Tundra Gen2 + FWC Hawk build questions

[Victory971]

I'm considering a FWC Hawk for my 09 Tundra Double Cab and looking for advice from anyone that has the same setup. ie:

What suspension upgrades did you make? Add a leaf, air bag etc? Rear sway bar?

What brands are you using and how do they perform with the camper installed and removed? I will also need to use it as a truck and would like to avoid a harsh ride unloaded.

How does your rig handle with the camper? Any issues with braking? I'm a little concerned since a loaded Hawk is a few hundred lbs over max payload.

Thanks for any info.

 

[redthies]

Howdy Vic. Welcome to ExPo. While I don’t have a Hawk, I do have a ton of experience with installing truck campers, I am a product evaluator for Torklift, and build custom RVs for a living.

If you have tires and wheels rated for the load, you can add either Firestone or Airlift airbags and carry the Hawk very effectively. If you add Daystar cradle, you can help keep more articulation in the rear when unloaded. I personally have never bothered with the cradles on any of my builds, but I’m usually hauling campers on 3500s so articulation is usually not present at the best of times.

If you want to add a bit of lift as well, I have always had great luck with OME. My Tundra has Bilstein 5100s in it and they are fine too. I try to leave my rear springs stock for good ride quality when empty, and use bags to carry weight. You can add capacity with beefed up spring packs, but your unladen ride will likely suffer.

 

[tacollie]

We ran our hawk on a 2nd gen Tundra for around 30k miles. I did E rated, Firestone airbags with Daystar cradles, Fox shocks, and an Icon aal. It worked pretty good. The Tundra leafs are soft and overtime I ended up with 65 psi in the airbags. I bought a rear seat bar but never installed. I ended up installing it on a buddies Tundra with a Hawk and he said it made a difference. I would consider a better set of leaf springs. I never had any issues with the brakes. Despite being overweight the truck always perform well braking and in invasive maneuvers.

Another buddy with a Tundra and Hawk flatbed combo who did 2.5" Radflow coilovers, 2.5" Radflow shocks in the rear, and Alcan leaf springs. It's a chunky 8800lbs loaded with water and his KTM. That truck drives like a dream now with the suspension mods.

We did end up selling it and getting a 3/4 ton because our setup was going to get heavier. Had we not planned on getting heavier we would still have the Tundra.

 

[MR E30]

I am not in the same boat, but a similar one. I'll share for just a bit more info.

AluCab Canopy Camper on 2021 Tacoma, DCLB.

I skipped airbags entirely, as I like to wheel a bit, and get through tricky sections with all my wheels on the ground.

2.5" Radflo's at each corner with custom Alcan Springs. Plus a lot of weld in reinforcements and other assisting mods, Hammer Hangers being the most notable.

Thing drives like a dream. Suspension easily carries the ~1,000 lb I put in the back (20 gallons of water). High speeds over whoops easily handled. Slow, camber-y sections are also a breeze.

I can't speak to the trucks handling without anything in the bed, but when the camper was empty when I first bought it I didn't notice bad jarring from the suspension.

 

[Victory971]

Howdy Vic. Welcome to ExPo. While I don’t have a Hawk, I do have a ton of experience with installing truck campers, I am a product evaluator for Torklift, and build custom RVs for a living.

If you have tires and wheels rated for the load, you can add either Firestone or Airlift airbags and carry the Hawk very effectively. If you add Daystar cradle, you can help keep more articulation in the rear when unloaded. I personally have never bothered with the cradles on any of my builds, but I’m usually hauling campers on 3500s so articulation is usually not present at the best of times.

If you want to add a bit of lift as well, I have always had great luck with OME. My Tundra has Bilstein 5100s in it and they are fine too. I try to leave my rear springs stock for good ride quality when empty, and use bags to carry weight. You can add capacity with beefed up spring packs, but your unladen ride will likely suffer.

Thank you

 

[Victory971]

We ran our hawk on a 2nd gen Tundra for around 30k miles. I did E rated, Firestone airbags with Daystar cradles, Fox shocks, and an Icon aal. It worked pretty good. The Tundra leafs are soft and overtime I ended up with 65 psi in the airbags. I bought a rear seat bar but never installed. I ended up installing it on a buddies Tundra with a Hawk and he said it made a difference. I would consider a better set of leaf springs. I never had any issues with the brakes. Despite being overweight the truck always perform well braking and in invasive maneuvers.

Another buddy with a Tundra and Hawk flatbed combo who did 2.5" Radflow coilovers, 2.5" Radflow shocks in the rear, and Alcan leaf springs. It's a chunky 8800lbs loaded with water and his KTM. That truck drives like a dream now with the suspension mods.

We did end up selling it and getting a 3/4 ton because our setup was going to get heavier. Had we not planned on getting heavier we would still have the Tundra.

Thanks for the info. 8800lbs? That is chunky!

 

[Victory971]

I am not in the same boat, but a similar one. I'll share for just a bit more info.

AluCab Canopy Camper on 2021 Tacoma, DCLB.

I skipped airbags entirely, as I like to wheel a bit, and get through tricky sections with all my wheels on the ground.

2.5" Radflo's at each corner with custom Alcan Springs. Plus a lot of weld in reinforcements and other assisting mods, Hammer Hangers being the most notable.

Thing drives like a dream. Suspension easily carries the ~1,000 lb I put in the back (20 gallons of water). High speeds over whoops easily handled. Slow, camber-y sections are also a breeze.

I can't speak to the trucks handling without anything in the bed, but when the camper was empty when I first bought it I didn't notice bad jarring from the suspension.

Thx. How do you like the Alucab? That is the other option I've been considering now that its available for the Tundra.

 

[MR E30]

Thx. How do you like the Alucab? That is the other option I've been considering now that its available for the Tundra.

I will be living out of my Tacoma full time, so I had a bunch of requirements. The Alucab Canopy Camper came out on top, by a large margin. It is simply so easy to use, that day after day it won't wear you down in the way that say, opening and closing a soft shell rtt would. I didn't want to be undoing zippers, or unclipping push boards and prying on them while pushing to raise the roof. I didn't want clips around the entire perimeter of the tent. Just two at the back, and a light push. Your bed is ready, pillows and comforters and all. The wedge tent is superior on windy nights. Point the truck into the wind and you can sleep through 30-40 mph gusts without issue, the wind simply rushes over the rigid roof, as there is no fabric for it to flap around in that orientation.

Since the camper actually has some integrity to it, customizing the inside is so much better than a GFC, which uses round pipe/tubes for the frame. I wanted to maximize every square inch, and that has been easy to do so far.

I love it. I am convinced it's the best thing on the market, for what it is and what it cost. Especially if you can wrap your head around some of your daily activities taking place outside, i.e. the shower cube for outdoor showers, Shadow Awn for shaded exterior space, etc. It certainly blows every other camper of its type out of the water. GFC, SP X1, Vagabond, none are as convenient or as usable/customizable as the Alucab.

This is just all of my opinions of course, though I did put a ton of time into research, probably 80 hours (damn YouTube) into that decision alone.