2017 Dodge RAM Power wagon (I need one)

[sbowenjr]

I have always wanted one of these. I have a 10000 lbs fifth wheel. I wonder if it would pull it ok. I just think it is on of the baddest gas powered all factory trucks avaialbe. I currently have a 2008 Ram 1500 and it has almost 400000 miles on it. It has been great and I bought it when the economy tanked so it came with a unlimited power train warranty. So far I cannot break the truck to see if they (dodge ) will honor the warranty. They did replace a transmission Seal and drive shaft at 270000 though at no cost to me. I have had several different manufacturers pickups over my lifetime but Dodge has done right by me and I think I will stick with them. I am just thinking of a upgrade. However the wheels ain't fell off of mine yet.

New 2017 Ram Power Wagon - Available Fall 2016

 

[Salty RI]

Makes me want to move to a place where I can use a truck like that.

 

[Jessie]

How much is one of those going for, loaded?

 

[leswad]

If they would just add a Cummins option

 

[sbowenjr]

If they would just add a Cummins option

I agree. I think it is not offered in diesel due to the size of the diesel engine and the frame of the power wagon.
They are expensive though if bought new 45000-55000 depending on options.

 

[Tom S.]

Look in any campground or professional towing companies and you see far more diesels than gas powered vehicles. The reason for this isn't horse power but torque. I've towed as far east as Maine and as far west as Alaska, first pulling a 13,000lb 5th wheel then later a 15,500lb unit. I passed a lot of gas powered trucks pulling smaller trailers on moderate to steep grades. Diesels also get better fuel mileage, especially when pulling trailers.

The downside to diesels are the fuel is more expensive, you have to change the fuel filter more often, and they hold more oil (generally 10 quarts). As mentioned, it is an expensive option as well.

On the plus side, besides what is already mentioned, they maintain their value and much of what you paid extra will be returned when selling. They are also designed to tow more weight, should you ever decide to move up in trailer size. You will also find they seem to last longer - seeing diesels with several hundred thousands of miles is quite normal. Because diesels develop so much bottom end torque, other components such as transmissions have to built stronger, which make them more durable, but also add to the initial cost.

Bottom line (IMHO), if you are only pulling your 10,000lb trailer once or twice a year short distances (say 500 miles), and that's all, go with a gas engine truck set up to tow that amount of weight. If you plan on towing more than that, and possibly looking at either traveling when retiring, or ever moving up in trailer size, go diesel instead.

 

[diamonback68]

Why would you want all the off road features if you main objective is to tow a 10,000 pound fifth wheel? Buy a truck specifically set up for towing, unless you intend to unhook it and then go mountain climbing.

 

[bigwheelzip]

I have a 10000 lbs fifth wheel. I wonder if it would pull it ok.

Found a towing review of the 6.4 Hemi.

2014 Ram 2500 6.4L HEMI Review: Car Reviews

 

[phantomcycle]

I've had a dodge with the Cummins motors since 1995 first one was a 3500 at this point in my life if I need to pull a trailer it will be a pickup with a Cummins motor powerjoke motors and durajunk motors are light duty diesels the Cummins is a medium duty diesel much better and easily gets 500000 miles on it

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk

 

[LMWIS]

I understand your dilemma. I was retiring, and I wanted a truck. A friend was selling his lightly used Dodge Ram SRT10 Viper truck.

I wanted that truck, but settled on a Ram 1500 Sport because I had sold the truck concept to the wife by extolling the virtues of 4X4 in the winter, and towing a trailer full of motorcycles in the summer. The Viper just wouldn't do that.

The guys who advise you that diesel is the way to go when towing heavy loads are quite correct. But, how much of your time will actually be spent towing? And is it worth the increased initial cost, searching for fuel, the stink, the noise, and the loss of the off the line joy of running the Hemi through the 8 gears? (Sounds like a race car! )

There's always a compromise in there somewhere. I don't doubt the Power Wagon could haul, and it would sure look good when it wasn't...,

 

[JJEH]

If you don't pull a trailer every day I'm not seeing a reason to get a diesel. Power Wagon's don't come with a diesel option anyway. I like the PW but the '17 model is too... I don't know... fancy? for me. I like the current PW tradesman but they are pricey...

The 1500 Rebel is a fancy one too. For that price I rather get a used 2500 SLT and get a Carli suspension.

 

[sbowenjr]

(Quote)Look in any campground or professional towing companies and you see far more diesels than gas powered vehicles. The reason for this isn't horse power but torque. I've towed as far east as Maine and as far west as Alaska, first pulling a 13,000lb 5th wheel then later a 15,500lb unit. I passed a lot of gas powered trucks pulling smaller trailers on moderate to steep grades. Diesels also get better fuel mileage, especially when pulling trailers.

I agree , I have considered diesel. However I really would only pull it to the campground in the spring and home in October . I might take the camper to the mountains once a year so alot of towing is not what I am planning on.Buying trucks is tricky because where the power wagon is in price you are getting close to diesel prices. I will say that I see some absolutely awful fuel quality issues with diesel now that the sulfer content has been reduced. I work in the petroleum service industry and it is awful!!! That is the primary reason I am shying away from diesel not to mention the def requirements on new diesel trucks now.

 

[Tom S.]

