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Moved my Hawk from F150 to Tundra


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#1 Old Crow

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Posted 17 October 2017 - 04:52 PM

Over the weekend I finished up the move of my Hawk from its older F150 to a 2013 Tundra.   I had bought the 2001 Hawk and 2001 F150 as a complete rig in December 2014.  At the time, I thought I'd replace the F150 within a year but instead grew to like the rig as it was.  But the Tundra became available this summer from a family member and I decided it was time to modernize.  I had first-hand knowledge of the vehicle through its entire history and it had the options and color I wanted so it was an easy decision.

 

Here's a shot of the Hawk on the F150.... (click to enlarge)

 

HawkOnF150AtBigGumSwamp.jpg

 

and here are two of it on the Tundra....

 

HawkOnTundraViewFromLF.jpg HawkOnTundra.jpg

 

 

My Hawk has a single AGM battery which powers the LED lights and (occasionally) the furnace.  In the old rig, I charged the battery using an inverter to power a 120-volt battery charger.  That worked for the way I travel and how little I use the battery.  But I didn't want the same setup in the new rig as it was too easy to accidently kill my truck battery with a small mistake (like forgetting to turn it off).

 

I first thought I'd go with the Blue Sea isolation switch many of you use.  But then I started keeping an eye on alternator voltage using a digital voltage display and voltmeter.  When I saw the Tundra was only putting out 14.0 volts upon startup and that voltage dropped to 13.4 or lower when it warms up, I decided I'd better go with a DC-DC charger to get charging voltage up to something more in line with battery-manufacturer charging recommendations.

 

The CTEK D250S came to mind.  But as I researched it I learned the new model-- the D250SA-- is available in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.  That model has an option to charge AGM batteries at 14.7 volts (as opposed to the D250S charging at 14.4 volts) so I ordered one from England. 

 

Here's a shot of mine in place...

 

CTEK250SA.jpg

 

-Old Crow


Edited by Old Crow, 20 October 2017 - 03:02 PM.

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'01 FWC Hawk shell on a '13 Tundra Double-Cab  + '19 Ford Transit van with Quigley 4x4 option


#2 longhorn1

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Posted 17 October 2017 - 06:08 PM

Nice set-up. Thanks for sharing. jd

Edited by longhorn1, 18 October 2017 - 01:56 AM.

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#3 BillTheHiker

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Posted 17 October 2017 - 06:31 PM

Just curious if you had considered an F-250 and if not, why not?


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#4 Vic Harder

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Posted 18 October 2017 - 01:42 AM

Over the weekend I finished up the move of my Hawk from its older F150 to a 2013 Tundra.   I had bought the 2001 Hawk and 2001 F150 as a complete rig in December 2014.  At the time, I thought I'd replace the F150 within a year but instead grew to like the rig as it was.  But the Tundra became available this summer from a family member and I decided it was time to modernize.  I had first-hand knowledge of the vehicle through its entire history and it had the options and color I wanted so it was an easy decision.

 

Here's a shot of the Hawk on the F150.... (click to enlarge)

 

attachicon.gifHawkOnF150AtBigGumSwamp.jpg

 

and here are two of it on the Tundra....

 

attachicon.gifHawkOnTundraViewFromLF.jpg attachicon.gifHawkOnTundra.jpg

 

 

My Hawk has a single (Lifeline AGM) battery which powers the LED lights and (occasionally) the furnace.  In the old rig, I charged the battery using an inverter to power a 120-volt battery charger.  That worked for the way I travel and how little I use the battery.  But I didn't want the same setup in the new rig.

 

I first thought I'd go with the Blue Sea isolation switch that many of you use.  But then I started keeping an eye on alternator voltage using a digital voltage display.  When I saw the Tundra was only putting out 14.0 volts upon startup and that voltage dropped to 13.5 or lower when it warms up, I decided I'd better go with a DC-DC charger to get charging voltage up to something more in line with battery-manufacturer charging recommendations.

 

The CTEK D250S came to mind.  But as I researched it I learned the new model-- the D250SA-- is available in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.  That model has an option to charge AGM batteries at 14.7 volts (as opposed to the D250S charging at 14.4 volts) so I ordered one from England. 

