Newbie Looking for Hawk

[rich]

Hello Everyone,

I was recently teaching a whitewater guideschool and my co-instructor had a skamper pop top which gave me camper envy while I slept on a paco pad in the back of my pick up. He told me about four wheel campers and after a lot of research I have decided that it's the camper to get. I have a 1996 Toyota T-100 short bed extra cab. I am looking for a used Hawk, anyone looking to sell? Also I have seen some T-100's on here that have Eagle models on them. On four wheel's website they recommended the larger hawk for the t-100 so are people running the eagles because they are lighter and smaller and the t-100 really can't handle the Hawk? Any input would be helpfull in my search.

Thanks and great forum!

Rich

 

[jimjxsn]

Hi Rich, welcome to the forum and good luck finding a suitable camper. I think you need a newer Hawk to fit a T100 or Tundra. Check the FWC website but I think it is ~2002 or newer. So, check your measurements - it is the width at the tailgate that if critical. Also some Hawks that were made for a Ford truck are taller and don't fit well on the Toyotas. The Eagle and Rangers are narrower and fit well on the 'midsized' trucks...

 

[rich]

Looking for Eagle or Kestrel Model

Hi Jimjxsn,

Thanks for the welcome and the info. I called four wheel campers and they said that the eagle fits great on the T-100 and that any Hawk from 2002 or newer will slide in but will sit 3 inches off the bedrail which raises the center of gravity and looks funny since it is designed for the f-150. Apparently starting in 2005 they began making a model called the Kestrel which they don't even advertise by name because it is essentially a hawk that is three inches shorter to fit toyota Tundra and T-100s bed height. So the upshot is I am looking for a Kestrel or Toyota fit Hawk 2005 or newer (which I will probably never find used) or an Eagle.

Thanks for the help,

Rich

 

[LAWNMOWERMAN]

Eagle on T100

I have an Eagle model on my 97 T100.Two advantages of this setup are,no overhang on bedsides and you can still use your stock mirrors.I had to make adapter plates to move my jacks out from the bedsides but that was easy.If you install a FWC camper in your T100 I would seriously reinforce the bed corners especially in the front.The front corners of the bed are held together with crappy pinch welds and can pullup under stress.

 

[benburnett]

Short Hawk

Here is a site that may have something.

http://www.usedfourwheelcampers.com/index.html

Craigs list is also a good source.

The Hawks don't come up that often and even less to find one that has been made shorter. We did the same thing when I owned FWC from 94 to 01. We didn't call it another name though. We still used the Hawk name on the camper. So that should give you a few more years to look at also.

 

[rich]

Lawnmowerman,

Thanks for the advice. I rescued my friends scamper from a flood and the jacks tore up my bedrails so I am familiar with camper to bed damage. Did you add metal to the bed corners or just weld them better?

 

[rich]

ATC equivalent

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the tip. I have already put my name on the list at usedfourwheelcampers.com Does ATC have a camper of equivalent size to the hawk that is set up for a Toyota t-100? Also what are the differences between a FWC and ATC camper? I've checked both websites and they look very similar. Both seem to be great products.

 

[benburnett]

hawk

Rich,

Both campers are very much alike. Main differences are that the extended bed on ours is standard. Our camper is 4" wider which allows for a deeper cabinet for more storage and a larger water tank than we used to use. Gives you a bit more room in the camper overall also.

FWC offers more options than we do and has that neat roll down couch. They have also raised the walls of their camper 3" to be able to put in a larger refer than we offer. In turn, this gives more head room in their camper.

We do make a Panther shorter for the Tundra trucks and we also put extra steel plates under the front mounts on a Tundra. If you have any questions, feel free to call anytime.

 

[chnlisle]

Welcome Rich,
Dude you missed the buy of the century. I just sold my 2001 Ranger. I used it on my '95 T-100 and the over hang was never a problem even on the roughest washboard and my wife loved the extra room. I wouldnt rule out the Ranger.
Jay

 

[rich]

Jay,

Yeah I saw your ranger for $2,500 right. That looked like a great deal, I just hadn't done enough research yet to make a purchase. I also intend to tow a flat bed trailer w/ rafts on it so I think the hang over might have made that difficult. Congratulations on the sale though.
Rich