Unpopular Opinion: Power Wagons Are 1/2-Ton Trucks

[AnthonyD1978]

I bought my 2500 for payload (3,000lbs) but don't think for a second I am not jealous of the locker yall have.

Which one? I have two, and that neat disconnecting swaybar thingy.

Don't forget the PW stickers!

Anyone offended by the OP should not have a PW to begin with. Change My Mind

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

Don't forget the PW stickers!

Anyone offended by the OP should not have a PW to begin with. Change My Mind

100% ^
Only people who would be offended would be people that didn’t look at the GVWR differences before purchasing only to find out it’s not rated like the other 2500 trucks and are now hurting.

people used to ask me why I bought a z71 2.8L duramax Colorado and lifted it 2” instead of buying a zr2 to begin with. Same scenario, the zr2 has greatly diminished tow and payload capacity in favor of suspension travel.

as long as the truck fits your needs then everything is good!

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

100% ^
Only people who would be offended would be people that didn’t look at the GVWR differences before purchasing only to find out it’s not rated like the other 2500 trucks and are now hurting.

people used to ask me why I bought a z71 2.8L duramax Colorado and lifted it 2” instead of buying a zr2 to begin with. Same scenario, the zr2 has greatly diminished tow and payload capacity in favor of suspension travel.

as long as the truck fits your needs then everything is good!

Do they even have a payload rating in lbs or is it in Ounces Lol

 

[el_barto]

Do they even have a payload rating in lbs or is it in Ounces Lol

CCSB duramax zr2 still has 1200lb payload... not great but not the major reduction in gvwr the power wagon gets. My 2015 CCLB v6 Colorado had about 1500lbs payload for reference.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

CCSB duramax zr2 still has 1200lb payload... not great but not the major reduction in gvwr the power wagon gets. My 2015 CCLB v6 Colorado had about 1500lbs payload for reference.

But the z71 tow rating (4cyl diesel) was like 7800 and the zr2 (diesel) was like 5000 maybe 5500. At the time I had a 5000-5500 lb trailer

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

CCSB duramax zr2 still has 1200lb payload... not great but not the major reduction in gvwr the power wagon gets. My 2015 CCLB v6 Colorado had about 1500lbs payload for reference.

Im well aware it was just a joke lol

 

[Eatonpcat]

Im well aware it was just a joke lol

Not a very good one if you have to tell them it's a joke...Although I did chuckle a lettle!

 

[DevilDodge]

CCSB duramax zr2 still has 1200lb payload... not great but not the major reduction in gvwr the power wagon gets. My 2015 CCLB v6 Colorado had about 1500lbs payload for reference.

So lets put this into perspective. 6200 GVWR for this chivvie. Powerwagon is 8565.

The tow rating on the chiviie is 7500...which we all know means 6000 when actually being driven by a full size adult..

The powerwagon weighs about 7100lbs empty.

And of course we know the truck the powerwagon is spawned from can be had with 10k to 12300k GVWR

So I think the Powerwagon is obviously more capable than its ~1450 ish payload.

Where as the chivie is done well before

The chivie has 3200 front and 3500 rear axle rating.

RAM 1500 has 3900 and 4100.

Powerwagon has 4750 and 6200.

So the rear axle rating on the powerwagon is the same as the chivies gross.

And that is why the RAM gets called a Powerwagon.

Just some info and thoughts on the greatest factory off roader ever.



Oh and tongue weight. Chivie 500 and 750 with WDH.

Powerwagon 2000lbs...although it would obviously be payload limited

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Not a very good one if you have to tell them it's a joke...Although I did chuckle a lettle!

Some people just dont have a sense of humor though

 

[jadmt]

So lets put this into perspective. 6200 GVWR for this chivvie. Powerwagon is 8565.

The tow rating on the chiviie is 7500...which we all know means 6000 when actually being driven by a full size adult..

The powerwagon weighs about 7100lbs empty.

And of course we know the truck the powerwagon is spawned from can be had with 10k to 12300k GVWR

So I think the Powerwagon is obviously more capable than its ~1450 ish payload.

