Eating crow....2018 Ram Power Wagon build
- Thread starter Tex68w
- Start date
Tex68w
Beach Bum
Thanks for the kind words fellas, it's much appreciated.
I am working on getting the sliders ordered, nothing new there, the same old boring White Knuckle sliders like everyone else. The Nuthouse Rack should be debuting later this month at the Expo and then I'll trek to Ohio in June to have it installed on my truck. I hope to have a compressor setup installed before our trip next month to PINS, I've just gotta decide between Viair and ARB.
I've got a few trips planned in the coming months, unfortunately neither will be with the rack and RTT, but the truck will get off-road and stretch it's legs and that's all that matters.
I'm sure I'll get impatient and upgrade a few other items along the way, but that's what's on the docket for the coming months. Front bumper, lights, and a few other extras will follow soon after.
I am working on getting the sliders ordered, nothing new there, the same old boring White Knuckle sliders like everyone else. The Nuthouse Rack should be debuting later this month at the Expo and then I'll trek to Ohio in June to have it installed on my truck. I hope to have a compressor setup installed before our trip next month to PINS, I've just gotta decide between Viair and ARB.
I've got a few trips planned in the coming months, unfortunately neither will be with the rack and RTT, but the truck will get off-road and stretch it's legs and that's all that matters.
I'm sure I'll get impatient and upgrade a few other items along the way, but that's what's on the docket for the coming months. Front bumper, lights, and a few other extras will follow soon after.
Tex68w
Beach Bum
No idea who makes them, but they are the in house splined lug nuts that Discount Tire has made for them. I have a better designed splined lug nut on my F-250, but I paid significantly more for them through an off-road shop, they however, look brand new 7-8 months later. I too have my doubts about the durability of these newer ones on the Power Wagon after they've been removed a few times for tire rotations. I guess only time will tell, but at $45 a set I guess I can live with them being disposable every few years if they become unsightly.
Kingsize24
Well-known member
Looks great brother! Love the setup as a whole.
By the way.... everything looks small next to a Steiger. Haha
What part of Texas are you in? You local to the Houston/East Houston area? I'm out in Mont Belvieu, east on I-10 just before Anahuac.
By the way.... everything looks small next to a Steiger. Haha
What part of Texas are you in? You local to the Houston/East Houston area? I'm out in Mont Belvieu, east on I-10 just before Anahuac.
Spent this week fertilizing and spraying a few thousand acres of cotton, milo, and soybean. Truck looks small next to the Steiger.
We are heading out for our PINS run next Friday, looking forward to the Power Wagon getting it's first taste of off-road travel.
Tex68w
Beach Bum
Thanks! She's slowly coming together, Nuthouse Rack, bedslide, RTT, and sliders go on next month for another large transformation, cant wait!
I'm down near Victoria, south on 59/69. I get up your way a lot in the fall when we deliver deer corn to Beaumont and Vidor.
Explorerinil
Observer
That topper makes the truck, great looking set up!Excellent looking rig! I really like the black lug nuts and no center caps.
I decided to go the same way with my SD.
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That topper makes the truck, great looking set up!Excellent looking rig! I really like the black lug nuts and no center caps.
I decided to go the same way with my SD.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Much thanks, Explorerinil! It’s a project I like to piddle with. I am a fan of your rig as well. I Let’s not waste too much bandwidth on this FURD though... let’s get back to loving on the POWER WAGON!!
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Tex68w
Beach Bum
Well the Power Wagon performed extremely well on our trip, we covered 120+ miles of barrier island beach over 36 hours this past weekend. This was my first visit to Padre Island National Seashore since 2014 and while it is pretty much the same as it has always been down there, I was surprised to see so many people this time around. One could easily take a Subaru down to the pass and back and in fact we even saw a few along the way.
The trip consisted of the two of us in the Power Wagon and my buddy and his wife in their Trail 4Runner. He down right destroyed me on the fuel efficiency side of things while on the island, but that was pretty much where it ended. I followed him the majority of the trip so I got a front row view of where his vehicle struggled and its shortcomings in these conditions. I am running a much wider tire than he was and I have ample power on tap with the big Hemi versus the anemic 4.slow Toyota V6 in his 4Runner, but it was immediately apparent that he struggled to stay afloat in the soft, powdery sections and lacked the torque to maintain his speed when his floatation failed. The biggest surprise was how much smoother our ride was compared to the IFS 4R. We were only jostled at speed maybe twice over the weekend while we watched almost constantly as our friends were tossed and bounced around vigorously in their Toyota. His main take away from the weekend was that he needs Kings and new control arms ASAP.
We camped in a annex room off of his awning and while it was convenient and comfortable we both agreed that we can't wait for the arrival of our RTT's. If nothing else what this trip proved to us was that while we are eagerly awaiting our organization and comfort products like the RTT, fridge, water system, racks, storage builds, etc., you can get by with very minimal mods and nearly bone stock vehicles. That said, I cannot wait for my Nuthouse Rack to plop down on the back of the Power Wagon along with all of those other accessories and amenities. They will certainly make for a more pleasant experience in all regards and provide better organization and use of space all around.
