Picked up our Hawk in Tigard from Jeff at ARC on 2-25. Great person and highly recommended. Drove the 5.5+ hours home most at 65 mph until in got dark in the mountains and then slowed for deer. Shipped weight was 1,473 lbs; '05 Tundra AC with Hellwig anti-sway bar in rear and RideRite airbags at 35psi the truck/camper handled very well even in the Gorge winds. Truck would run at 65 mph/2,000 rpm in OD but with slightly lower oil pressure and with this load made me uncomfortable that I was lugging the motor; a big no-no in my book. I will not be using the OD [unless on long downhill runs] and in direct it is 65 mph @ 2,600 rpm and higher oil pressure. Having said all that; @ 55 mph, in direct, the truck is pulling very easily and then the truck and I are both more relaxed! Yakima 50' wind deflector on Yak towers. Tires are Toyo Lt 265/75R16 Open Country A/T II with 45 psi {C load/6 ply}. Checked turn buckles at Hood River [1.5hrs] and they were still tight. Jeff had me install the turnbuckles; excellent learning experience.
Jeff and Clint in Tigard were way cool and left my new jacks boxed [easier to carry home] while using display jacks to mount the camper; I backed it in; about 1" clearance from jacks and fender flares. Drained all water, turned off propane, turned off master battery disconnect and watched the 160w roof solar panel [on Yak Tracs] keep pumping juice into the dual Exide batteries. The portable 80w panel is very well done and in a semi-rigid case with a carrying handle. Both are Zamp as is the controller and panel.
Draining the 6 gal hot water heater was interesting in that FWC says in their instruction pages that Atwood [igniter style] does not recommend pulling the white plastic plug in the outside compartment to drain the tank. However that is exactly what ARC and the Atwood instruction sheet says to do; pull that plug to drain the tank. FWC says to drain the hot water tank back into the main 20 gal water tank and then drain both through the common external drain valve. Supposedly the "by-pass" valve under the pump inside the forward cabinet will allow the '2 quarts of water' Atwood says is left inside the tank when the white plug drain is used to drain the tank will completely drain that residual into the main water tank. My question....what is the correct [gets most water out of the system] method to drain the hot water tank?
The good news! The camper w/solar panel [and truck..
] has sufficient clearance [1"] to fit through my shop's 8' door opening. Whew!
Still sorting out the different do's and don'ts but this camper is "first cabin" and seems very well thought out and constructed. Great external compartment on left side for 25' fill hose/ 25' 14ga electrical/shower hose is an example.
We have a side dinette and love the floor plan; we can eat at table with top down on the road.
List of options other than those mentioned:
LED external lights on sides and under overhang
Steps on back wall
130L 2-way Isotherm frig/freezer [20Ls larger/supposedly better than ordered Dometic..less amps]
Atwood heater
Exterior shower
Side awning
Thermal Pack
External gas struts
Two roof vents with Fantastic fans
Front slider window [yes, last of them] and I can use center mirror through the camper
I am certain that I will have question for the collective wisdom of the forum after a few shake-down camping adventures. But we are very "Happy Campers".
Big thanks to all of you on the forum!
Phil
Ps...Not to malign Portland area but the traffic and tension in that area sucked. Listening to "Crime Stoppers" in metro area on radio about a current freeway shooter, murders at a convenience store and the neurotic passive/ aggressive, glum looking drivers made me further appreciate our open country, no signal lights in entire county of only 7K folks and folks that wave [and not with just the middle finger... ] Oh, yes loved the yellow, brown air in upper Gorge...
Jeff and Clint in Tigard were way cool and left my new jacks boxed [easier to carry home] while using display jacks to mount the camper; I backed it in; about 1" clearance from jacks and fender flares. Drained all water, turned off propane, turned off master battery disconnect and watched the 160w roof solar panel [on Yak Tracs] keep pumping juice into the dual Exide batteries. The portable 80w panel is very well done and in a semi-rigid case with a carrying handle. Both are Zamp as is the controller and panel.
Draining the 6 gal hot water heater was interesting in that FWC says in their instruction pages that Atwood [igniter style] does not recommend pulling the white plastic plug in the outside compartment to drain the tank. However that is exactly what ARC and the Atwood instruction sheet says to do; pull that plug to drain the tank. FWC says to drain the hot water tank back into the main 20 gal water tank and then drain both through the common external drain valve. Supposedly the "by-pass" valve under the pump inside the forward cabinet will allow the '2 quarts of water' Atwood says is left inside the tank when the white plug drain is used to drain the tank will completely drain that residual into the main water tank. My question....what is the correct [gets most water out of the system] method to drain the hot water tank?
The good news! The camper w/solar panel [and truck..
] has sufficient clearance [1"] to fit through my shop's 8' door opening. Whew! Still sorting out the different do's and don'ts but this camper is "first cabin" and seems very well thought out and constructed. Great external compartment on left side for 25' fill hose/ 25' 14ga electrical/shower hose is an example.
We have a side dinette and love the floor plan; we can eat at table with top down on the road.
List of options other than those mentioned:
LED external lights on sides and under overhang
Steps on back wall
130L 2-way Isotherm frig/freezer [20Ls larger/supposedly better than ordered Dometic..less amps]
Atwood heater
Exterior shower
Side awning
Thermal Pack
External gas struts
Two roof vents with Fantastic fans
Front slider window [yes, last of them] and I can use center mirror through the camper
I am certain that I will have question for the collective wisdom of the forum after a few shake-down camping adventures. But we are very "Happy Campers".
Big thanks to all of you on the forum!
Phil
Ps...Not to malign Portland area but the traffic and tension in that area sucked. Listening to "Crime Stoppers" in metro area on radio about a current freeway shooter, murders at a convenience store and the neurotic passive/ aggressive, glum looking drivers made me further appreciate our open country, no signal lights in entire county of only 7K folks and folks that wave [and not with just the middle finger...
] Oh, yes loved the yellow, brown air in upper Gorge...
