Pic Request.... Show me your fullsize quad cab going through the squeeze...

KiwiKurt

Explorer
...at devil's kitchen/elephant hill...

I really dig the Tacoma, and it seems pretty perfect for trail use. The reality is, I can't think of too many places I've been or want to go that I couldnt fit a 1500 quad cab. Wife. 2 kids. Dog....appropriate comforts that keep all the afore mentioned happy and engaged on month long trips....the 1500 just makes more and more and more sense. Especially when I look at the comforts and capabilities of things like the F150 and the Ram. A quad cab short bed just has everything we need in terms of space, comfort, and capability. And Ram ecodiesel mileage with a chip? goodness...yes please.

The only place I can think of that I've been that makes me nervous is the squeeze at Devils Kitchen in Needles district. It's a favorite spot of ours, so as silly as it sounds, whatever I get has to be able to fit through it.

Does it fit? Is this a stupid question? Anyone with a late model 1500 truck come up to a place they havent been able to fit?

Thanks all!! cheers.
 

PwrWagon

Member
I don't have a photo of my truck going through but there is another member with a power wagon that has made it. If a 2500 can I am sure the 1500 should fit.
 

KiwiKurt

Explorer
I don't have a photo of my truck going through but there is another member with a power wagon that has made it. If a 2500 can I am sure the 1500 should fit.

All i needed to hear. Thanks! so, it fits....next question...ram box? or not? When it is in work truck mode, man o man would that come in handy for what i do. It would get used daily. but for trips? becomes a pita when you want to get a cap on the truck.
 
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p nut

butter
Fullsize Landcruisers have also gone through the squeeze, so should be doable with a fullsize truck (as mentioned above). Move to a 1/2 ton has been great for me as well (2 kids, but no dog). So much space, that it makes long distance trips much less dreadful for the kids (which in turn, makes it that much more pleasant for the parents). For more offroad ventures, I would think the Ram has the edge, as far as aftermarket support goes. I like what AEV has done with the 1500 (albeit kind of expensive). However, I chose the F150 for the MPG, interior ergo, and most importantly, Safety. Ram, unfortunately, rated the worst (hopefully they'll make improvements there). Ford's got a decent amount of aftermarket support as well for simple lift and basic armor, so shouldn't be a big deal. And they are available with a rear locker, which is a plus (I believe just LSD in the Ram, which is probably all I would ever need).
 

KiwiKurt

Explorer
Fullsize Landcruisers have also gone through the squeeze, so should be doable with a fullsize truck (as mentioned above). Move to a 1/2 ton has been great for me as well (2 kids, but no dog). So much space, that it makes long distance trips much less dreadful for the kids (which in turn, makes it that much more pleasant for the parents). For more offroad ventures, I would think the Ram has the edge, as far as aftermarket support goes. I like what AEV has done with the 1500 (albeit kind of expensive). However, I chose the F150 for the MPG, interior ergo, and most importantly, Safety. Ram, unfortunately, rated the worst (hopefully they'll make improvements there). Ford's got a decent amount of aftermarket support as well for simple lift and basic armor, so shouldn't be a big deal. And they are available with a rear locker, which is a plus (I believe just LSD in the Ram, which is probably all I would ever need).

Thanks for chiming in, p nut.


Yeah, the AEV mods for ram are top notch. Also, the Ram Eco Diesel with the green diesel engineering tune is returning real-world 70-75mph cruise figures of almost 32mpg over a 70ish mile loop...pretty tough to beat. Aftermarket for the ford looks tough, probably because they refresh so often. I think for just owning a truck, the Ford I think is way better...but when setting up for overland, the Ram is at least worth strong consideration.

Also, looking into the IIHS test (because it was a concern for me) it seems as though only the ford crew cab did that well, and the other cabs fell as short as the Ram. Ford quickly added the Crew cab braces to the other cabs in late 2015, and something I found and not widely reported is that Ram went back and did the same thing to all of their trucks starting with the 2015.5 Rebel. So, Rams from 2016 and on have the same bracing at the front to correct the slight offset frontal crash the same way Ford did. The f150 also beats the ram on roll over crash rating, with the ford being able to withstand something like 4x its weight on its roof before collapse and the ram only like 3x or something.....clearly the ford is superior, but i guess i personally feel the difference between 4x and 3x is largely semantics....of course others may feel differently.

I do like the Ford F150 better. To just buy a truck, I do think it's better. But when I look at what I want for overlanding, the Ram is catching my eye with its air suspension, AEV aftermarket, ram box lock storage option, diesel engine (And the available aftermarket for it). I've also heard that Ram will make a sweetheart of a deal on their trucks right now, which is not without merit. I have time until I need to buy, so plenty of time to research, see how the Ford f150 powerstroke turns out, see what the 2019 Ram is going to do, and then drive both and maybe get a deal on a 2018 Ram if I decide to go that way.

