2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Build

[Roloc]

With covid, the dealer says transportation to SoCal is outrageously long. They said it should ship in the next week or so.

Well I’m leaning towards the ARB, even though my best friend swears by his CO2 system. How about extra fuel? I guess the options are on the roof orsome of the very pricey bumper options I’ve seen out there.

Yeah I always carry some rotopax with me with fuel and there are some new MOLLE panels being designed that mount over the wheel wells in the back. I am going to get some of those and mount the rotopax to them to maximize bed space. I also have a Rigd UltraSwing that I can use to mount those things but not sure I need to do that since the spare tire fit so rotopax in the back or on the roof rack it is.

 

[ptgarcia]

I think with 37" tires and larger a compressor just isn't a practical solution, even the double ARB. I have onboard air with a 1 gal tank to operate my exhaust brake (5.9L Cummins) and fill my Carli long travel bags but I'd rather drive on the highway with low tires than wait for the air system to fill my 37's. I'll be going CO2.

 

[John21powerwagon]

I like the look of those 35’s! CO2, or ARB in a case, I like the portability of it over having a fixed onboard, which is how I’ve been set up before.

keep your build photos coming!

Checked with FCA a few minutes ago, truck has been completed, no eta on shipping.

 

[Roloc]

Got a couple of things installed today! Amp Power steps and the RSI Smartcap I have been waiting for! I will post some more pictures when I get the bins installed and the roof rack. Two reasons I went with the RSI in the first place.






I'm a little worried about these steps instead of the white knuckle off road sliders I had on my 1500 but hey... won't know until I bash them on something.

View attachment IMG_4780.MOV

 

[PNW EXPLR]

You have a really nice build going there. I love the RSI cap. Keep up the great work!

 

[ptgarcia]

Love the color scheme. These new Rams sure are pretty!

 

[jwalla]

I like the way this is headed. Looks good

 

[RamBound]

Going to do this in story format as t is cathartic for me and maybe someone out there is going through a similar dilemma.

So I was having some issues with my 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel that I think were self inflicted. The AEV lift that I had installed never really seemed right. The brake line rubbed on tire and actually broke (thank goodness I was in a parking lot when the brakes gave out), the sway bar came disconnected while just on some washboard and popped one of the air bags in the back and it just never really drove right. This coupled with a fuel sensor going out which apparently is way to common on the Rams just had me itching for a new rig. The lift was literally the only thing I didn't do myself (with friends) on the Rebel so there was a ton of heart and soul poured into that thing and it was hard to say goodbye.

Picture of outgoing rig:
View attachment 175857

Enter the beast...

2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon

Why?

So this was a hard decision for me. I knew I wanted to stick with Ram. I love the interior and they have been overall good trucks. That fuel sensor mentioned above is probably the only major work other than mods or mod related I have done on mine and I have owned 2 over the past 10 years or so so I was happy with the reliability and just overall they function. Why the power wagon? Well as you can see from the picture above I had a pretty capable truck and I didn't really want to take a step backwards right off the bat. I also wanted something that I didn't have to modify as much to avoid the problems that I had with the lift. I kicked around a new Ram 2500 with the diesel and just building it out but I ultimately decided not too due to the added expense of getting it to where I wanted it with the lift, winch, bumpers, tires etc. So I felt like the power wagon was the only thing that would be a step forward not a huge step back initially.

I went with the 2500 for a couple of reasons. I recently moved to Texas and if there was ever a place where you can drive around a heavy duty truck and fit in it's totally Texas. I am also a huge ogre at 6'6" and I couldn't go smaller than the 1500 so... 2500 it is!

Build Plans (So far...)
- 35" Tires - I am as shocked as everyone that these power wagons come with 33s. I am going to wear down these Duratracs some though as they are good tires. Unless you know someone wants to buy them off of me. They only have 200 miles on them :)
- Rock Rails - I will probably go with the White Knuckle Off road ones eventually but I figured I'd break the stock ones first.
- RSI Smart Cap w/ Platform Rack - Going to get two full bins to take the place of the ram boxes. I really loved the ram boxes but want to try a topper this time around to keep things more dry and less dusty in the back. The bins seem like a great option and I am excited to get this installed.
- Second Battery - Already ordered the bracket for a dual battery system I am going to go less crazy with the lights and such this time around but still need to run the fridge

View attachment 175860 View attachment 175862

GREAT looking Rig. Love what you have done with it, great pics as well.

I have a Rebel on order and am anxiously pacing the floors until I take delivery. I posted this question as well, but thought I'd check with you and see if you had any thoughts or recommendations. The dealer of course is offering PPF (Paint Protection Film), Ceramic Coating, Rust Protection, Etc. and wanted to see if you had any thoughts. I'm thinking on the PPF as it will help protect the hood, front fenders, mirrors and bumper from rocks, etc. and being in Wisconsin (Salt, Chemicals) have a 3rd Party Ceramic Coat the truck, Wheel Wells, etc. However, this is also going to be a rig to go places and I can't be concerned with using it....so is it worth putting some money in to protect it?

