21 replies to this topic

[SDJeff]

Hello,

I am a newbie who decided to stop lurking, get some info and buy a FWC. I am really excited and appreciate the great information I am finding here.

I am trying to decide between a hawk n a grandly. My plan is to put the camper on a 05 or 06 Tundra which I would purchase. I don't anticipate needing to tow. I do go off road a lot - I live for visiting remote places! I would like the extra room of a grandby (and I suspect my girlfriend would even more), especially bc I could get a bed configuration to allow us to sleep parallel with the truck (I think this will be big with her). However, the hawk seems like a better fit for the truck. Questions: 1) How big of a deal would center of gravity issues really be with a long bed camper on a tundra? I know some people say it is ok. Has anyone tried it and felt that it was a problem? Does anybody have experience with both a hawk and grandby to give me an idea what the difference would really be? 2) What suspension mods would I need w/the grandby compared to the hawk? Are air bags alone enough? 3) I don't care about the tailgate getting dirty (one concern I saw mentioned) but do people encounter problems with turning radius or the gate/camper hitting when offroad with a grandby on a shortbed? 4) Is it any better if I got an access cab vs a double cab? 5) Anything else I should be concerned about?

Please excuse me if this is redundant with past threads, but I wanted to hear peoples most recent experience and didn't find all these exact questions on past threads. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jeff

[Barko1]

If you like remote and have a Toyota then Grandby would be a bit much IMHO.

[chnlisle]

Welcome,
Just my 2 cents but even the Hawk is gong to tax the Toyota's suspension on rough roads. If you've been reading you see that even the guys with Ford & Chevy half tons have done suspension mods. And a few are pretty extensive.
Good luck.

[mtn-high]

The Tundra/Hawk is a very popular combo.

I have a combo of Supersprings and Timbrens on my truck and am completely happy with the way it handles/drives/rides/fits.

It works here because I don't haul massive amounts of alcohol on my trips. DD and the other guys NEED that extra payload!

YMMV. Best of luck

mtn

[billharr]

2005 Tundra TRD with 2002 Hawk. Added air bags and sway bar works great for me.

Bill

[Kilroy]

I had a Hawk on my Tundra. If I would have had a Granby I probably would still have it, wife who insisted on Hawk is now an ex.. Now have a 10' Alaskan on 1 ton Dodge diesel. Room is great, but miss the lightness on FWC.

Storage is always a big issue when camping, but a big plus for me with the Granby would have been the more comfortable inside seating.

Airbags on Tundra worked great, and continue to do so 4 years later. (Still have truck.) I think the adaptability of the airbags is just too good. Started out with Roadmaster helper springs. After two years they started to sag. Thats when I went to airbags.

[Country Doc]

I had a Hawk on my Tundra. If I would have had a Granby I probably would still have it, wife who insisted on Hawk is now an ex.. Now have a 10' Alaskan on 1 ton Dodge diesel. Room is great, but miss the lightness on FWC.

Storage is always a big issue when camping, but a big plus for me with the Granby would have been the more comfortable inside seating.

Airbags on Tundra worked great, and continue to do so 4 years later. (Still have truck.) I think the adaptability of the airbags is just too good. Started out with Roadmaster helper springs. After two years they started to sag. Thats when I went to airbags.

Just curious, how is the seating "more comfortable" in the Grandby? My understanding is that the interior layout is identical, just the extra 16" of "storage cabinet" to the right of the door in the Grandby as you walk in, and to the left of the settee at the front left. No difference in the seats/couch/beds/etc.

dc

[SDJeff]

Thank you very much to everyone who replied. I appreciate the information.
I will also try and keep in mind the issues of weight related to recreational liquids!

[Lighthawk]

This is really good info for me too. I've just acquired an 06 Tundra Access 4WD and have similar goals as SDJeff.
Seems like hanging an eight foot camper out of my six foot four inch bed would defeat the off road capabilities I'm trying to retain. Good info on the Timbrens and other mods. Definitely need to have some payload for liquid refreshments!

BTW the used Hawk in Sacramento shows an 'old style' width of 59 3/4" inches but apparently only the newer Hawks will fit a Tundra. Still learning what will actually fit. I also agree with SD that sleeeping parallel to the truck is the way to go. So what is the best model for this? Slide out bed for sure, but at least six feet long.

Andy

Thank you very much to everyone who replied. I appreciate the information.
I will also try and keep in mind the issues of weight related to recreational liquids!

[Idahojolson]

Just curious, how is the seating "more comfortable" in the Grandby? My understanding is that the interior layout is identical, just the extra 16" of "storage cabinet" to the right of the door in the Grandby as you walk in, and to the left of the settee at the front left. No difference in the seats/couch/beds/etc.

dc

I’d love to know the answer to this comment. I thought the 16” were in the dinette seating area. Anyone know?