The best part of this trip in my opinion is coming across all of the sea junk that washes ashore. Some of these items have been here for decades, while others arrive weekly from parts unknown changing the landscape for each visit. While we are on the subject, I know a guy who has a ski and a boat for sale, both need a little work, but nothing a little elbow grease and determination can't fix. PM me if you are interested.
Out of all of the trips I have made down there I never really took the time to stop and talk to the Turtle Patrol employees. I made a point of doing so this trip. Much to my surprise they work five day shifts on the island searching their individual 10 mile corridors for signs of sea turtles and their offspring. These employees actually live in a camp at the 39 mile marker for those five day stints. We were lucky enough to see a few of these gentle giants while fishing for reds and trout at the Port Mansfield pass, I even snagged a few giant reds in the process lol.
All in all it was a successful weekend and we all enjoyed ourselves and we couldn't have asked for better weather. I wouldn't mind making this an annual trip, but I most likely won't be back until they get the Yarborough Pass back open so that we can camp on the backside of the island. Fishing the flats of the Laguna Madre while camping amongst the dunes is by far the highlight of this trip that unfortunately we weren't able to experience this time around due to the destruction caused by Harvey last year. Estimates are that it won't reopen until June of next year. If you have a night or two to make this trip I highly recommend it, where else will you get to traverse by vehicle the longest barrier island beach in the continental US?!
The trip consisted of the two of us in the Power Wagon and my buddy and his wife in their Trail 4Runner. He down right destroyed me on the fuel efficiency side of things while on the island, but that was pretty much where it ended. I followed him the majority of the trip so I got a front row view of where his vehicle struggled and its shortcomings in these conditions. I am running a much wider tire than he was and I have ample power on tap with the big Hemi versus the anemic 4.slow Toyota V6 in his 4Runner, but it was immediately apparent that he struggled to stay afloat in the soft, powdery sections and lacked the torque to maintain his speed when his floatation failed. The biggest surprise was how much smoother our ride was compared to the IFS 4R. We were only jostled at speed maybe twice over the weekend while we watched almost constantly as our friends were tossed and bounced around vigorously in their Toyota. His main take away from the weekend was that he needs Kings and new control arms ASAP.
We camped in a annex room off of his awning and while it was convenient and comfortable we both agreed that we can't wait for the arrival of our RTT's. If nothing else what this trip proved to us was that while we are eagerly awaiting our organization and comfort products like the RTT, fridge, water system, racks, storage builds, etc., you can get by with very minimal mods and nearly bone stock vehicles. That said, I cannot wait for my Nuthouse Rack to plop down on the back of the Power Wagon along with all of those other accessories and amenities. They will certainly make for a more pleasant experience in all regards and provide better organization and use of space all around.
The best part of this trip in my opinion is coming across all of the sea junk that washes ashore. Some of these items have been here for decades, while others arrive weekly from parts unknown changing the landscape for each visit. While we are on the subject, I know a guy who has a ski and a boat for sale, both need a little work, but nothing a little elbow grease and determination can't fix. PM me if you are interested.
Out of all of the trips I have made down there I never really took the time to stop and talk to the Turtle Patrol employees. I made a point of doing so this trip. Much to my surprise they work five day shifts on the island searching their individual 10 mile corridors for signs of sea turtles and their offspring. These employees actually live in a camp at the 39 mile marker for those five day stints. We were lucky enough to see a few of these gentle giants while fishing for reds and trout at the Port Mansfield pass, I even snagged a few giant reds in the process lol.
All in all it was a successful weekend and we all enjoyed ourselves and we couldn't have asked for better weather. I wouldn't mind making this an annual trip, but I most likely won't be back until they get the Yarborough Pass back open so that we can camp on the backside of the island. Fishing the flats of the Laguna Madre while camping amongst the dunes is by far the highlight of this trip that unfortunately we weren't able to experience this time around due to the destruction caused by Harvey last year. Estimates are that it won't reopen until June of next year. If you have a night or two to make this trip I highly recommend it, where else will you get to traverse by vehicle the longest barrier island beach in the continental US?!
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Kingsize24
Well-known member
Looks like y'all had a very nice trip. Awesome!
In regards to the 4runner's rougher ride:
A) your buddy should get better tire/wheel combinations. Those tires don't have much of a sidewall.
B) what suspension was he running? There is a lot of aftermarket junk out there.
That said, I have no problem acknowledging that a solid axle Ram 2500/3500 (with the proper suspension) will ride better in the rough stuff compared to an IFS 4runner.
A) your buddy should get better tire/wheel combinations. Those tires don't have much of a sidewall.
B) what suspension was he running? There is a lot of aftermarket junk out there.
That said, I have no problem acknowledging that a solid axle Ram 2500/3500 (with the proper suspension) will ride better in the rough stuff compared to an IFS 4runner.
Tex68w
Beach Bum
For sure, I have been over his wheel/tire choice with him more than once. I am doing my best to emphasize the need to move to a 8-8.5" wide 17" wheel and 285's so that he gets a better offset, footprint, and more sidewall. He swears it's coming after the rear bumper/tire carrier, RTT, and suspension lol. I have no idea what his exact setup is in regards to his current suspension, but I have ridden in it and there's no denying that it is stiff.