Would love input you and others have on their late model 1500's...what you like/dont like etc..... I don't see chevy being in the running, though. I just cant see myself giving Chevy my business after having owned so many disasters of theirs over the years.
 

p nut

butter
Thanks for chiming in, p nut.


Yeah, the AEV mods for ram are top notch. Also, the Ram Eco Diesel with the green diesel engineering tune is returning real-world 70-75mph cruise figures of almost 32mpg over a 70ish mile loop...pretty tough to beat. Aftermarket for the ford looks tough, probably because they refresh so often. I think for just owning a truck, the Ford I think is way better...but when setting up for overland, the Ram is at least worth strong consideration.

Also, looking into the IIHS test (because it was a concern for me) it seems as though only the ford crew cab did that well, and the other cabs fell as short as the Ram. Ford quickly added the Crew cab braces to the other cabs in late 2015, and something I found and not widely reported is that Ram went back and did the same thing to all of their trucks starting with the 2015.5 Rebel. So, Rams from 2016 and on have the same bracing at the front to correct the slight offset frontal crash the same way Ford did. The f150 also beats the ram on roll over crash rating, with the ford being able to withstand something like 4x its weight on its roof before collapse and the ram only like 3x or something.....clearly the ford is superior, but i guess i personally feel the difference between 4x and 3x is largely semantics....of course others may feel differently.

I do like the Ford F150 better. To just buy a truck, I do think it's better. But when I look at what I want for overlanding, the Ram is catching my eye with its air suspension, AEV aftermarket, ram box lock storage option, diesel engine (And the available aftermarket for it). I've also heard that Ram will make a sweetheart of a deal on their trucks right now, which is not without merit. I have time until I need to buy, so plenty of time to research, see how the Ford f150 powerstroke turns out, see what the 2019 Ram is going to do, and then drive both and maybe get a deal on a 2018 Ram if I decide to go that way.

Would love input you and others have on their late model 1500's...what you like/dont like etc..... I don't see chevy being in the running, though. I just cant see myself giving Chevy my business after having owned so many disasters of theirs over the years.

Ah, ok. Good to hear Ram made improvements. It would, for sure, make a great overlanding vehicle. One other thing to consider: rear space (if you're going for a crew cab). F150 is the biggest. It's gigantic, with a flat floor. Perfect for your kids plus dog. Not sure on the Ram. Either way, both would be good picks. Yeah, see how the Powerstoke does. I'm not a fan of diesel (as dissected, argued, revisited, and mutilated in other threads), but for those that want it, may be worth the wait to see. The one drawback on the Ram ecodiesel is the low payload rating. But if you're not hauling or towing much, may not be a big deal to you.
 

KiwiKurt

Explorer
Ah, ok. Good to hear Ram made improvements. It would, for sure, make a great overlanding vehicle. One other thing to consider: rear space (if you're going for a crew cab). F150 is the biggest. It's gigantic, with a flat floor. Perfect for your kids plus dog. Not sure on the Ram. Either way, both would be good picks. Yeah, see how the Powerstoke does. I'm not a fan of diesel (as dissected, argued, revisited, and mutilated in other threads), but for those that want it, may be worth the wait to see. The one drawback on the Ram ecodiesel is the low payload rating. But if you're not hauling or towing much, may not be a big deal to you.

Yeah. A payload of just over 1k is pretty weak for the category....a few hundred less than the Hemi. Not sure if it's an acceleration thing or if the diesel is that much heavier than the Hemi. I'd have to do some math to see where about I would fall on that 1-1.1k lbs range and see. The F150 has it beat there. The rear seat of the Ram crew with the fold flat floor is fine for what I need, but the Ford has the advantage there. I don't have any reason to tow more than the Ram will pull...the payload may be an issue by the time you calculate passengers plus all of the usual accoutrements of a glamping truck...RTT, fridge, drawers....etc. I didnt realize it was this low until you said something....the f150 with a v8 is a full 600lb more...wow. Although, the lower payload is likely in part due to the rear Coil springs (or air springs) vs leaf springs of the ford..trade off being ride quality, and also remember that the f150 only has a payload of something like 1200lbs if you leave the P rated tires on (like Ram)...to get the full payload, if I'm not mistaken, you have to check the box for LT tires. The question becomes, however, if there were ever an incident, how likely am I to get hassled about being over GVWR? I've heard of trucking companies and people hauling huge trailers getting stopped -especially in Canada- but I've never heard of John Q Public rolling down the road getting stopped by Johnnie Law and directed to a vehicle scale...heck, after nearly a decade of being a cop (MAAAAANNY moons ago) I never even worked or heard of a crash where a non commercial vehicle's GVWR was checked. The axles on the Ram are rated to hold much more. Hm...curious.....be interested to hear other stories from folks on this.