Where as the chivie is done well before

The chivie has 3200 front and 3500 rear axle rating.

RAM 1500 has 3900 and 4100.

Powerwagon has 4750 and 6200.

So the rear axle rating on the powerwagon is the same as the chivies gross.

And that is why the RAM gets called a Powerwagon.

Just some info and thoughts on the greatest factory off roader ever.



Oh and tongue weight. Chivie 500 and 750 with WDH.

Powerwagon 2000lbs...although it would obviously be payload limited

you talking about the jeep rubicon? Power wagon greatest factory off road truck perhaps but pure factory off roader that goes to its cousin over at jeep. I like my pw in spite of its typical 1/2 ton truck payload capacity and less than rubicon off road prowesses.

 

[AnthonyD1978]

You don't buy a PW to tow or haul. You buy it to go over terrain that no other full size will go over. If you don't take your PW to such places you probably should not have gotten a PW. I think the PW has a very specific purpose while the non-PW tirms offer way more to most buyers with 90% of the capability of the PW. There is a reason the AEV Prospector trucks don't use the PW as a base platform.

There are much better RAM 2500/3500 trims with better payload, engines, options, and interiors. If I could have gotten factory lockers on a 2500 diesel with one of the larger gas tanks I would not have a PW. Don't forget about that mega cab too.

 

[AnthonyD1978]

you talking about the jeep rubicon? Power wagon greatest factory off road truck perhaps but pure factory off roader that goes to its cousin over at jeep. I like my pw in spite of its typical 1/2 ton truck payload capacity and less than rubicon off road prowesses.

I was on some trails over the weekend and was passing two JL jeeps on my way down as they were stopped to air down. One of them said, "That's how you do it. I should have gotten a power wagon". I just thought to myself that he's going to have a much more comfortable ride to the top and no pin striping haha.

I got a full size because I appreciate the interior space and the options the bed and ram boxes give me to store gear and sleep.

 

[jadmt]

I was on some trails over the weekend and was passing two JL jeeps on my way down as they were stopped to air down. One of them said, "That's how you do it. I should have gotten a power wagon". I just thought to myself that he's going to have a much more comfortable ride to the top and no pin striping haha.

I got a full size because I appreciate the interior space and the options the bed and ram boxes give me to store gear and sleep.

yup different tools for different jobs. I have had my rubicons (I have had 3) and my PW to Moab and while I would/will never do all the trails I did with the rubicons in my PW I am/was much more comfortable coming and going (750 miles one way) and sleeping in it while there than in my jeeps and was not needing more room to carry stuff.

 

[el_barto]

Some people just dont have a sense of humor though
i got the joke just thought it was worth pointing out the current gen Colorado is surprisingly capable of being a truck

 

[RIDE]

The definitive answer is: It is what it is.

RIDE

 

[Airmousam]

Some people just dont have a sense of humor though
i got the joke just thought it was worth pointing out the current gen Colorado is surprisingly capable of being a truck

I came from 3 years in a ZR2..nice truck, but the PW is significantly more capable

 

[Mat_HD]

I was on some trails over the weekend and was passing two JL jeeps on my way down as they were stopped to air down. One of them said, "That's how you do it. I should have gotten a power wagon". I just thought to myself that he's going to have a much more comfortable ride to the top and no pin striping haha.

I got a full size because I appreciate the interior space and the options the bed and ram boxes give me to store gear and sleep.

yup different tools for different jobs. I have had my rubicons (I have had 3) and my PW to Moab and while I would/will never do all the trails I did with the rubicons in my PW I am/was much more comfortable coming and going (750 miles one way) and sleeping in it while there than in my jeeps and was not needing more room to carry stuff.

That's why you buy a Ram to tow your JL! Best of both worlds. I decided a while ago that long road trips to go wheeling in the Jeep weren't my style. Great interior space for driving around town, not so much for long road trips.