 

[Roloc]

GREAT looking Rig. Love what you have done with it, great pics as well.

I have a Rebel on order and am anxiously pacing the floors until I take delivery. I posted this question as well, but thought I'd check with you and see if you had any thoughts or recommendations. The dealer of course is offering PPF (Paint Protection Film), Ceramic Coating, Rust Protection, Etc. and wanted to see if you had any thoughts. I'm thinking on the PPF as it will help protect the hood, front fenders, mirrors and bumper from rocks, etc. and being in Wisconsin (Salt, Chemicals) have a 3rd Party Ceramic Coat the truck, Wheel Wells, etc. However, this is also going to be a rig to go places and I can't be concerned with using it....so is it worth putting some money in to protect it?

yeah I have done most of those things but my take is that you can almost always get it done a lot cheaper somewhere else like a mobile detailing business . Now If you want to roll all of that into the loan then go for it.

You could always go big and get a wrap :) nothing protects paint like a layer or two of vinyl.

Thanks for the kind words. Let me know if you got any questions about the Rebel that was my last truck and I loved it!

 

[SFG]

Great looking truck! I have the olive green as well. Do you mind sharing more pictures of the truck with the RSI? I’m thinking purchasing the RSI myself but it will be great to get a couple of side shots to see how the black caps flows with the olive green Power Wagon.

 

[Roloc]

More pictures of the truck you say? Of course!







I have the bins on order as well as a rhino rack pioneer platform. So I will post that stuff up when it gets here. Recently drove it from Austin to Cheyenne and all through Colorado and back and I have to tell you I am surprised just how quiet it all was.

As for the color I like the combo but I really hate that they plastered their name all over it and you can't easily take it off. I may at some point have it painted or a wrap to match the green and carry the power wagon styling on the bed up over the top but for now... I am digging it.

 

[Brewbud]

I think with 37" tires and larger a compressor just isn't a practical solution, even the double ARB. I have onboard air with a 1 gal tank to operate my exhaust brake (5.9L Cummins) and fill my Carli long travel bags but I'd rather drive on the highway with low tires than wait for the air system to fill my 37's. I'll be going CO2.

My ARB twin fills the 37s on my Rams fast. I fill two at a time. I went for years with a lot smaller compressor. I have tanks of both CO2 and Nitrogen but I usually leave those at home. Sometimes I will take a tank in the truck bed. Never in my enclosed Jeep though.

 

[Roloc]

I got some stuff from the previous build attached to the RSI SmartCap today as well as one of the bins in the cap. Still waiting on the other Bin and to wire it all up for the Battery to the fridge. It's coming together!


Bin Preview:
View attachment IMG_4944.MOV

 

[Roloc]

Test fitting the modular second battery setup. The fridge will plug into the Goal Zero Yeti and the Yeti will plug into the Truck. I ran and built a small box to the half bin for the RSI smart cap which allows me to still access the truck bed and run the cable to the battery. This effectively keeps the battery above the fridge and is removable. I am test fitting very strong magnet hooks to keep the Yeti in place as well. I think this is going to work great!




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[Ed1774]

Nice Wagon! Anything new?

 

[Roloc]

Nice Wagon! Anything new?

Thanks!

One thing new, thanks for asking. I was going over and over what to use for switches for the fridge and eventually some lights. One downside to the Power Wagon is there isn't a ton of areas to mount switches. Especially if you're trying for a non destructive modular type of build like I am. So that I can hot swap things based on the trip or the needs but still get back to a "truck" any time I need to. Then out of nowhere Garmin releases this power switch (Garmin PowerSwitch™ | Compact Digital Switch Box) which I jumped all over because I already had a Overlander GPS from my last build. Now that turns the overlander and my phone into a switch panel. I wired it up and so far it works like a champ so I feel pretty good about using it for other accessories. I had used a SPOD on my last build which the switches worked great but the bluetooth/wireless app was next to awful, this so far is very reliable and one less wire to run into the cab.



Other than that just been enjoying the build and glad to see it all coming together... Pics from a recent Big Bend trip!

 

[Ed1774]

Great color and nice build!

 

[Squidcop]

Loving the build. Definitely going to follow. Had no idea Garmin made a wireless controller. Glad you showed me. Just bought a 2021 75th Anniversary Power Wagon. All I’ve done to it so far is install a Decked Drawer system. Toss up between investing in a bed rack or bed cap.

 

[RoarinRow]

Very nice build for sure. What does the inside of your shell look like? I've never seen this smart cap before.

 

[Roloc]

Very nice build for sure. What does the inside of your shell look like? I've never seen this smart cap before.

Thanks! There are some pictures above of the bins on the side and here are some of what the inside looks like. I will get some better shots or a video if you'd like. Ultimately they aren't to deep to be obnoxious and you can still see out the back window.

A couple of additions I didn't update this thread on but you can see the table in the top of the Smart cap it is very nice thing to have and out of the way for such a big table. Also my favorite part by far is the fact that the whole thing is metal so I can use a ton of magnets to get stuff up and out of the way but still accessible. Those MaxTrax are mounted with magnets! No drilling and allows me to be totally modular.