We've reached a point with our growing family were space was becoming an issue and we felt like it was time for an upgrade, so welcome the Power Wagon!
Coming from a pretty modified FJ Cruiser it has been quite a change adjusting to this behemoth of a rig, mostly due to wheelbase issues, requiring me to take a new approach to line selection. With the FJ and how we had it set up, not a lot of thought went into line selection due to its size, capabilities, and our experience with the vehicle.
We've taken a few day trips in the Power Wagon trying to get familiar with its capabilities, weaknesses, and size. First I'll address the most obvious weakness, its breakover angle! (my sister cringed and the sound of us testing out the skid plates)
This trail is a local favorite, Backway to Crown King, and one we've run a few times in our FJ with little trouble. Here to you can clearly see I misjudged this obstacle and found myself resting on the skid plates. I am generally pretty light on the skinny peddle when playing in the dirt and in this picture I gently rested the Wagon on its belly. With both lockers engaged I was able to reverse, carefully selected a new line and clear the obstacle. Once on top I inspected the Wagon's underside for damage and found the skid plates worked as advertised with only light scratches visible and no gouges, dents, or otherwise notable damage.
The running boards have brought up some interesting conversations in our family. My wife says they are required and non-negotiable. I say, that either I'll remove them, or a rock will. We are currently researching some alternatives and we are strongly considering some rock sliders from White Knuckle Off Road. In the meantime, the current running boards sit just slightly above the frame and require some thought when choosing a line but otherwise have been pretty handy when loading the kiddos in the truck.
The width of the Wagon in comparison to the FJ has led to some early pin striping but that is a badge I generally wear with honor. Compared to all the perfectly shiny Raptors I see here in Phoenix its nice to show people that I'm not afraid to use my investment as it was intended. (sorry, felt like trolling a little, nothing personal Raptor crowd lol)
The next item is one people like to ask about in regards to a vehicle this big, and thats fuel economy. In the Wagon, it's not great. In fact, depending on your perspective it could be considered terrible. We've got about 3,000 miles on it so far and the best tank we've had was with 300 miles of mixed driving and we clocked about 13.5mpg. Off road, in 4lo the computer says we average between 6 and 7 mpg. Hand calculated, the worst tank was about 9mpg. Our FJ averaged about 15 mpg mixed driving so the overall cost isn't much more. The advantage over the FJ is fuel capacity. With a 31 gallon tank our range has almost doubled when compared to the FJ's 18 gallon tank, and with the added power from the 6.4 Hemi, our smiles per gallon have more than doubled.
So, I wanna address the things I like about the Power Wagon and the first item, power! The FJ was geared well and had enough go juice to get the job done. Hook up our army trailer (modified M101a2) and we weren't going anywhere fast, or passing up a gas station. Push the skinny peddle to floor in the Power Wagon and the truck comes to life. Haven't pulled anything with it yet but I can safely assume that it will pull our army trailer with little argument.
The Power Wagon package from Ram is really a great bang for the buck. Considering how much lockers, winches, and skid plates can cost, having it all packaged together along with a factory warranty made the Power Wagon very attractive. And keeping the poor breakover angle in mind, there are few obstacles this thing won't climb.
Factor in the electronic disconnect front sway bar and it'll flex too!
Probably the thing I like the most compared to our FJ, is the interior space. Not feeling cramped and giving the kids windows they can roll down has, by far, made this switch worth the investment.
This is not intended to be a build thread, that will come later. We have big plans for the Wagon, but we want to continue to learn how to drive it as is, while we compile a list of what we need to upgrade vs what we want. As of now, I see rock sliders, off road lighting, and bigger tires being at the top of our list. Once we have a good game plan for the Wagon and put things in motion we'll begin a build thread, so stay tuned!
Coming from a pretty modified FJ Cruiser it has been quite a change adjusting to this behemoth of a rig, mostly due to wheelbase issues, requiring me to take a new approach to line selection. With the FJ and how we had it set up, not a lot of thought went into line selection due to its size, capabilities, and our experience with the vehicle.
We've taken a few day trips in the Power Wagon trying to get familiar with its capabilities, weaknesses, and size. First I'll address the most obvious weakness, its breakover angle! (my sister cringed and the sound of us testing out the skid plates)
This trail is a local favorite, Backway to Crown King, and one we've run a few times in our FJ with little trouble. Here to you can clearly see I misjudged this obstacle and found myself resting on the skid plates. I am generally pretty light on the skinny peddle when playing in the dirt and in this picture I gently rested the Wagon on its belly. With both lockers engaged I was able to reverse, carefully selected a new line and clear the obstacle. Once on top I inspected the Wagon's underside for damage and found the skid plates worked as advertised with only light scratches visible and no gouges, dents, or otherwise notable damage.
The running boards have brought up some interesting conversations in our family. My wife says they are required and non-negotiable. I say, that either I'll remove them, or a rock will. We are currently researching some alternatives and we are strongly considering some rock sliders from White Knuckle Off Road. In the meantime, the current running boards sit just slightly above the frame and require some thought when choosing a line but otherwise have been pretty handy when loading the kiddos in the truck.
The width of the Wagon in comparison to the FJ has led to some early pin striping but that is a badge I generally wear with honor. Compared to all the perfectly shiny Raptors I see here in Phoenix its nice to show people that I'm not afraid to use my investment as it was intended. (sorry, felt like trolling a little, nothing personal Raptor crowd lol)
The next item is one people like to ask about in regards to a vehicle this big, and thats fuel economy. In the Wagon, it's not great. In fact, depending on your perspective it could be considered terrible. We've got about 3,000 miles on it so far and the best tank we've had was with 300 miles of mixed driving and we clocked about 13.5mpg. Off road, in 4lo the computer says we average between 6 and 7 mpg. Hand calculated, the worst tank was about 9mpg. Our FJ averaged about 15 mpg mixed driving so the overall cost isn't much more. The advantage over the FJ is fuel capacity. With a 31 gallon tank our range has almost doubled when compared to the FJ's 18 gallon tank, and with the added power from the 6.4 Hemi, our smiles per gallon have more than doubled.
So, I wanna address the things I like about the Power Wagon and the first item, power! The FJ was geared well and had enough go juice to get the job done. Hook up our army trailer (modified M101a2) and we weren't going anywhere fast, or passing up a gas station. Push the skinny peddle to floor in the Power Wagon and the truck comes to life. Haven't pulled anything with it yet but I can safely assume that it will pull our army trailer with little argument.
The Power Wagon package from Ram is really a great bang for the buck. Considering how much lockers, winches, and skid plates can cost, having it all packaged together along with a factory warranty made the Power Wagon very attractive. And keeping the poor breakover angle in mind, there are few obstacles this thing won't climb.
Factor in the electronic disconnect front sway bar and it'll flex too!
Probably the thing I like the most compared to our FJ, is the interior space. Not feeling cramped and giving the kids windows they can roll down has, by far, made this switch worth the investment.
This is not intended to be a build thread, that will come later. We have big plans for the Wagon, but we want to continue to learn how to drive it as is, while we compile a list of what we need to upgrade vs what we want. As of now, I see rock sliders, off road lighting, and bigger tires being at the top of our list. Once we have a good game plan for the Wagon and put things in motion we'll begin a build thread, so stay tuned!
