Talk me out of a Power Wagon

Explorerinil

Observer
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The one gripe my wife has about me getting a new Ram is the passenger side legroom. There is a big hump coming off the trans hump that almost gives it a van doghouse flair. They try to dress it up with a deadpedal thing (not covered by the floormat) but temptation is strong to pull the carpet and take a sledge to it.

I currently dd a 200k 2002 F-150 so my standards for most things is pretty low... that was a headscratcher though. I guess it is for the PTO but all Ram trucks have it. My F-150 has a nice open floor pan, so does my dad's F-250, I guess I don't get it.

For Tradesman PW is a $8k option, almost as much as the Cummins. Again I figure the seats and lights should be at least as good as what I have had for the last 16.5 years and have been content with.
I have owned allot of ram trucks and never had a problem with them…. But the cab is my major gripe, sit in the rear of a ram and you knees will be at your throat. My switch to this Ford was mainly around room, the cab has flat floors and a ton more room. I find that my XLT super duty is a ton more comfortable than the fully loaded power wagon I had.
 

ripperj

Explorer
I suspect you could negotiate a much better deal on a 2500 vice a PW, you might have to wait a bit for inventory to build a bit.
Nothing in your original post screams power wagon vice a regular 2500, why pay for a winch, auto disconnect sway arms and front locker if you don’t really need it- trust me I get the cool factor. But I bet you are well over $10k difference


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

Tex68w

Beach Bum
If you could get the package on a 3500 with a Cummins it would be sitting in my driveway right now.

This is what I have been saying for years, the Tremor comes the closest to providing that.


If Ford 3/4 ton is not an option, a Ram is the natural choice. Maybe even the first choice. Who knows. Although that 7.3L Ford……I wouldn’t mind that.

Me personally, I’d probably push the wife into an F250 Tremor with 7.3.
But if you’re more about full-size rock crawling, PW is where it’s at.

I agree, after owning four Super Duty's, a PW and now a 3500 CTD 4x4 I agree that the Tremor is probably the best option for an all around truck, at least in my eyes and for my needs.


I almost bought a Tradesman with pw option but in the end the pw made more sense for me. If you try and look up the blue book on a used tradesman you will find they don't list the PW option so you will get screwed down the road if you trade vehicles often. The lights on the PW are light years ahead of the tradesman. Seats are better and powered and heated and I know it is cheesy but the dash and steering wheel are much nicer. The one thing the tradesman wins hands down is front grill is way better looking. I was going back and forth between these two at the time..View attachment 683482

The Tradesman grille is the best but I like the PW grille as well, I am just pissed that mine is chrome, I need to replace it with the all black like above or with the white painted parts. My high optioned (Tradesman with Bighorn trim) Tradesman came with the halogen headlights and they are indeed crap so I replaced them with the OEM halo LED's like on yours. I have $1000 in them purchasing them new discounted online and then I got $400 for the halogen units so for $600 I upgraded which is pretty good. Granted, I had to purchase AlfaOBD to reprogram the ECU for the lights but I needed it for a few other items as well so it's a wash in my eyes.





OP, I've owned a PW and I loved a lot of things about it, the interior design, the off-road bits and the ride quality to name a few. The 6.4L is a good motor, reliable, a bit "ticky" but good, just don't expect to get good gas mileage. Towing is fine so long as it's 6k-ish or less and you'll benefit from adding air bags and the Daystar buckets out back. Add a Thuren sway bar and front coils, Dethloff engine/tranny skid plate, some 35's or 37's and sliders or Amp Research steps and you'll have one hell of a truck. Now, if you want to tow like a 3/4-ton truck should then you're looking at the wrong truck, seriously consider a standard 2500/3500 4x4 or a Ford Tremor.

In the last decade I've had four Super Duties, all with the 6.7L Powerstroke Diesel, a PW and now a 3500 4x4 with the Cummins. Even though RAM has the most updated design to their cab in regards to the interior, I still prefer the interior and overall cab layout/design of the Ford. Ford has more room and a better rear under seat storage design. The RAM 2500 will ride a lot better with its rear coils but they also impede your payload and squat when towing heavy. I prefer the Cummins over the Powerstroke but that doesn't factor here and I see no difference in terms of overall customer service and dealerships between the two but there are always stand outs on both ends of that spectrum. Your money still goes slightly further with a RAM but know that it's completely built in Mexico, that bothers me to a degree, YMMV.

At the end of the day I don't think that a late model from either of the manufacturers is really better than the other because they both have their pros and cons, but I still lean slightly towards Ford overall and that's coming from a current RAM owner. Your issues with your Ford's are unfortunate but they don't factor into the 3/4-ton trucks so I wouldn't let that sway you away from the brand when considering a new truck. Best of luck with your decision, it's not an easy one but in the end you really can't go wrong either way.
 

jmnielsen

Tinkerer
Why not run better quality aftermarket manifolds From CRP and keep your current truck? The factory manifolds are thin and warp with heat. The "fix" is to either lower your EGTs or buy better manifolds.

Plenty of cases with CRP manifolds warping as well. Don't care to drop the extra cash for them to warp as well.

Not sure how to lower EGTs when towing/hauling.
 

chris_the_wrench

Fixer & Builder of Things
To start off Im not a fan of Raptors, trds, aevs, and powerwagons.(basically most oem ‘offroad packages’, except rubicon jeeps)

I’d get a regular 2500 ram and spend the savings on quality suspension from Carli/Thuren and some decent tires.

If lockers are that important to you doesn’t arb make one?

I guess power wagons and aev appeals for the buy not build factor but Im more inclined to start with a cheaper stock truck and put some quality after market gear on. I understand that with these packaged trucks you can finance the whole contraption/build up front.


Dont powerwagons come with bilstein 4600’s?? Ok to Mediocre $100 shocks.

Pw rant done.

-Chris
 

ricoisme26

Active member
My vote would be F250 with the 6.2 or 7.3. I understand the hesitation with Fords due to the previous vehicle history but both major issues appear to be caused by design flaws that are well documented. Maybe the 7.3 hasn't been out long enough to establish "well documented" design flaws. I've never really heard of any with the 6.2 and they are in trucks all over the country working away. I've driven a handful of F-150s and own a 2012, my fiance leased a 2020 Ram 1500 as well with the 12" screen and I was not a fan of the interior. It looks nice but I was never comfortable in it or never fell in love with it. We figured out that in the year she had the lease we put 12k miles on it and I was at the wheel for at least 7500 of those. I do love the 2015+ Ford interior, if I could do it for a reasonable price (if possible at all) I'd be swapping that interior into my truck. I know there may be differences moving form the 1.2 tons to the 3/4 ton truck on the interior but from the F250s I've been in it was minimal. My concern would be towing and payload in a Power Wagon. I've seen payload stickers well under 1/2 ton payloads on them. I'm sure they "can handle" more but do you want to be the one that finds out? an 8k-9k travel trailer would likely have a hefty tongue weight and likely eat up most of your payload. That's another reason I'd head for the F250. All that said I'm not opposed to RAM 6.4/8 speed combo, I've heard really good things about it. If a Ford is completely off the table then maybe a non-PW RAM is the way to go for payload reasons alone.

Best of luck finding a truck that suites you!
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
It's been a awhile but for me in the US the tradesman PW was cheaper and didn't come with a bunch of crap I dont want (like premium lighting for an example)
Doesn't seem to be the case here. And after living with the crappy headlights on my F150, given how much time I spend on highways, I will want better headlights next time around.
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jmnielsen

Tinkerer
I think I need to do some more digging and see what comes up with the Ford 7.3. The F250 Tremor with 7.3 is at the top of my list, but a little hesitant due to the motor being so new. I think it would fit my needs/use case better, but if I remove Ford from the equation I end up at a PW.

I'm not opposed to buying something and modifying, but I'd rather have a factory config that is covered by their warranty that will meet my needs rather than modifying a new vehicle and potentially running in to warranty issues.
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
Going on an assumption here. Maybe those that have owned both an F250 and PW can chime in. But I’d imagine the F250 would tow a 9k lb trailer better than the PW. Plus, at 15% tongue weight, you’re about out of payload capacity on the PW.
I think @Explorerinil and @Tex68w have owned both Power Wagons and Super Duties and have chimed in. I do believe you are correct about payload though. I was recently looking at 24' to 26' trailers and tongue weight seemed to be around 800 - 900 lbs. That wouldn't leave a lot for passengers and gear if your payload is below 1,800 lbs.

Maybe a couple of the PW owners can share what their payload ratings are as I sure it varies based on how well equipped the truck is.
 

jadmt

ignore button user
not the greatest payload but I have been quite a bit over gvwr and you would never know it.


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85_Ranger4x4

Well-known member
D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
Plenty of cases with CRP manifolds warping as well. Don't care to drop the extra cash for them to warp as well.

Not sure how to lower EGTs when towing/hauling.

Down shift and use RPMs instead of boost to pull a hill.
 

04Ram2500Hemi

Observer
I had a 2012 Power Wagon with the 5.7L Hemi and it was a great truck. If I was in the market for another 2500 it would be a Power Wagon again!FEB311F5-399C-4C0B-93BF-B59866DBB4BE.jpeg
 
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