Any 2023 Orders?

[Wanderlust]

Is anyone ordering a 2023 Power Wagon? There is a thread for discusing 2023 orders in General Discussion, but very few Power Wagon orders there. Almost all the discussion is focused on the Limited and Laramie trims. I am working on a order for a 2023, my first Ram truck, and would appreciate any feedback from those doing the same or having experience with Power Wagon. Primarily going to use the truck to haul motorcycles into the backcountry for camping with my wife and dog. Long trips throughout the West and Baja. Thanks

 

[brodon]

PW will work well for that but they sit very tall so loading and unloading will be a pain. Seems like a 1/2 ton truck is all you really need. Why not get a rebel or something similar from another manufacturer?

 

[Wanderlust]

My initial plan was to go with a half ton option, but one of the limiting factors is the need for a bed that is longer than six feet. Anything shorter and the rear wheels contact patch of the motorcycles will be on the tailgate. Tailgates are not rated for that much dynamic weight. Many people haul motorcycles like that, but we will be traveling loaded, off-road to some remote areas. I therefore thought it inadvisable and I did not want to deal with cumbersome ways to shift the load such as plywood sheets.

All the 1/2 trucks with off-road trim, like the rebel or tremor, only come with a 5.5' bed. If you try to similarly equip other trims with longer beds for off-road use, they end up costing as much as a Power Wagon and are less capable than the more off-road oriented trims. The length difference between the Power Wagon and the 1/2 ton options is about 6". The weight difference closer to 1k lbs, which could be more significant.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

WOW!
Looks like prices have gone up over $15G's in just 2 years.
MSRP for my '20 75th was $70K. only options I got was the 75th package which is now basically the level 3 trim, and the bed package.

 

[UNifc6pF]

I personally would skip the Mopar rock rails. They look great, but don’t provide much of a step for anyone under 6’ tall. I’m looking to take mine off and get a power step with the Randy Ellis Design slider. There are tone of other sliders out there that provide better protection with a better step

 

[Crusty old shellback]

Yep, I agree. The truck sits high stock, then I put on 35s. Literally had to climb up into the truck. The rails give very little room to plant your foot.
I'm 5'10".
I went with the AMP power steps. Tried like hell to figure out a way to run both, but it just wasn't happening.

 

[Wanderlust]

Thanks for the feedback on the Mopar rock slides. I wasn’t thinking of them as steps for ease of entry. We test drove a Power Wagon with them and the entry was high, but not enough to cause us an issue. I added the rock slides for protection. I read on the forum a bit about them and it seemed they provided reasonable protection, although not ask much as some aftermarket options like white knuckle.

 

[Soapy]

If you skip the mopar rock sliders you can get Nfab slider with detachable steps that provide about the same protection but offer a much better step to get in and out of the truck with. i paid $630 for the Nfab.

 

[DrTron]

My initial plan was to go with a half ton option, but one of the limiting factors is the need for a bed that is longer than six feet. Anything shorter and the rear wheels contact patch of the motorcycles will be on the tailgate. Tailgates are not rated for that much dynamic weight. Many people haul motorcycles like that, but we will be traveling loaded, off-road to some remote areas. I therefore thought it inadvisable and I did not want to deal with cumbersome ways to shift the load such as plywood sheets.

I currently have a 1500 with a 6' bed, and even there the rear tire of my bike sits on the (lowered) tailgate. To level the load I use a 6.5' long strong piece of MDF, about 1" thick. That works perfectly, the steel wires holding the tailgate are plenty strong for that.
That said, it still is a risky endeavor requiring at least one additional person to get the bike up on the bed and down again safely, so lately I've been using a trailer more and more. I see that's not an option for you, but I just wanted to mention that having the rear wheel of the bike on the tailgate is not an issue when the bike sits on a sufficiently strong load-leveling device, such as a wooden board. So in your case I wouldn't rule out a Rebel.

