The Teds have a new Hawk

[craig333]

All paid up. Hopefully everyone deploys their awnings

 

[MarkBC]

Congratulations, Ted!
I hope I have the opportunity to get the tour in person before too long...

But ya know...seeing your new camping rig and ski3pin's new camping rig -- I just realized that I'm now the only (active) Site Team member without a new camping rig!
Maybe I should add an awning...or at least get one of those new WTW decals for it.

 

[Ted]

We have had our new Hawk for a few months now so thought I'd do an update on the mods completed so far. The first weekend we had it Ski3pin and Barking Spider installed the electrical for the solar. We chose to install the charge controller right next to the batteries. It was a tight fit but really the best option.

On top of the battery box FWC puts a piece of the veneer to leave a little storage space. The veneer has all the structural strength of a piece of cardboard. So I backed it with some 1/4" plywood I had to make the space actually usable. It fits our towels well.

I realized after our using the new camper that I missed the old cutting board/sink cover that used to be a standard FWC item. Not only is the cutting board a necessity for food prep, it gives you extra counter space when not using the sink. So I made one from a cutting board we bought. The hardest part was getting the feet located properly to hold the cutting board in place.

 

[Ted]

Like many others, we replaced the thermostat with a digital one that can be set as low as 40 degrees. This one is pretty simple - heat only, non-programmable.

It is nice to have three drawers compared to the one in the old Hawk, but it really bugged me that FWC made all of the drawers so short. I couldn't fit any of my cooking utensils or foil and baggies into them. There is room in the counter so why not make them as long as possible? I built a new drawer box out of scraps I had in the garage. Here is a comparison of the size.

We have one of the larger porta-potties. I like having the larger holding tank. It didn't quite fit in the storage space between the door and dinette. So I raised the top about 5/8". That worked, but it is kind of a pain to have to pull it out of the storage space and turn it to use it. So I hinged the lid to the storage space so the porta-potti can be used in place. Note there are also footman's loops here per Ski3pin's mods to strap the porta-potti in place.The jury is still out on this one. It is a tight fit to use it here and difficult to keep the storage and potti lids up while in use. Still refining this idea.

 

[Ted]

A number of people have made improvements on the way I installed my extra tank storage. I really liked Barking Spider's and copied his version, including the shovel mount. I used a .19 inch thick piece of plate aluminum mounted to the underside of the camper side and with some angle brackets attached to the jack mount. It is very solid and does not vibrate at all. It took a little extra effort to get the down light through the aluminum and re-attached.

I bought a bug screen for the heater vent. It is flat on the back side and our camper siding is not, so there were still gaps paper wasps could get through. So I cut the screen backing off, wrapped it around the vent, and remounted it. Not pretty but effective.

Finally, another Barking Spider idea I borrowed. The 12 volt refrigerators have a little catch basin on the lower inside back to catch condensation. You need to empty it regularly. But if you remove it, the is a drain hole in the back of the fridge. Simply remove the plug from the drain hole and run some tubing out of the camper.

I still plan to install an igniter on the stove. The BBQ spares at Walmart fit the old stoves perfectly but don't fit the new one at all. I think I have a mount figured out now just haven't got to it yet. I also like the Kilroy's digital voltage meter install he just shared and will probably copy that too. I'm sure there will be more. People keep posting their mods and now and then you just say, Oooh, I want that!

 

[idahoron]

Great job

 

[Timothy McGowen]

That cutting board looks like a perfect fit. Where did you get it?

 

[camper101]

Thanks for sharing. Really helpful to see the tank mount from that angle (under).

 

[Ted]

That cutting board looks like a perfect fit. Where did you get it?

There is a large selection of cutting boards at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Took the sink measurements with me and found several that would work. I like the thinner plastic ones. but needed something thick enough to screw the feet to.

 

[Timothy McGowen]

Thanks

 

[longhorn1]

Ted,

Where did you get the feet. Were those a set or did you get screws and washers separately? Are the screws stainless?

John

 

[pvstoy]

Ted looks great. What is the brand and model number of the plain thermostat that goes down to 40 degrees?

I looked at the gas can alum plate that is holding the can and being me and want to take things a step beyond, have one suggestion for your consideration.

I attached your picture with mark ups. It is good that you do have some of the weight taken by the jack mount. Depending how clean that corner cut is, that can be a place over time that you could develop vibration cracks. To help and to strengthen the plate you can add a gusset with a alum angle iron down the length.

 

[Ted]

John, the rubber feet can be found in pretty much any hardware store. They are designed to be put on furniture so you can find them where you find other furniture stuff like handles and that.

Patrick, the thermostat is a Honeywell Pro 1000 heat only non-programmable. It really isn't any cheaper than some of the regular ones at Home Depot so not sure it is worth ordering it. Just in case, though, here is a link: https://customer.honeywell.com/en-US/Pages/Product.aspx?cat=HonECC%20Catalog&pid=TH1100DV1000/U

I will keep the gusset idea in mind. I'll watch for cracks but that aluminum plate is pretty stout. I can stand in the AT can holder and there is no flex at all. If the jack mounts can support the jacks, seems like the would give pretty good support to the gas can set-up. Here is a photo of Barking Spider's that I used to make mine. It shows the attachment to the jack mount better. His actually has another notch out of the plate over the bed rail which I did not do.

 

[pvstoy]

Thanks Ted for the information, Just me being me building things. With that said, does the water drain out inside the AT gas can holder?

 

[craig333]

The AT can holder has a large rectangular hole in the base so no problem with water drainage.

 

[Ted]

Patrick, I have seen the things you have built and no one does it better. So happy to have your input. The bottom of the can is not solid, just a lip per the attached photo. I drilled a hole in the aluminum dead center of this. (Thanks to Ski3pin for pointing out this step.) You can see the hole in the photo above. In hindsight, sometheng like a 2" diameter hole would definitely drain better and lighten the plate a bit. Might go back and do that.

 

[pvstoy]

Ted, Well done. Thanks for the picture as I have not seen one in person. I was just concerned that with the plate on the bottom that it could trap water.

I might have to copy you and Barking spider's work on a fellow in Reno Hawk.

 

[montana-moods]

Now that we are post shake down trip there are only a few modifications I am thinking about. The longer drawer is great and a couple other storage spots using material on hand. The exhaust screen, thermostate...
Thanks for all the ideas.
I do have a question though.
Since the modifications started with Ski3pin, Barking Spider and the Teds are you guys the WTW Mod Squad? and do you make house calls? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[craig333]

I'm liking that plate. Not enough to change the way I did mine but If I ever do a second one I may have to copy you.

 

[pvstoy]

Ted looks like the thermostat has a garage mode selection to have it go down to 35 degrees from that link you provided.

Adjustable Temperature Scale: Standard selection of 40 to 90F or Garage selection of 35 to 90F