Ford or Ram?

[Comanche Scott]

Please correct me if I'm wrong here; To me the Power Wagon seems like a "heavy half ton", in tow/load ratings.
Personally I think it's awesome, and would be my truck-of-choice. But I would compare against other half tons, rather than compare against 3/4 ton trucks.

 

[Long Rifle]

Besides the front and rear lockers, warn winch you are also getting solid axles back and front same as 3/4 ton-so I agree that a PW is the best heavy half ton if you need that capability.
AT in Prescott is suppose to have the "tacoma habitat" for 6.5 box by this coming Spring. I am thinking this would be the ideal vehicle as wife and I are now retired. It would get us most of the places we are planning-for the rest it would tow our JKUR and be the perfect base camp. Now all I have to do his CONVINCE HER!

 

[STREGA]

I tow a jeep tj on 36s w/ car hauler, appx 6-6500 lbs. Back and forth AZ to Colorado and Utah. 2 times a year.

Looking for a newer 2500 to put on a RTT, how would the powerwagon differ from traditional 2500 gasser?

For what your wanting to do I don't think there will be a big difference except you would have a more off road capable truck. With a AT habitat it would be a sweet rig.

 

[Clutch]

I tow a jeep tj on 36s w/ car hauler, appx 6-6500 lbs. Back and forth AZ to Colorado and Utah. 2 times a year.

Looking for a newer 2500 to put on a RTT, how would the powerwagon differ from traditional 2500 gasser?

The PW is not a daily hauler, but I wouldn't hesitate to get one if I was just hauling that load twice a year. Problem being your adding a RTT to the mix. I'd look at one of the big 3 1 ton single rear wheel trucks.

For what your wanting to do I don't think there will be a big difference except you would have a more off road capable truck. With a AT habitat it would be a sweet rig.

Think I would do a diesel Colorado....white knuckle it for the 2 trips a year....and enjoy the gas mileage the rest of the year. That or rent a 1 ton for those 2 trips.

 

[Buliwyf]

I'd skip the Powerwagon and get the Ford F350 or Dodge 3500. Just get the optional rear locker and gears. That'll be plenty.

If you don't need the Wagons Elockers and other assorted offroady stuff, skip it. You can add that piece meal to the normal trucks. It's easier to add lockers to a 350/3500, than it is to add long travel Carli air bags to the Powerwagon. Don't buy a truck oriented for wheelin, when you'll be using it as a tow pig because you have Jeeps that are far better for wheeling anyways.

Many wheelers that tow jeeps, buy 2wd tow pigs.

 

[cummins-overlander]

I have a 2011 Power Wagon and I can say for sure that, if you haven't driven one, you have no clue how good they really are. They are a completely different truck than a 2500 or 3500 in terms of capability. In terms of towing/hauling, the only difference between it and a regular 2500 is the rear spring pack being softer. You can upgrade rear springs or swap in regular 2500 springs if that floats your boat. I run a RTT permanently on mine, combined weight I always have 300 lbs in my bed and it actually makes the ride perfect. I still have good rake. Here is a list of features the Power Wagon gets that nobody else does:

- Lockers, front and rear
- Limited slip rear
- Disconnecting swaybar. This combined with softer springs will blow your mind. The truck flexes the same or slightly more than a Jeep Rubicon.
- Full underbelly skid plates
- Fan clutch designed for high heat, low speed work
- Softer, lifted springs front and rear
- 1-Ton axle shafts and u-joints
- Same transfer case that is used in the Ram 5500
- Bomb-proof transmissions, old school 545RFE or G-56, or the new 66RFE
- 15,000lb Warn M15 Winch
- Throttle mapping that smooths response in 4-Low
- Very weight-balanced front to rear. The diesels have about 700lbs more weight on the front and 300lbs more on the rear. This kills ride quality and articulation

If you tow occasionally but want to enjoy a comfortable ride all the time and want offroad capability all the time, get the rig that fits the best for what you do normally and can do what has to be done occasionally. There are lots of guys that tow with Power Wagons, full size travel trailers, boats, 5th wheel flatbeds, nothing crazy but far more than a half ton can do. I'll say again, I sold my Cummins to buy my Power Wagon. The guy I bought my Wagon from sold his Cummins to buy the Wagon. He had to have it to get to his house, no paved road, but he said the Cummins just acted like a plot whereas the Wagon is planted. Check them out! Maybe they're not what you're looking for, or maybe they are. I love mine, outside of fuel economy.

 

[Buliwyf]

Yeah, but a PW ain't going to replace that Jeep anymore than my F350 will replace my DRZ400s.

But I agree, diesel is bad mojo. I haven't read anything in this thread that requires a diesel.

It's pointless to spend megabucks on a truck fitted up for offroading, which it'll never do. My winch is gone. Just a high lift now, for example. In this case, I recommend a towing and hauling oriented ride. Use the Jeep for Jeep stuff, use the truck for truck stuff. Don't turn the truck into a bad Jeep, don't turn the Jeep into a bad truck. If you need a tow pig, just get a tow pig, save money for the Jeep.