 

[DYNADAVE]

So obviously, Power Wagons are not half ton trucks. They are marketed, legally categorized as, and share most of their components with 3/4 ton trucks.
But everyone gets all sad about their low payload rating (because they have reduced GVWR) and how they can’t work like a 3/4 ton truck. Maybe, we shouldn’t be looking at it like a 3/4 ton class truck, but as a 1/2 ton class truck that has been sauced up with all the heavy duty components you would want for an off-road rig ...strong frame, HD solid axles, strong transmission, beefy transfer case, big v8 engine.

Sure, you can get half tons with more payload still, but it falls right in the middle of the pack of “common” half tons for payload. (Max payload on a ram 1500 is 2300lbs but that’s a 2wd V6, the 4WD hemis are about 1700lbs...pretty on par with a Power Wagon)

I didn’t buy my truck for max payload or towing, the power wagon fits my needs well.

Just food for thought.

I currently have a 2017 PW,which I ordered new(currently waiting on my 2021 Power wagon to arrive),it replaced the 2013 Ram sport I previously owned,I pull an older Case diesel skidsteer on a tandem axle car trailer,it's got some weight to it.
The '13 sport I had previously would be hitting the bumpstops with the trailer and skidsteer hooked up,it wasnt safe to use it for that.
The Power Wagon barely squats when I have the same trailer and skidsteer hooked up,and can barely notice it back there on the highway,I truly think the numbers are off,but I love my PW's towing capability,hence why I bought another.

 

[WXman]

You don't buy a PW to tow or haul. You buy it to go over terrain that no other full size will go over. If you don't take your PW to such places you probably should not have gotten a PW. I think the PW has a very specific purpose while the non-PW tirms offer way more to most buyers with 90% of the capability of the PW. There is a reason the AEV Prospector trucks don't use the PW as a base platform.

There are much better RAM 2500/3500 trims with better payload, engines, options, and interiors. If I could have gotten factory lockers on a 2500 diesel with one of the larger gas tanks I would not have a PW. Don't forget about that mega cab too.

This pretty much sums it up.

I have loved the PW since I first saw it in 2005. It's an amazing package and truthfully I would like to have one. But, if I traded my 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel North Edition for a 2020 Power Wagon, I'd be losing 50% fuel economy, 15% payload, 51 lb/ft of torque, and tow rating is identical. My 1500 has off road suspension, rear locker, and will fit 35s as it sits right now (I've been running them up until recently). So the sad truth is that going to a Power Wagon would be a huge downgrade from my current 1500, and to me that's sad. Calling the PW a "half ton" is an insult to half tons.

I think that while the Ford Super Duty Tremor isn't quite as capable off road as the Power Wagon, it's pretty darned close and you do not give up the ability to do heavy duty truck things. With a name like "Power Wagon", this is the direction Ram should have gone. They should have made it the baddest truck on the road with no limitations. I mean, how many people rock crawl a nearly 4 ton truck? Those people are driving Jeeps. Any truck with a rear locker and 35s will do what 99% of truck owners need.

 

[Airmousam]

This pretty much sums it up.

I have loved the PW since I first saw it in 2005. It's an amazing package and truthfully I would like to have one. But, if I traded my 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel North Edition for a 2020 Power Wagon, I'd be losing 50% fuel economy, 15% payload, 51 lb/ft of torque, and tow rating is identical. My 1500 has off road suspension, rear locker, and will fit 35s as it sits right now (I've been running them up until recently). So the sad truth is that going to a Power Wagon would be a huge downgrade from my current 1500, and to me that's sad. Calling the PW a "half ton" is an insult to half tons.

I think that while the Ford Super Duty Tremor isn't quite as capable off road as the Power Wagon, it's pretty darned close and you do not give up the ability to do heavy duty truck things. With a name like "Power Wagon", this is the direction Ram should have gone. They should have made it the baddest truck on the road with no limitations. I mean, how many people rock crawl a nearly 4 ton truck? Those people are driving Jeeps. Any truck with a rear locker and 35s will do what 99% of truck owners need.

Huge downgrade is a pretty dramatic statement....lol...please stop already