Prepping a F250 and Hawk Camper for a Year on the Road

[Jkron]

Hello All,

My name is John, and my wife and I have made the decision to take some time and wandering around the US for a year or so. We will be moving into our 2020 F250 and 2021 Hawk Woolrich UTE for a year, once our lease is up. So in the meantime, we will be making some modifications to the truck and camper to hopefully make life on the road a little easier and more comfortable.

This thread will document our upgrades, and other modifications to both the truck and the camper.

This is 3rd FWC, and second flatbed. I previously had a 2018 Hawk FD on a Tundra, then upgraded to the F250 with a 2020 Hawk UTE, then this past summer moved into a Hawk Woolrich Flatbed.

After purchasing a Stewart & Stevenson M1079 with the plan of building it out for long term travel, we had some discussions about the overall practicality of using such a large vehicle, and the cost to build it. Being concerned with the limitations of accessibility due to its sheer size, we decided to back burner that project, and use our FWC.

Here is how the truck sits now:
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The specs on the truck are as follows:
2020 F250 STX
6.2l V8, 4.30 Axle Gears, Skid Plates, Locking Rear Diff
285/75/18 Yokohama XAT Tires (35x11x18)
Tremor Front Bumper
Baja Designs LP6s

2021 Woolrich Hawk UTE
Battleborn Lithium Batteries, Redarc Manager 30, Inside Shower, 160w Overland Solar Roof Mounted Panel, 130w Overland Solar Portable panel, and all Woolrich options.

Looking forward to hitting the road, and gathering the wealth of info that is on this forum.

 

[Jkron]

After getting tired of dealing with those collapsible outdoor shower enclosures, I decided to upgrade to an AluCab Shower Cube. I did not want to mount to the side, as I wanted to keep the profile as slim as possible so I do not get it snagged on tree branches and other obstacles. And with the shower port on the flatbed models being close to the rear corner, it made sense to mount it to the rear of the camper.

I made some simple brackets from some 1/4" aluminum, and bolted it to the rear aluminum rack. I moved the rotopax mounts to clear the shower cube.

I do want the shower cube to be a little higher, so I am having a bracket made to move the maxtrax lower and at an angle, and moving the shower cube up a bit.

 

[FAW3]

Great rig…enjoy your adventure!

 

[Dirtroadsavant]

Good times ahead. I have a nearly identical rig. If you are carrying scissors stairs, I built a frame to hold them in front of the spare when we’re driving. The frame also serves as a step to do the back latches. we also have clips modified so the stair latches into the rail on the tray. If interested, let me know and I’ll share some pictures
John

 

[Jkron]

Today's project was to add a second fridge to increase capacity, add some redundancy, and just make accessing adult beverages easier at camp. I had this Dometic CFX 35 for several years, and has been through the ringer in several vehicles over the years, and keeps ticking. Its the perfect size to fit in the 40% side of the rear seat.

In order to make room for the fridge, I had to relocate by scissor steps, since i stored them in the backseat area. I moved them into the camper, and so they don't play pinball with the cabinets, I installed some single L Track mounts in the camper, and secured them using rachet straps. They have held up on some rough terrain without coming loose, so they will live there until i can find a better solution.




I had planned on removing the rear seat completely, and I was a little annoyed to find that there are occupancy sensors in the rear seats, so when it was removed it triggered an airbag light on the dash. So I re-installed the seat, cleared the code, and came up with a new plan. I made a simple platform out of some 3/4" ply, and some 2x4s. It is bolted in the rear to the seat frame, since there were holes already in it. I added some L-Track to secure the fridge. The passenger seat can slide almost all the way back, so still plenty of legroom in the front seat.



Next came how to power it. I contemplated running the power from the trucks battery, but was concerned with draining it down and causing a no start condition. So I decided to wire to the camper, since the solar will keep the camper batteries topped off.

