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Tradesman vs Big Horn

Just bought a 21 tradesman. Came with sliding rear window, 8.4 inch screen, spray in bed liner, 5th wheel gooseneck prep, rear wheel well liners, chrome bumpers and wheel to wheel running boards. Not all tradesman's are stripped down work vehicles.
 
It is some coin up front for sure but there will be parts, tools and your time to upgrade after the fact. Plus, in some cases you will be disassembling a new truck. I opted to pay up front. Even then there are a few things I wish I had gotten (diesel-caugh) but overall I am pleased.

2021 Big Horn CCSB 6.4
Night Edition
Level 2
Premium lighting
Alpine
Off Road
Oh so important....decal delete



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Christofo said:
You get the 7" with the Safety group package even on the Tradesman
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What is the 7” evic going to tell you that the 3” isn’t? I have a 2014 1500 Bighorn and I have the 3” I can’t imagine needing or for that matter wanting any thing more?

But when I look at a Tradesman it has everything a top of the line truck would have had 10 years ago except leather seats. I just don’t see the real advantage of most of the higher end packages it will become IMO likely a money pit for all of the electronics that can and will fail after it’s out of warranty.


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The one thing that I miss the most in a Tradesman is the steering wheel radio controls and they are not available from the factory in that trim unless things have changed since I looked into it. I know it's a small think but it's the main thing that i notice when I drive the one that I use from time to time.
 
jenninr said:
The one thing that I miss the most in a Tradesman is the steering wheel radio controls and they are not available from the factory in that trim unless things have changed since I looked into it. I know it's a small think but it's the main thing that i notice when I drive the one that I use from time to time.
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They are added with the safety group pacakge :)
 
jdefoe0424 said:
I think the acoustic glass makes a difference especially if traveling long distances frequently.
I prefer the Alpine system from my 1500 to the tradesman lvl 2 system.
I'd definitely spring for the 8.4, skip the nav as it leaves much to be desired. Already several years out of date and expensive to update.
The upgraded dash screen is definitely nicer than the tradesman one.
In floor bins can be added to tradesman as there is just a block off over the hole in the floor.
Quality of some interior pieces may be different too, soft vs hard plastic etc.

Remote start and remote tailgate release are not available on tradesman but purchasing the keyfob and having the dealer program can give you the capability
A significant amount of the addons can be added at a later date if you wish, it will just cost more.
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Any idea if the surround camera could be added to a Tradesman Power Wagon? I can’t see why not and really don’t understand why that isn’t an option especially when you think about being able to see off road and avoid a potential rollover.


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gimmie11s said:
I had a 2016 Tradesman 2500 and now have a 2021 Laramie 3500.

The acoustic glass makes the interior noticeably quieter and reduces road noise. Also the Alpine system is LEAGUES better than the base Tradesman system which is what was in my 2016. Absolutely no comparison.

To be honest, one of the things i like most about the Big Horn and higher packages is the soft touch door panels. The hard plastic on the 2016 Tradesman actually made my elbow sore on long trips. Yeah, call me a soy boy if you like, but those plastic door panels are a bit low-rent IMO.
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I forgot to add (very important--to me at least) is the 2016 tradesman I had came with a god awful crappy rubber steering wheel. Super annoying to me that they put that wheel inside a $55k truck.
 
jdefoe0424 said:
IMO the rough country liners offer better coverage for the 2500's at least.
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I will admit that they go down further than the OEM. I bought a set for my 2500 and did not like the way they bowed out over the shock bulge in the frame of the 2500. They are now sitting in my attic. I ended up getting a set of oem's.
Now on the 3500 they fit rather well because of the flat sided frame.
 
b307a1 said:
I will admit that they go down further than the OEM. I bought a set for my 2500 and did not like the way they bowed out over the shock bulge in the frame of the 2500. They are now sitting in my attic. I ended up getting a set of oem's.
Now on the 3500 they fit rather well because of the flat sided frame.
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Ok yeah I tried a set from real truck and they did not fiit at all. So I got my money back. So how do I get a set of OEMs? I called the dealer and they told me I couldn’t get them


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I looked at a bighorn LVL2 night edition before i bought my my tradesman LVL2 i much prefer my tradesman as it has everything i need and no extra 10k price tag lol
 
suber81083 said:
Ok yeah I tried a set from real truck and they did not fiit at all. So I got my money back. So how do I get a set of OEMs? I called the dealer and they told me I couldn’t get them


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Look at the wheel well liners thread in the 'EXTERIOR" section.
Post #22 has the part numbers of both liners.
 
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Rockcrawlerdude said:
Get the bighorn if that’s what you want. If you really want the bighorn stuff then you won’t be happy in a tradesman. Inside a nicely equipped tradesman is not a bad place to be, though. Pre-COVID I got this truck for less than $40k (39,101) and I couldn’t be happier.
View attachment 19221
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Is your elbow doing ok...You know resting on the crappy plastic door liner!!
 
Christofo said:
Order has been placed for my Tradesman, I think i'll love it and have a bit more money in my pocket. Thanks everyone!
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Make sure that the factory installs the cab lights $95, and the Tow hooks $100 if you want them. These are not easy upgrades to do, and you will save money and frustration in the future. I'm sure there are more options like this, but I have personally installed both of these and would have gladly paid the factory to do if I were ordering the truck.
 
Just my $.02. I bought a Tradesman because it had what I needed most and it was what I could afford. After a year of ownership, I have zero complaints about my choice. I am extremely happy. Nothing wrong with the more expensive trim levels by any means. They are awesome. I thought I might have a tinge of regret but I really haven't. Probably because my last truck was from 2007 (F150 SC 4x4) so my 2020 RAM was leaps and bounds nicer.

Enjoy that new truck when it gets here! Remember to post pics or it didn't happen!
 
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