1990 FWC Hawk - Questions

[longshanks]

greetings from northern Canada!

I've never laid eyes on a Four Wheel camper but they seem to be the bomb for somebody that's looking to go off road and keep things light. I've never owned a camper before and for the first one I'm looking for something cheap, with a queen bed, and minimal clutter. Found a 1990 Four Wheel Hawk for sale, and due to the fact that it's about 8 hours drive away from me, I wanted to pick the brains of some of the seasoned pros here

The owner says it's in very good condition and everything works. Is there anything in particular that I should be looking for or asking about? He said the fridge/stove/furnace all work fine. I have no problems with any minor cosmetic renos at the price he's asking ($3.5K). What about the canvas, how long can it last?

 

[Ramblinman]

Hurry up and buy it.

.... or somebody else will. I started looking for a FWC in early August. I had not heard of them until then. Once I got on to FWC I was confident that it suited what I wanted to use a camper for. I started looking. At first I found one in Kimberly BC and then Kingston. I scoffed at the drive and drug my feet since I live in Northern AB. They both sold very quickly. Long story short, I was just about to order a new one for $25,000+ until ... just by chance I came across a newer/used until in Ottawa. I bought it and saved a ton of money.

I am happy to make the drive across the country for the savings and I am just happy to have FWC for spring.

Sounds like an OK price to me. 05's were going anywhere from 7500.00-10,000 when I found them. Seems as though we are paying top dollar for the frame.

Good Luck .... it would not surprise me if it was sold already as I know of a number of people in BC that are looking for Hawks.

Keep us posted!

 

[pods8]

Just make sure the width fits your truck. The old old ones are for 64" tailgate width, then they were for a 60" tailgate width, and now they are for a 58" tailgate width. I think 90 to the early 2000s are the ones for a 60" wide tailgate, that is what my 2000 Hawk is. My third gen dodge fits it fine (not sure about the 4th gen) but some of the other manufacturers only have a 58" tailgate opening and it won't fit.

Also you mentioned a queen size bed, might want to check on how long the cabover is and whether it has a pullout or not, if so how far does it pull out. My 2000 hawk had a 48" cabover (a "full" bed) with no pullout, I added a slide out with two strips of cushion to either make it a queen size or king size as desired.

Canvas can last a long time if well cared for, it can also go to crap if not cared for. There are some threads on WTW about sideliner replacement if needed, both ATC and FWC can supply a new sideliner for your installation, or you can go to them.

 

[goodtimes]

They went to the narrower camper in 1991. 64" down to 60".

That is the width of the tail gate - not the width between the wheel wells.

I have the original roof and fabric on my '91 Granby. It's got a couple holes in the fabric - but they are easily patched.

Tom @ FWC put together a list of things to check on a older camper, over on Wanderthewest. Definitely a lot to look at and consider. Once you make the drive, you are probably going to be willing to lower your bar on condition to avoid making the trip for nothing (been there, done that).

For the asking price - it should be in really good shape (relative to it's age). Obviously it isn't going to be as nice as a camper that is 20 years newer - but for 3.5K, it shouldn't be full of holes, have a roached out interior, leaky roof, damaged siding, etc.

 

[longshanks]

thanks...

that's some great info you guys provided. We decided to pass on the Hawk for sale in BC. I expect that we'll only find what we're looking for in the PNW, and I'll have to drive down there and haul it back across the border.

Right now I have a Toyota Tacoma, and my plan is to upgrade to a full size in the next 3-4 years or so. Until then, I'm taking on an ambitious project to modify my existing utility trailer so that it will fit a FWC. So, the info you've provided on the widths is very useful. thanks again.

I talked to my wife about it last night and we think we're going to hold out for one that's slightly newer, and probably a Grandby. We're both tall people, and with my 6'5, I want the 8' length of the Grandby. Want to have as much space as possible.

Two questions. First, how comfortable are the beds? It seems like the cushioning is mighty slim. Is there enough depth in the upper bed to store a memory foam topper or something to make it more comfortable? Second, how much contortion will a guy that's 6'5 and 220lbs have to go through to fit in/out of that rear door?

cheers!

 

[pods8]

Cushion depends on the year/options. Mine has a 48" cabover so it came with a 4" mattress (which is fairly firm but could always get replaced with something softer), there isn't extra room for a topper really. The ones with the shorter cabover (I don't know the length exactly, maybe 32"?) have a doubled over 2" mattress I believe which I've heard complaints about. The cabover profile is thicker on some of the newer campers I've seen though so they might allow thicker mattresses or a foam topper better. However neither of there arrangements are going to work very well for you at 6'5" since the campers are only 78" wide on the interior unless you like pressing against the soft sides. I've added a long enough pullout on mine to turn it into a king sized bed allowing you to sleep parallel to the camper which might be something you'd need to do as well. We usually sleep head towards the camper and it works decent at 6' but at 6'5" you might need to rig up something so you don't drop your pillow off the slide out or sleep head towards the front of the camper (more claustrophobic).

At 6' I don't find the door too bad since you're climbing up/forward or stepping out/downward. Not sure how the extra 5" will factor in.