I drilled down into the propane compartment from the battery compartment, ran the wiring down the side of the propane compartment, and then drilled a hole through the bottom of the propane compartment, the camper, and the flatbed. Luckily there was already in a grommet in the floor of the cab, right where I needed to come up. I secured all the wiring, and sealed all the penetrations with Sikaflex 221, and mounted the Dometic hardwire kit under the platform. The platform is tall enough so i can kit one of my Zarges cases under there if I decide to, or store my Cook Partner stove under there.






I will be adding a third 100ah Battle Born battery in the camper since there is room for one, which will help give some extra capacity for the additional fridge.

 

[Jkron]

Good times ahead. I have a nearly identical rig. If you are carrying scissors stairs, I built a frame to hold them in front of the spare when we’re driving. The frame also serves as a step to do the back latches. we also have clips modified so the stair latches into the rail on the tray. If interested, let me know and I’ll share some pictures
John

I would be interested in seeing the frame you built. I have the Brophy steps, so I have the track for them mounted to the side of the flatbed already. I love having the stairs, but they are beyond awkward to store. I keep moving them trying to find a better spot to store them.

 

[Dirtroadsavant]

here’s the basic idea. As I master posting pictures, I’ll do a more detailed report.
the hooks below the boards may be the greatest campsite innovation yet.

 

[Jkron]

Thanks for the pics, that looks like a good solution for the steps! I like the idea of the hooks as well, would be especially handy for hanging items to dry.

The next item I want to tackle, is a gray water storage solution. Currently I just use a small Aquatainer, that I installed a hose thread connector on. This works pretty decent, but requires setting up the hose and container each time, and some places seem to get cagey about not having something hard mounted for gray water. Not to mention when the container is full, I need to transport a container filled with gray water either in the camper or in the truck, and always makes me nervous that

So my idea, is to mount some unistrut front to back under the flatbed attached to the flatbed rails that run front to back. Then mount 3 - 4"x48" long PVC pipes with caps left to right as "tanks". This should be approx. 7 gallons of gray water capacity. They will be mounted and connected together, with each one slightly lower than the other to promote draining. I will also need to figure out a way to have a vent, so the air that is displaced can escape. I will then make the driver side 1/4"-1/2" lower, and have a valve with a hose connection on it, so I can then drain to an appropriate facility when required.

I am thinking of putting a tee in the line under the sink, so it will not require me to connect the hose on the exterior, and drilling through the bottom of the camper and flatbed to connect to the tanks underneath. But I am on the fence about drilling another set of somewhat large holes in the camper.

Anybody have any other ideas before I give this a shot?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

<snip>

Anybody have any other ideas before I give this a shot?

I am always hesitant to bore through holes in my campers, and I’ve never camped anywhere an external gray water tank is prohibited. If it were me, I’d keep using the Aquatainer.

 

[Jkron]

I am always hesitant to bore through holes in my campers, and I’ve never camped anywhere an external gray water tank is prohibited. If it were me, I’d keep using the Aquatainer.

Yea, not exactly thrilled with drilling more holes than needed. Unfortunately some places do require a gray water tank, that is mounted. I may just mount a tank underneath, and have it still drain via the exterior hose and just connect the hose to the tank each time. I've found sometimes I just want to use the sink quick to either brush my teeth, or rinse something, and not have the hassle of setting up the hose and container. But its typically only when I'm in a place for a short night, or somewhere more urban.

 

[Jkron]

I ordered another Battle Born 100 aH battery, since they were still on sale on their site. Price was $859 shipped, which is a good savings from their $1049 regular price. I will need to shift the current batteries over a tad, and probably re-do the mounting to accommodate a third battery. Shouldn't be much of an issue. I should have the battery this Friday, so we will get it installed this weekend.

 

[Jkron]

Alright so I got the third Battleborn lithium battery installed, so now we are up to 300 a/H of capacity. Install was pretty straight forward, just had to rearrange the stops in the battery compartment to get them to fit, and make up some additional jumper wires to tie the batteries together.

