8 Months in a PW, Was It The Right Buy?

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olyelr

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Get an anchor, you can make them or buy them. You can even use your spare tire. Think outside the box. Also may wanna air down.

I have been “stuck” many times and have never let anyone pull me out. I know my Jeep won’t pull it out just due to the static weight difference.
Get a good kinetic energy jerk strap and a jeep (or any other small vehicle) can pull a full size rig out of some pretty bad situations.
 

fortysixand2

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I didn't get a PW for rock crawling, I didn't get it to go to Moab, I didn't get it to run the Rubicon, and I didn't get it to try and fit on 4 wheeler trails.

I got a PW because I explore. I realize what it is and is not capable of, and I know that other vehicles are more capable of heavy off-roading. What I do is pack me, my wife and two kids in the truck and start driving forest service roads till I'm above 7000 feet, and then camp. What I need this truck to do is carry my family and my gear up to hard to get fire lookouts, on overloading trips where we don't take any paved roads on a 7 day trip across the state, and up to hunting camp.

Here in Idaho on the IDBDR we have a spur road to a fire lookout off of the BDR that has a forest service sign that says "Road maintained for 4x4 vehicles only" and someone sharpies "Jeeps ONLY, no trucks" on the sign. Every time I take the PW up there I come across a side by side or a group of Jeeps that try to tell me I should back down because the road gets way worse. Or, the Jeeps will come over and ask me how I got the truck up to the fire lookout. Truthfully, it isn't even hard.

So the PW has limitations, for sure. I don't tow heavy things, I don't wheel in narrow, rocky creek beds for miles, I don't have a problem accepting the limits of the PW while still pushing those limits occasionally.
 

olyelr

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I didn't get a PW for rock crawling, I didn't get it to go to Moab, I didn't get it to run the Rubicon, and I didn't get it to try and fit on 4 wheeler trails.

I got a PW because I explore. I realize what it is and is not capable of, and I know that other vehicles are more capable of heavy off-roading. What I do is pack me, my wife and two kids in the truck and start driving forest service roads till I'm above 7000 feet, and then camp. What I need this truck to do is carry my family and my gear up to hard to get fire lookouts, on overloading trips where we don't take any paved roads on a 7 day trip across the state, and up to hunting camp.

Here in Idaho on the IDBDR we have a spur road to a fire lookout off of the BDR that has a forest service sign that says "Road maintained for 4x4 vehicles only" and someone sharpies "Jeeps ONLY, no trucks" on the sign. Every time I take the PW up there I come across a side by side or a group of Jeeps that try to tell me I should back down because the road gets way worse. Or, the Jeeps will come over and ask me how I got the truck up to the fire lookout. Truthfully, it isn't even hard.

So the PW has limitations, for sure. I don't tow heavy things, I don't wheel in narrow, rocky creek beds for miles, I don't have a problem accepting the limits of the PW while still pushing those limits occasionally.
Well said.

You a TOOL fan?! :head3:
 

thkbaron

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I didn't get a PW for rock crawling, I didn't get it to go to Moab, I didn't get it to run the Rubicon, and I didn't get it to try and fit on 4 wheeler trails.

I got a PW because I explore. I realize what it is and is not capable of, and I know that other vehicles are more capable of heavy off-roading. What I do is pack me, my wife and two kids in the truck and start driving forest service roads till I'm above 7000 feet, and then camp. What I need this truck to do is carry my family and my gear up to hard to get fire lookouts, on overloading trips where we don't take any paved roads on a 7 day trip across the state, and up to hunting camp.

Here in Idaho on the IDBDR we have a spur road to a fire lookout off of the BDR that has a forest service sign that says "Road maintained for 4x4 vehicles only" and someone sharpies "Jeeps ONLY, no trucks" on the sign. Every time I take the PW up there I come across a side by side or a group of Jeeps that try to tell me I should back down because the road gets way worse. Or, the Jeeps will come over and ask me how I got the truck up to the fire lookout. Truthfully, it isn't even hard.

So the PW has limitations, for sure. I don't tow heavy things, I don't wheel in narrow, rocky creek beds for miles, I don't have a problem accepting the limits of the PW while still pushing those limits occasionally.
I think that's a perfect reason to get one.
 

thkbaron

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It makes me wish mine was here. I currently own a 2018 Power Wagon with the stock normal interior. No leather. It has ram boxes and it all black. I do like the all black but it has bothered me since I bought it. I bought it used. It was someone else's dream. Not mine. I took advantage of the market to get a great trade for mine and order what I wanted. I do wish there were better color options. I went with white because I was sick of scratches. I wish there were better colors but it is what it is. Everything else I got exactly what I wanted. It'll be my truck. I'm excited to pick it up. I do the same thing as you do minus the 7000 feet. Pretty flat here. Good for you and enjoy your truck.
 

jarheadf23

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I researched for over a year for a good vehicle to take off road and tow my tent trailer and my Jeep, I can't even remember how many videos I watched of good and bad reviews and I still bought my 2020 PW in January. I knew ahead of time this would never replace my 15' JK Rubicon especially after what I have invested in it to be what it is. The PW will never get where my Jeep can go and do what it can do but also the Jeep will never do what the PW can do. I plan on trying to tow both the JK and My tent trailer on an 18' trailer for long distance trips. I also look forward to pull just the tent trailer and go camping with the PW and added extra space that the PW provides.

Thanks for your take on this and helping reinforce what I did and did not know.
 

turkeybird56

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your post touches on a few pros and cons of a power wagon. and I really do think a lot of guys might have changed there mind after owning one for a bit. I have have had one now for 8 months and still think it’s the best truck I have driven. But when I bought it I got it for a weekend fun outdoors stuff truck which is what it’s perfect for.
I do not have a PW, just a lowly Bighorn. Too many years driving in/on trails/mountain trails, with Hummers and Size/Weight/Tires are monster factors to consider. We more than once buried that friggin Hummer, and it took 2 hummers in tandem to pull out the buried Hummer. We did manage to burn up a winch also, LOL. But for looks and capability etc, bet the PW be a blast to have and drive.
 

4xdad

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I modified my pw to be a good overlanding rig(camping in yer truck). It’s not a heavy tow machine or a go fast race truck or a rock crawler. But it’s comfortable on the highway and a capable wheeler. When I bought my truck it was the only truck that had the stuff I wanted (winch/lockers)the only thing that I would have liked is a slightly longer box so I could sleep in the back but I worked around that.
 

4xdad

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Even a crappy engineer could work around that. Knowing what you are doing helps discretion is the best part of valour. I don’t take chances when I far from home or help. Truck wouldn’t start one morning when we were camping about 60 kms in the backcountry. To say that we were concerned is an understatement but I had 2 backups so it was all good. Hard wheeling and really deep mud aren’t in the plan I have a quad for that. I’m to old to walk up and down mountain roads I don’t use the lockers to get me into trouble I use them to get out
 

4xdad

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Plus my truck like every thing else around here has gained a lot of weight and my dumb sh$& alarm doesn’t like mud
 
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