 

[IPA]

I have a 2011 Power Wagon and I can say for sure that, if you haven't driven one, you have no clue how good they really are. They are a completely different truck than a 2500 or 3500 in terms of capability. In terms of towing/hauling, the only difference between it and a regular 2500 is the rear spring pack being softer. You can upgrade rear springs or swap in regular 2500 springs if that floats your boat. I run a RTT permanently on mine, combined weight I always have 300 lbs in my bed and it actually makes the ride perfect. I still have good rake. Here is a list of features the Power Wagon gets that nobody else does:

- Lockers, front and rear
- Limited slip rear
- Disconnecting swaybar. This combined with softer springs will blow your mind. The truck flexes the same or slightly more than a Jeep Rubicon.
- Full underbelly skid plates
- Fan clutch designed for high heat, low speed work
- Softer, lifted springs front and rear
- 1-Ton axle shafts and u-joints
- Same transfer case that is used in the Ram 5500
- Bomb-proof transmissions, old school 545RFE or G-56, or the new 66RFE
- 15,000lb Warn M15 Winch
- Throttle mapping that smooths response in 4-Low
- Very weight-balanced front to rear. The diesels have about 700lbs more weight on the front and 300lbs more on the rear. This kills ride quality and articulation

If you tow occasionally but want to enjoy a comfortable ride all the time and want offroad capability all the time, get the rig that fits the best for what you do normally and can do what has to be done occasionally. There are lots of guys that tow with Power Wagons, full size travel trailers, boats, 5th wheel flatbeds, nothing crazy but far more than a half ton can do. I'll say again, I sold my Cummins to buy my Power Wagon. The guy I bought my Wagon from sold his Cummins to buy the Wagon. He had to have it to get to his house, no paved road, but he said the Cummins just acted like a plot whereas the Wagon is planted. Check them out! Maybe they're not what you're looking for, or maybe they are. I love mine, outside of fuel economy.

Those goodies on the PW are all awesome. But with the newer PW's (2014 and up, I think), the suspension is completely different and the payload is only 1500 pounds or less. Yours is probably close to 3000 pounds payload.

 

[IPA]

Just to update my situation, FWIW......I still haven't made a purchase. Some personnel changes at work left me extremely busy and being on call pretty much 24/7 since early December. So between that and the holidays and moving, I've done a lot of spec'ing stuff out online and searching dealership websites, but I haven't had the time or energy to spend at any dealerships driving trucks and haggling. Hopefully soon. I'd like to be set up in the truck by the spring so I can start shopping for used pop-up slide-ins.

Still would prefer a Ford but will probably end up with a Ram, purely because right now they are a lot cheaper than Fords, at least around here.

 

[adam88]

I had a diesel truck for a long time (Ford 6.0L) and I moved to a newer F150 gas and couldn't be happier.

Diesel trucks definitely have their place, but what was said above about having to get them HOT is true. I hated it when I needed to run to the grocery store or something and I would find myself trying to warm my truck up all the time, worried about not running it hard enough etc. Became a huge pain. Much happier with gas engine for that, plus extremely low maintenance.

I don't think anyone will argue with me when I say *only* buy a diesel if you *NEED* a diesel. Otherwise go gas.

 

[IPA]

what about a Chevy?

I've never been a GM fan....nothing against the make, just never found their trucks particularly attractive and I always preferred the styling of Ford and Dodge.

But the dealer right here in town has a 2017 2500HD for a pretty good price. It's the WT trim, but it looks like it's got the few options that I prefer. It's a good looking truck.

What about the 6.0 engine? Seems a little dated, but I've never heard anything bad about them. Suspension? IFS doesn't really bother me.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

6.0 is a bulletproof as it gets IMO. Its the last of the simple LS motors.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

The diesels have about 700lbs more weight on the front and 300lbs more on the rear. This kills ride quality and articulation

That weight also makes the diesels less capable in soft sand, mud, snow. Supposedly one of the reasons Dodge never built a diesel PW, other than the KORE prototype at Moab. Dodge planned to sell a bunch of PWs to BLM, USFS, BP, rural PDs, etc. I do see a few PWs in police and game warden trim in AZ, but also a fair number of Rapturds around Yuma.

 

[redthies]

I've never been a GM fan....nothing against the make, just never found their trucks particularly attractive and I always preferred the styling of Ford and Dodge.

But the dealer right here in town has a 2017 2500HD for a pretty good price. It's the WT trim, but it looks like it's got the few options that I prefer. It's a good looking truck.

What about the 6.0 engine? Seems a little dated, but I've never heard anything bad about them. Suspension? IFS doesn't really bother me.

I had a '16 2500 HD with 6.0 for two weeks (rental). The motor sounds great, and I liked the Apple car play and headlights (GMC projectors). Other than that, I'll take my Ram any day!

 

[Buliwyf]

I'm not a fan of the GM's. No manual hubs. IFS is terrible. Can't lock the front diff, although most of use prefer open fronts anyways around here. Shocks are just carboard tubes that need replaced before leaving the dealers lot. The interior is cheap, just wrong in so many ways. And in NE Ohio, GM dealers are greasy gangsters looking to rip people off more than any other brand (except for Mitsu, but they don't make trucks). Dodge dealers are generally incompetent, so it's good that Dodges are easy to work on. Ford is slowly bleeding techs to Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes etc. etc.

But, the GM 6.0 is an excellent engine. Like the olde 5.4L Fords, it won't impress anyone, but it works great and always gets the job done. The GM transmission is tough, but easy to kill if you spin the tires in snow too much, use 4wd and drive like an adult, and it's fine. The rear axle is plenty good. And the brakes as more reliable and easy to work on than Ford and Dodge (splitting hairs though, in the rust belt). The GM's will crack the headers and/or leak there if you hit the exhaust on the ground ever. So if your into jetskis or dirtbikes, lose the factory muffler and dump the exhaust out in front of the rear tires. (I've even done this on my Ford, so I can back into ditches to load bikes without worry)