I also got my new front boxes installed on the flatbed. I had opted to not get the front boxes, since the ones offered at the time were small and oddly shaped for the cost. I spoke to FWC (who is now the current importer of the Norweld items) and Norweld directly, and Norweld decided to sell me a set of the larger front boxes that are now offered. I had them air freighted to my shop here in CO. INstall was straight forward, and now I have some considerable additional storage.

The next item on my list, is replacing the propane furnace with a Planar diesel one, and mounting a separate fuel tank under the tray since my truck is gas. After speaking with Planar, we came up with a parts list and got them all ordered. My plan is to remove the furnace, and install the heater in the OEM location, and still retain the OEM outside cover, so it will look factory. Once I get everything installed, I will generate a complete parts list, and well document the install so others can work off it.

 

[Dirtroadsavant]

Congrats on the battery. The new boxes look great! We have the older, somewhat smaller ones and use them a lot. The air compressor is mounted on one side and we keep a bunch of tire and extraction stuff in there. The other side, aka, ‘the dumpster,’ carries trash and recycling.

 

[Jkron]

Been a little slow with updates due to being busy in the shop with customer builds, and waiting on parts. But we have gotten some parts in, and had time to make some minor improvements.

I ordered a set of Fox shocks form Accutune Off-Road with the axle weights and had the shocks custom valved for the additional weight. After a rough 29K miles, the OEM shocks are pretty toasted. I could collapse them by hand, and they would take a long time to extend back. I was pleasantly surprised when the shocks showed up, since the lead time was estimated at 3-4 months. But the rears showed up in about a month, so still waiting on the fronts. Accutune was great to work with, and would highly recommend them.

The ride improvement in the rear was amazing. No more "porpoise" motion or double bounce when going over bumps. And it doesn't rock as much when going over bumps when turning.

The next mod is the one I am most excited about. My Planar diesel heater arrived last week, with all the parts. So the plan is to remove the OEM propane heater, and install the diesel heater in its place, while still retaining the exterior cover from the propane furnace. Since it is painted to match, and looks rather clean, I want to retain it.

I ordered some through-hull fittings for the intake and exhaust of the heater. The heater will be mounted on its side, via a bracket, and vent straight out the side of the camper. All the exhaust connections will be sealed and wrapped in heat wrap.

I am planning on running a tee in the ducting, and have an outlet inside the water heater compartment. This will heat the manifolds, the water heater tank, and the water tank so hopefully I can extend the amount of time I can keep water in the system.

The only "hangup" I have, is where to mount the diesel tank. I ordered the 13L tank from planar, with original plans to mount under the tray. But since I added the front boxes, and the way the tank is designed with the fuel outlet, I can't mount it underneath. My plan is to mount it to the rear rack of the camper, where one of the rotopax containers is now. The rear rack is being rearranged since I am having a new bracket made to relocate the maxtrax, which I should have this week as well.

I plan to make a detailed install document along with the required parts I used when it is all said and done, so others can use if they wish to remove the problematic furnace form these newer FWC's.

 

[Jkron]

Congrats on the battery. The new boxes look great! We have the older, somewhat smaller ones and use them a lot. The air compressor is mounted on one side and we keep a bunch of tire and extraction stuff in there. The other side, aka, ‘the dumpster,’ carries trash and recycling.

Thanks, and yea I was not a fan of the older smaller ones. I use an ARB Twin Portable compressor, which i keep in the cab. So the boxes are freed up for extra storage. I like the idea of using one for the trash, as that is something I have struggled to deal with on longer trips. I bought a tire mounted trasharoo type trash bag that I am going to figure out how to mount to hopefully make the trash situation easier to manage. I always wind up picking up trash from others along the way, so I always wind up with a bunch of junk.

I think I am going to dedicate one of the boxes to my tool collection, and the other will be a spill over. In my rear boxes one is recovery gear, and the other is currently my tire chains for the winter. But the future plan is to avoid winter conditions, so hopefully I can lose those soon lol. I am trying to avoid the "there's and empty spot so I must fill it with stuff" mindset. But I am sure I will wind up needing the storage space as we progress.

