We all know the Ram Power Wagon is super capable off-road. How does it work for extended camping and boat towing trips? We’re about to find out. Please join us on this sailing holiday. Let’s dig!
Many people don’t know this Ram Tradesman Power Wagon exists. This is a new Ram HD 2500 Tradesman Crew Cab pickup truck with the $7,995 Power Wagon package. The sticker price for this configuration is approximately $65,490. It’s about $10,000 less than the 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 is mated to an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. Ram began using this transmission in its gas V8 Ram HD for the 2019 model year. This is a tried and true powertrain combination. This engine does not have auto start/stop, but does have MDS cylinder deactivation.
This Tradesman Power Wagon has a payload rating of 1,500 pounds and a maximum towing rating of 10,700 pounds. It’s actually a heavy-duty pickup truck with half-ton payload/towing specifications. I think of the Power Wagon as an overbuilt half-ton that’s also unbeatable off-road.
This truck has a 6’4″ bed which is very useful for this trip. If it were a regular half ton, most of these crew cabs would 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 towed our 6,000 pound boat+trailer with no problems. It’s always eager to accelerate and the tow/haul mode does a great job of slowing it down. When towing and fully loaded, I saw about 10 MPG on the trip meter. This truck is equipped with a 31-gallon fuel tank, so it has enough range for the camping trips we usually take.
Please join me and my family in the video below.
