We’ve had a saying about the Ram Power Wagon for years…but how does this latest truck tackle the trails?
If you’re looking for a big, beefy, badass off-road truck, the Ram 2500 Power Wagon is the choice for you. At least, that’s been Ram’s brief over the past couple decades, as it’s developed multiple generations of its specialized, off-road-worthy HD truck. Now, the current Ram HD was just refreshed within the past year, and you have a heck of a lot more options for a trail tackling rig. That includes the original Power Wagon as well as the Rebel, and this: the Tradesman Power Wagon. What we’re looking at here is a $66,490 (to start) version that aims to deliver the same capability at a more affordable-ish price.
So, how well does this Hemi-powered beast handle Red Cone Pass? Andre and Roman head into the mountains — along with Tommy and Kase, who are testing our new Jeep Wrangler Willys 392 — to find out what it can do.
Against your standard Power Wagon, the Tradesman-based version cuts some creature comforts from the equation. That said, you do still get the off-road hardware. The $7,995 Power Wagon package adds in powder-coated bumpers along with an electric winch, front and rear locking differentials, an electronic front disconnecting sway bar, Bilstein suspension and Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires with 17-inch black aluminum alloy wheels.
Under the hood, the 2026 Ram 2500 Tradesman Power Wagon still packs the same 6.4-liter Hemi gas V8 you know and love. That means 405 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. This whole meat and potatoes package also brings a 4.10:1 rear axle ratio alongside all the other off-road upgrades. So, the on-paper trail tackling ability is still there, if you and the trail can cope with the truck’s 149.3-inch wheelbase and nearly 20 feet (238.8 inches) of overall length.
From the narrow forest trail itself to obstacles like ‘Mr. Curb’ along the way and the fact that this is actually Andre’s first time up Red Cone Pass, we get a little bit of everything in this off-road adventure.
Check out how the guys get along in the video below:
