I think it would be a great "oil field" work truck, but it's simply too BIG, too long for serious offroading anywhere I've ever been.

 

First It sounds like you have a 1500, which means a lot of difference between it an the Power Wagon. You have IFS, the Power Wagon has a solid front axle. Second the Power wagon has front and rear electric locking differentials, you don't have a locker in the front at all and an LSD in the rear. Third the disconnecting sway bar is something I don't think you could even add to your truck, and let's not forget that the Power Wagon has that uber sweet 12,000lbs Mile Marker Winch behind that front bumper, which to do that you would have to lose your cool 1500 tow hooks/bar and mount the winch then have someone fab you up some d-ring style hooks or have someone weld you on a set of the 2500 hooks. Too much work if you ask me. Buy the Power Wagon or do what I'm doing and just get an '01 or earlier Ram and build the hell out of it.

 

only issue is that the winh is by warn not mile marker

 

You can have a disconnecting sway bar in a 1500. Superlift sells a nice quick disconnect set up but it is not automatic or "power" in any way. Electric lockers are also an aftermarket option. The winch is easy enough to add. There is already an after market kit available to allow you to move the winch to the front or rear reciever hitch and even stow it away when it's not in use. You do have to sacrifice your tow hooks though. As for D-rings, if you have a removable winch with a reciever set up, you can insert a hook ($30) into the reciever and your ready to pull or be pulled.
IFS technology is getting scary good with so many trucks using it exclusivly. There are new products coming out every day. As far as having a daily driver that you can also get nutty with, an IFS truck is a good compromise.
Mine works pretty well so far.


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I stand corrected on the manufacturer of the winch. The point still stands though that adding larger tires isn't gonna get you anywhere close to the performance of a Power Wagon. The Power Wagon incorporates all the cool goodies the aftermarket 4x4 industry stands on to make a buck. Yes it is possible to build a truck to match the performance of a Power Wagon (although I would start with a non-IFS truck like an older 1500 or new 2500, using my '01 1500 Offroad myself) but the question is cost/benifit. It will probably prove cheaper to just buy a Power Wagon. And since the Power Wagon's options are covered under the factory warranty it will definitely be cheaper to keep up, altleast for the first 30k miles.

 

hrm... i think my truck diff's lock up cuz when i put it in 4x4 when i turn on the street u can hear the tires squeel

 

I haven't had the opportunity to drive one of these bad boys yet but I saw one at the dealership in Gwinnett County Ga with M/Ts instead of the factory A/Ts and let me tell you that thing looked even meaner! Wish I had pics but when I went back with my camera it was gone.

 

You're gonna mess up your truck if you do this on pavement. It is trying to power both wheels because the traction is the same. When you turn it will bind up the front end and will eventually turn or push the tire making it squeel. One of these days the drivetrain will give out from that abuse. Also, I have gotten many 4x4 stuck because it had one front wheel turning and one rear wheel turning in deep mud while the others had good contact/traction. Then I gotta get the big Case 4x4 4WS tractor that is about 2 miles away. That is a long walk in summer heat.

 

I think you would be very surprised where my Power Wagon can go. Surely, there are places a Jeep will go that I cannot, but it is far less than you would imagine, especially If you're not overly concerned about the sheet metal surrounding the Lockers

 

BTW, I don't disagree that the Jeep is a better dedicated off-road chassis, but for those of us that also want to be able to haul stuff around or tow, the Power Wagon is the way to go.

Ideally I would get a Jeep as a 2nd vehicle for off-roading, but I definitely like this truck. I believe it is far more capable than you might expect.