For those interested, the cost of the 2 boxes with air freight was a little over $1200

 

[Jon R]

... I could collapse them by hand, and they would take a long time to extend back....

Isn’t that normal shock behavior?

 

[Jkron]

Isn’t that normal shock behavior?

No, not really. I shouldn't be able to compress a large shock with no effort, and have it take minutes to extend back with no weight on it. The driver side would not even come back all the way on its own. The OEM shocks aren't the best, and I was not disappointed with their service life since the truck is fully loaded all the time and has experienced what I would consider severe service. And I was happy to get shocks set up for the specific weight, and have a noticeable improvement in handling characteristics.

 

[Jkron]

Alright, so made some additions in the last few weeks.

First up was making a bracket for the maxtrax to be moved down lower on the rear rack, to free up space for the shower cube to be mounted higher to function better.

The maxtrax mount is made from aluminum, and mounts to the bottom of the factory rack, and then is bolted into the Norweld tray.

Next up was a big one. Swapping out the propane furnace for a Planar diesel heater. After my last trip to Moab a few weekends ago, and the Dometic furnace failing again on me with no error codes, i decided to rip it out and replace it. Between it using a ton of gas and power, and being a complete pile of garbage, it was about time I ripped it out.

I wanted the replacement heater to be OEM in apperance. This meant re-using the factory cover. I removed the plastic trim ring from the existing furnace, and made and adaptor plate and used a thru-hull exhaust fitting. this resulted in it looking factory.

I mounted the ehater within the facotry cabinet. I heat wrapped the exhaust and muffler, and made a heat sheild for the side of th cabinet closest to the exhaust.

I have added additional heat lagging to the muffler and pipe. The exhaust is attached to a bracket that is mounted to the floor, so it can not shift or move. I also used muffler cement to seal all the exhaust connections since they will be inside. I also installed a redundant CO detector as well.

Next up was getting the fuel supply figured out. Since the fuel pump needs to be within 1 meter of the tank, I ordered a tank to fit in the forward storage box. This will make it easy to fill from a standard fuel station. The tank is 5.5L. The heater will burn 5.76 liters at full output in 24hrs of constant running. So this should result in approx 3 days at 8 hours per day at max output. I will carry a small diesel rotopax can for additional capacity.

The intake combustion air is pulled from the louvered panel behind the fridge. The same location is where the heater pulls in the air to run over the heat exchanger and supply into the camper.

I debated on pulling the air form inside the camper, but this will result in less condensation when pulling the air in from outside, but will use slightly more fuel since it needs to heat cold air now.

I made an interior panel from 3/4" AC ply that I had laying around, but I am going to use 1/2" birch and stain it to match the interior as close as possible.

The factory thermostat will be removed, and some USB outlets installed in its place. The controller for the new heater is mounted up near the sink and cutlery drawer. I ran new power for the diesel heater, and capped off the existing power lines from the old furnace.

Since i was left with a gas line from the propane heater, I installed a quick disconnect for a BBQ or firepit in the future.

I am just waiting for the fuel tank, which I should have today so i can mount it and test fire the heater and check for fuel leaks before I button everything up.

Overall I am excited to get rid of the crummy furnace that is in there. I wish I did not need to replace it, and FWC would install a higher quality unit, but that seems unlikely to change. But this should prove to be more reliable, with service and parts much more readily available. But time will tell.

 

[Dirtroadsavant]

Awesome work! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jkron]

Awesome work! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you!

Got the fuel tank installed today, and the heater up and running. So far everything is working well, going to run it 2 hours on max output to get everything nice and hot and inspect the install.

The fuel pump is extremely quiet, can barley hear it with the front cover off. Should be totally silent with the cover on. Much better heat output than the previous heater, and has already ran longer without an issue than the previous dometic!