(Quote)Look in any campground or professional towing companies and you see far more diesels than gas powered vehicles. The reason for this isn't horse power but torque. I've towed as far east as Maine and as far west as Alaska, first pulling a 13,000lb 5th wheel then later a 15,500lb unit. I passed a lot of gas powered trucks pulling smaller trailers on moderate to steep grades. Diesels also get better fuel mileage, especially when pulling trailers.

I agree , I have considered diesel. However I really would only pull it to the campground in the spring and home in October . I might take the camper to the mountains once a year so alot of towing is not what I am planning on.Buying trucks is tricky because where the power wagon is in price you are getting close to diesel prices. I will say that I see some absolutely awful fuel quality issues with diesel now that the sulfer content has been reduced. I work in the petroleum service industry and it is awful!!! That is the primary reason I am shying away from diesel not to mention the def requirements on new diesel trucks now.

Fuel doesn't seem to be an issue. I moderated a popular GM diesel board, and hung out on a camping website, and seldom remember any fuel related issues. The biggest issue was new owners forgetting and putting gas into their diesel truck. That's not catastrophic, especially if you realize while still at the pump. Diesels will run with a small percentage of gas in the fuel, so if you siphon out all the fuel and refill with diesel, you're golden. On the other hand, if you drove it until it started running rough or quit, it could be more complex. In either case, dealers will drop the tank, purge the system and charge you $$$$, but I still don't recall any engine being damaged from this mistake. High sulfur fuel can be used in limited quantities in low sulfur engines, but they shouldn't have a steady diet of said fuel. That's one of the problems when traveling to Mexico. which still uses high sulfur fuel.

 

[sbowenjr]

PplQuote Fuel doesn't seem to be an issue.

Sir I understand your statement. I am not trying to cause a argument. I make a living running a small petroleum service company. We provide service on the pumps, tanks lines, environmental monitoring equipment as well as the cash register system. I can tell you as a fact that usld has caused huge problems with the fuel quality in diesel fuel. The problem is typically due to a slight presence of water that usually exists on the bottom of the bulk fuel tank. Typically1" or less. The higher sulfur kept the microorganism from growing. The lower sulfer does not. So the problem may not be the fuel but if there is water in the tank the microorganism will grow in it like a cancer. It (the crude is what we call it) produces a acid that I have personally seen pit and rust stainless steel. The higher volume service stations typically do not have as much problem but the lower volume sites where the fuel sits in the tank and allows time for more growth of the bacteria witch results in more acid if you will. It causes damage to the pumps valves meters and filtration of the dispensing device. This is the specific reason i decided against diesel. I literally see it every day in my industry. Again I am not saying it is from the fuel but rather the small presence of water when mixed with the fuel that causes the issue. The higher sulfer diesel did not have this problem because it killed the bacteria. If you have a truck you run every day I do not think you would experience much of issue as the fuel will not stay in the tank long before it is consumed but if the truck sits and it had the organism is going to have problems that are expensive to fix.
Bacteria in Diesel Fuel - Diesel Engine Problems - MyCleanDiesel.com

 

[LostintheOzone]

10,000 lb fiver? Get a 3/4 ton diesel.

We are on the road a lot with a trailer and I don't see too many gas rigs pulling that much weight. I'm glad I have a diesel. 14 mph with a 8000 lb trailer. You can't do that with a gas engine.

I have 120K on my Duramax and never had a fuel problem. Just change the filters as required, add some injector cleaner occasionally and stay away from the mom and pop stations that don't sell a lot of fuel.

If you are dead set against diesel at least get a heavy duty 3/4 ton.

 

[allthumbs]

Nice truck, but I will never buy another Dodge/Chrysler/Fiat/Jeep/Ram whatever they sell again. I've said that 4 times and my last purchase which is my 14 Challenger R/T will 100% be my last, and yes I still have it.

I'm happy for you guys that have had good luck with them, I think they have about the best looking lineup on wheels with the lowest possible quality across the board. Now after saying all that, if I had a big enough garage this would be sitting in it .

2016 F150 Tonka - Frontier Ford

 

[BUFF]

A few years back, the ex and I were looking to buy a new pickup. One of the local Ford dealers had a leftover unsold F-250 from the previous model year that was close to what we were after, except it was a stick. It also was badged as an XLT Lariat Diesel by the trim badges on the front fenders, even though it had a 7.3 liter gas engine. Salesman said that they often came in badged incorrectly and pointed to another F-250 that was marked as an F-150 on one side. He gave us the keys for a test drive. When I started it, the gas gauge barely moved. I pointed that out to the salesman and told him I would put a couple of gallons in during our test drive.

In-laws lived nearby. Father-in-law was then driving a 3/4 ton Suburban with a diesel, which he hated, loud, smoky, ate transmissions, often wouldn't start when parked on a grade. He liked the Ford truck until he saw the diesel badges and then went into the list of faults his Chevy had. I told him, no sweat, the Ford diesels were better. I had him jump in to see how it drove. He marveled at how quiet the engine was. I drove to a gas station and grabbed the regular nozzle. I began pumping and F-I-L yelled I had a gas nozzle, not the diesel nozzle. I told him it was okay, the Ford dealer said their diesel engine would run on anything.