 

[mcarey]

I currently have a 1500 with a 6' bed, and even there the rear tire of my bike sits on the (lowered) tailgate. To level the load I use a 6.5' long strong piece of MDF, about 1" thick. That works perfectly, the steel wires holding the tailgate are plenty strong for that.
That said, it still is a risky endeavor requiring at least one additional person to get the bike up on the bed and down again safely, so lately I've been using a trailer more and more. I see that's not an option for you, but I just wanted to mention that having the rear wheel of the bike on the tailgate is not an issue when the bike sits on a sufficiently strong load-leveling device, such as a wooden board. So in your case I wouldn't rule out a Rebel.

They specifically pointed out they didn't want to deal with using a wooden board, in the text you quoted.

 

[DrTron]

They specifically pointed out they didn't want to deal with using a wooden board, in the text you quoted.

Well, he just said that he thought it unadvisable because of the dynamic load on the tailgate. I just pointed out that with a sufficiently strong board, that's not an issue.
I thought that might keep his options open.

 

[Wanderlust]

Thanks for all the feedback. Our bikes are 6’ from the front of the front wheel to the rear contact patch. I considered using ways to disperse the load for 5.5’ beds such as plywood sheets or boards. If we were just planning to transport the bikes on paved roads, I might have opted for this, but we want to travel long distances off-road hauling the bikes. I feel more comfortable doing that with the load fully on the bed. The extra space is also helpful for carrying more gear.

I finalized our order yesterday. Looking forward to setting it up and getting out there.

 

[jetrinka]

Man I always think my 21 is still brand new and they’re already starting the 23’s. Time flies

 

[DrTron]

So did you settle for a power wagon?
(Hopefully my 22 arrives sometime in October)

 

[Wanderlust]

So did you settle for a power wagon?
(Hopefully my 22 arrives sometime in October)

I did settle on the Power Wagon. Places the order this past Saturday. Now just patiently waiting and planning some trips for next summer.

 

[Shocktrooper392]

Considering ordering a PW, does anyone know the rough turnaround time on custom orders? I'm after a level 3 in flame red or olive but haven't been able to find any on the market lately.

 

[Wanderlust]

Considering ordering a PW, does anyone know the rough turnaround time on custom orders? I'm after a level 3 in flame red or olive but haven't been able to find any on the market lately.

My dealer estimated 6-9 months for my 2023 order, not sure what that estimate is based on. The options have changed a bit for 2023. There are only two equipment levels for the PW, level 2 is the equivalent of the 2022 level 3.

 

[Shocktrooper392]

That's interesting, I would maybe assume the 6-9 months is because it's being changed over to a 2023 order? When I ordered a Challenger 392 WB from Dodge at the end of 2020, it took an extra month or so because it got changed over to a 2021 model and the 2021 order banks had to be queued. My Challenger took about 5 months from order date to delivery.
As far as packages & equipment goes, have they announced any other changes for 2023 besides the levels?

 

[jenninr]

That's interesting, I would maybe assume the 6-9 months is because it's being changed over to a 2023 order? When I ordered a Challenger 392 WB from Dodge at the end of 2020, it took an extra month or so because it got changed over to a 2021 model and the 2021 order banks had to be queued. My Challenger took about 5 months from order date to delivery.
As far as packages & equipment goes, have they announced any other changes for 2023 besides the levels?

If you go to the general section of the forum a dealer posted the 23 order guides. That's probably the best source of info. The packages are a little different, new mirrors, and a "sport performance" hood are the main differences. There is supposed to be an announcement in October about the HD trucks that may include other changes like the Rebel option package.

 

[Wanderlust]

I don’t believe much is changing for 2023. The addition of a 12” TFT instrument cluster is one of the changes I have seen for the PW. You can check out the 2023 order thread in General discussion. They have the order/price guide attached there and discussion of 2023 options.

I am not sure how accurate the 6-9 month estimated wait time is. Hopefully Ram will provide estimated delivery dates in the order status soon. They already issued a VIN to my order. Not sure how long before they provide estimated dates.