We all know that a Ram Power Wagon is super capable off-road. How does it do for an extended camping and boat towing trip? We are about to find out. Please join for this boating vacation. Let’s dig in!
Many people don’t know that this Ram Tradesman Power Wagon exists. It’s a new Ram HD 2500 Tradesman crew cab pickup truck with a $7,995 Power Wagon package. The sticker price for this configuration is right around $65,490. This is approximately $10,000 less than a Ram HD Power Wagon trim level.
Under the hood is a 6.4L HEMI V8 with 405 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. Ram started using this transmission in their gas V8 Ram HD for the 2019 model year. It’s a tried and true powertrain combination. This engine does not have Auto Start/Stop, but it does have MDS cylinder deactivation.
This Tradesman Power Wagon has a payload rating of 1,500 lbs and a maximum towing rating of 10,700 lbs. It is indeed a heavy-duty pickup truck with half-ton payload/towing specs. I think about the Power Wagon as an overbuilt half-ton that is also unstoppable off-road.
This truck has a 6’4” bed which came in very useful for this trip. If it was a regular half-ton, most of these crew cabs have a 5’6” bed. We really needed the extra space for this camping trip and we used every inch. The Power Wagon is a very tall truck, so the rear bumper-side step came in very handy.
This Power Wagon pulled our 6,000 lbs boat+trailer without any issues. It’s always eager to accelerate and the Tow/Haul mode works great to slow it down. When towing and being fully loaded, I saw approximately 10 MPG on the trip meter. This truck is equipped with a 31-gallon fuel tank, so it has enough range for camping trips that we usually do.
Please join me and my family in the video below.
