gear, their Orion DC-DC works well and feels like "family". The bluetooth range on it sucks though. Can't even get connected from in the truck. It also gets very warm, so I have a 40*C temp switch hooked up to a high cfm fan to cool it. If you mount yours in an open area, that may not be an issue. Mine is pretty tucked away.

 

[DavidinPhx]

If you like the Victron gear, their Orion DC-DC works well and feels like "family". The bluetooth range on it sucks though. Can't even get connected from in the truck. It also gets very warm, so I have a 40*C temp switch hooked up to a high cfm fan to cool it. If you mount yours in an open area, that may not be an issue. Mine is pretty tucked away.

Are you running lithiums and using the “smart” version that isolates? I really want to avoid running an ignition switch wire as it seems like a very difficult task with the flatbed version. Seems like the Orion Smart TR version with isolation would accomplish this?

 

[Vic Harder]

Yes to LiFePo3 - 2 100AH Battleborn batteries. I am using the non-isolated version. No ignition switch wire needed.

 

[DarinH]

These things are pretty solid. Stuff I've run into on long washboard roads include the fridge popping open (BIG mess) and some of the outside screws backing out from the vibration (120 mile in/out/in/out on Hole in the Rock road at "considerable" speed). Keep a tube of 3m4200 and a 1/4" nut driver in the truck to put those back in now.

+2 on the 303.

Given what I read about others having issues with furnaces/stoves and spiders crawling in the propane burners, a can of compressed air might come in handy.

If you have not got one yet, a real battery monitor (with shunt) to give you an accurate SOC reading will keep your batteries alive a lot longer.

DO develop a routine to make sure the roof latches are done up before hitting the road, and UNdone before attempting to put up the roof.

is there a specific monitor you recommend?

 

[Vic Harder]

I like the victron 712 BMV.