 

Here's a shot of mine in place...

 

attachicon.gifCTEK250SA.jpg

 

-Old Crow

Nice !  I liked the idea of the CTEK D250S, but that low output voltage was less than ideal.  PERFECT now!


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#5 MattC

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Posted 18 October 2017 - 11:34 AM

Nice set up 

you will like your Toyota 


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#6 Old Crow

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Posted 18 October 2017 - 05:46 PM

Just curious if you had considered an F-250 and if not, why not?

 

Hi, Bill....

 

The choice of Tundra has more to do with that specific truck than with merits of Tundra versus another brand.

 

One of my two brothers leased it from new.  He has an early-90s Sun-Lite truck camper and the three of us go on 7 to 10-day trips in the old beast once or twice a year.   We don't see each other much so we really look forward to those trips and the Sun-Lite/Tundra combination served us well.  The point here, though, is I learned to like that Tundra from our trips.

 

When the lease expired in 2016, my nephew bought the truck from his Dad's lease.  And when he started talking about trading it in this summer, I jumped at the chance to get it for my Hawk.   I had been looking for one (and also at F150s and F250s) but hadn't yet found the right combination of options, mileage, color, condition, and price.


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'01 FWC Hawk shell on a '13 Tundra Double-Cab  + '19 Ford Transit van with Quigley 4x4 option


#7 Bill D

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Posted 19 October 2017 - 01:00 AM

How do you like the Toyota compared to the older Ford as far as carrying the camper is concerned?


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#8 fireball

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Posted 19 October 2017 - 03:07 PM

Just spotted you outside Starbucks off route 30. Small world!
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#9 Old Crow

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Posted 19 October 2017 - 05:37 PM

How do you like the Toyota compared to the older Ford as far as carrying the camper is concerned?

 

Hi, Bill D!

 

Well, so far so good.   I went from a 4.2L V6 engine ( 202 hp / 252# torque ) to a 5.7L V8 ( 381 hp / 401# torque ) so it does seem a bit peppier  :)

 

According to spec sheets it appears I theoretically lost something like 150 pounds of payload capacity.  But the Tundra also went from the P-rated tires used by the manufacturer for payload calculations to E-rated tires and I don't know how that changes those calculations.

 

Your question prompted me to finally get my rig weighed this morning.  I called up my county trash incinerator folks and was told I could get a weight  for a nominal $5 charge.  But when I went down there,  the nice ladies at the window said if all I wanted was to see the weight on the display (and didn't need a printout), I could just look at the display and then bypass the payment lane on the way out. 

 

Weight was 7030 pounds.  That includes the rig and most of my gear (less cooler contents and day-pack) plus me.  The certification sticker shows GVWR is 7100 pounds (on P-rated tires).   I don't consider that an issue given how the Tundra acted with the heavier Sun-Lite camper and three guys.

 

The rig has a bit of what I call 'shudder' sometimes.  It kind of feels like you're towing a trailer with a too-loose ball-hitch and the trailer's moving back and forth, sometimes tugging on the ball and sometimes pushing it.   It mostly happens when I get into the roiling air behind a big-rig on the interstate and sometimes on a windier day when wind is coming from ahead.  The F150 also had that and the Tundra had it with the Sun-Lite camper.  I've started to look into adding some type of air-dam.

 

(Edited 10/19 to correct weight from 7060 to 7030 per my note taken at the scale.)


Edited by Old Crow, 20 October 2017 - 03:51 AM.

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'01 FWC Hawk shell on a '13 Tundra Double-Cab  + '19 Ford Transit van with Quigley 4x4 option


#10 Old Crow

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Posted 19 October 2017 - 05:49 PM

Just spotted you outside Starbucks off route 30. Small world!

 

HA!  Small world indeed.   Sorry we didn't get a chance to chat.

 

Yeah, that was me.   I was getting my Iced Caramel Macchiato after getting the rig weighed at the county incinerator right up the street from there.


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'01 FWC Hawk shell on a '13 Tundra Double-Cab  + '19 Ford Transit van with Quigley 4x4 option





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