It's pretty hard for other companies to compete with the F150. They overhaul the thing every few years it seems, and its the number 1 selling vehicle in all of north america for a reason....they are just well built and well thought out trucks. I previously had a XTerra that was a great vehicle for my needs at the time, but the lack of solid aftermarket hampered me from some things I wanted, and I wont repeat the headache....aftermarket support is a strong part of my consideration going into the buy this time around, and Ram has that topped it seems. Hard to find quality bumpers and lifts for the F150 (it seems?) and there is no one that makes a dust snorkel for them. Everything I've been able to find for the f150 in terms of lift and bumpers thus far is just the "bro truck with bro wheels and bro lightbars on top of 2 more bro light bars mounted to bro chrome with a bro tune and a bro exhaust" and I just.....can't......hahaha But, looks like Icon and BDS make lifts, Im sure some non "bro wheels" can be found to fit the lift requirements...bumpers might take some searching, I guess. I really like having the radiator protection and better approach angle with a bumper. The Ram has the f150 beat on clearance and break over angles etc.


Kind of a thread drift from my original question, but knowing a 1500 will fit where I need it to, I'm genuinely interested in hearing from people that made the switch to a 1500 from something smaller.
 
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p nut

butter
Coil springs is definite part of the lower payload, along with the heavier diesel engine. As far as the ride, I couldn't tell much difference, BUT I was just test driving around the city, so off-road may be a bigger discernible difference.
-
Pros and cons on either platform, so you'll just have to figure out which you'd value more. Mods wise.....I used to be into getting the Tacoma all decked out with sliders, bumpers, snorkel full sha-bang. Then go do trails where stock Subaru's roam free. :elkgrin: Nowadays, I like keeping things stock, or close to. Less stress on components, on wallet, and more money for gas and adventures. My truck is stock with 33's, and we've been all over Utah--Swells, Canyonland, Moab, etc. and surrounding states.
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Stock ain't all that bad :D
 

KiwiKurt

Explorer
Coil springs is definite part of the lower payload, along with the heavier diesel engine. As far as the ride, I couldn't tell much difference, BUT I was just test driving around the city, so off-road may be a bigger discernible difference.
-
Pros and cons on either platform, so you'll just have to figure out which you'd value more. Mods wise.....I used to be into getting the Tacoma all decked out with sliders, bumpers, snorkel full sha-bang. Then go do trails where stock Subaru's roam free. :elkgrin: Nowadays, I like keeping things stock, or close to. Less stress on components, on wallet, and more money for gas and adventures. My truck is stock with 33's, and we've been all over Utah--Swells, Canyonland, Moab, etc. and surrounding states.
-
Stock ain't all that bad :D

nice!!
 

MR. ED

Observer
No problem. I'll dig deep to look for the evidence, but we did it in my buddy's 01 Dodge 2500 long bed. If I remember correctly the tires hit the rock down low at the squeeze and kind of lifted the truck up. Drinking and wheeling make for fuzzy memories.
 

Comanche Scott

Expedition Leader
I was really excited about the Ram box, until I found there are no caps for it. So I'd have had to build my own... Yeah, that would probably never have happened. :(
For Overlanding and working, some way to keep everything locked up in the bed is worth considering.
Even a rack for a roof top tent on the Ram Box is hard to come by. I've seen a couple of threads for custom builds, but haven't seen anything yet on the mass-market.
Not sure why, because the Ram bed concept is awesome, and I see a lot of them out there.
 

RedF

Adventurer
I've heard much complaining about the ramboxes - some of it here. Search and you'll see complaints to the tune of poor fitment and dealers that can't/won't do anything about it, among other things.

Personally I'd buy the F150, V8 and rear locker.
 

KiwiKurt

Explorer
I've heard much complaining about the ramboxes - some of it here. Search and you'll see complaints to the tune of poor fitment and dealers that can't/won't do anything about it, among other things.

Personally I'd buy the F150, V8 and rear locker.

So far, I've read lots and lots of people who love Ram Boxes on the forums. It's something that, at work, I would use it literally every single day. The cap issue is..an issue. I've seen people come up with their own solutions with a little ingenuity and elbow grease. Havent decided if thats something I want to do just yet.

I have to say the ford is my #1 pick right now, I'm just giving the ram a solid look because I feel like i should look at all options with the $ I'm spending, my drive in a AEV Prospector left me beyond impressed with how far Ram has come in the last several years and the quality of AEV stuff, and the options for locking storage inside the Ram is pretty nice...especially if they make some crazy deal on it.

Thanks all! keep it coming with pics too! show me the stuff you like/dont like on your trucks.
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
My take is go full size and get the highest payload rating 150/1500 sized rig. If your into tight trails add a small light weight trail bike to a hitch rack given you have payload ;-). Then ride trails even tight trails easily, then return to a decked out camp with your glamper gear👍
 

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