Albertan - On order - 2022 RAM 2500 Big Horn Mega Cab Night Edition c/w Hemi 6.4. Need help/suggestions.

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Derrik

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Hello, I am new to forums in general. Looking for advice. I want to upgrade suspension once my 2022 RAM 2500 Big Horn Mega Cab Night Edition c/w Hemi 6.4 arrives, should be May/June. Any advice on lifts, airbags, rims/tires etc?? Flexible budget (+/- $6k). I wanted a Power Wagon but I needed a bench in the front due to a family of 6....so I want to adapt a regular 2500.
3 goals
1. Need to maintain +/- 2000 lbs. payload for contractor jobs once or twice a month
2. Looking for ride comfort on long 10+ hr. trips for work, usually unloaded, sometime with mentioned +/- 2000 lbs.
3. Off-grid family exploring and camping, and bug out situation, basically want to build an overlanding capable ride lifted enough to drive up small mountain river systems (+/- 2' water levels with rock bottoms)..nothing to aggressive but able to go where most can't :)

I am very new to this, so any advice to help build a bad ass dream truck that is still functional before SHTF...then survivable and capable after it does...would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
 

Dean2

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Check out the specs on mine. Just order it with the shorter box and 50 gallon tank. Pretty much fits exactly what you want.

yunnust.jpg
 
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Derrik

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Thanks, nice looking unit, my 2012 1500 is the same color...and I was debating the same red this time but in the night edition....but I ultimately went for blacked out black (hate that its so common now a-days but its always been my favorite look and I couldn't resist).....as for the trim level, for some reason I wasn't able to get the off road package (tried but told they couldn't from factory even though online said they could). I was still able to get the anti-spin but would have the shocks or descent control. Any troubles with stock height so far? Did you level lift the front or is that how it came?
 

Dean2

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Thanks, nice looking unit, my 2012 1500 is the same color...and I was debating the same red this time but in the night edition....but I ultimately went for blacked out black (hate that its so common now a-days but its always been my favorite look and I couldn't resist).....as for the trim level, for some reason I wasn't able to get the off road package (tried but told they couldn't from factory even though online said they could). I was still able to get the anti-spin but would have the shocks or descent control. Any troubles with stock height so far? Did you level lift the front or is that how it came?
Came just like this. I don't modify my trucks. The off road package has the Bilstiens, which are a big ride improvement, and about 1" higher ride height. The descent control etc is not a big deal, but I put Bilstiens on my 1996 at 150,000 Klms and if I had known how much better the ride was I would have done it when the truck was brand new.

Roads get bad enough, we unload the quad, which fits in the bed with the canopy on, and take that. It will easily go places you can't even think about getting a pickup into and you don't beat the snot out of $75,000 worth of truck.
 

Dean2

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Awesome, thanks for the input/feedback, I will look into the Bilsteins for sure.
My recommendation is to go with a Warn m15000 winch. So far I am not impressed with this Smittybuilt. Only reason it is on there is there were no large Warn's available in Sept last year when I had the truck rigged. I think I am going to swap it out, depending on what the off road shop that installed it says about fixing the fact it doesn't free spool well at all.
 
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Derrik

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Thanks, yeah, one of my next decisions will be winch...I really like the look of the AEV bumper with Winch....but not sure yet where to sources them in Canada....and I was thinking 15k or so....I see you jumped up a lot from your older 9k winch, was that too small for recovery?
 

Dean2

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There is a place in Red deer, Bullet Proof Bumpers that makes great replacement winch bumpers. Tough, light weight look good and reasonable price.

The 9000 needed to have a pully on it for any tough pulls. Going from 12000 to 15000 was the same price so bigger is better.
 

OC455

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Hello, I am new to forums in general. Looking for advice. I want to upgrade suspension once my 2022 RAM 2500 Big Horn Mega Cab Night Edition c/w Hemi 6.4 arrives, should be May/June. Any advice on lifts, airbags, rims/tires etc?? Flexible budget (+/- $6k). I wanted a Power Wagon but I needed a bench in the front due to a family of 6....so I want to adapt a regular 2500.
3 goals
1. Need to maintain +/- 2000 lbs. payload for contractor jobs once or twice a month
2. Looking for ride comfort on long 10+ hr. trips for work, usually unloaded, sometime with mentioned +/- 2000 lbs.
3. Off-grid family exploring and camping, and bug out situation, basically want to build an overlanding capable ride lifted enough to drive up small mountain river systems (+/- 2' water levels with rock bottoms)..nothing to aggressive but able to go where most can't :)

I am very new to this, so any advice to help build a bad ass dream truck that is still functional before SHTF...then survivable and capable after it does...would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Could have got a Tradesman with the Power Wagon package. But the Mega cab Bighorn is a nice ride.

Look at Thuren for a level (they have different level heights), get their kit & shocks (front/rear):


Only reason I would go this route would be so you could get a slightly larger/better tire under your truck for the type of off roading you are talking about and have a comfortable ride.

Tires I would look at something that has good on highway performance and off road capability. 285 65 R 20 will be about 34.5 inches tall just shy of a 35 inch tire. Or go with a 35 inch tire on the factory rims...I have the Firestone Destination X/T's on my 3500. They're a hybrid style AT tire.

Look at air springs for the rear (Timber Grove ASAMs/Air Lift):


I am suggesting these because they will help stabilize the truck when loaded out. I like the Timber Grove ASAMs...had them on my half ton, but the Air Lift might work better for what you want to do.

The suggestions for a winch, I defer to other with more experience with them. Warn is good, Mile Marker is good....Superwinch is made in the USA.

1652159915268.png

Good luck, just my suggestions.
 
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Big_Papa_R

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This is just my opinion. Being in alberta as well strongly recommend staying away from air bags. They don't really hold up to our winters. Thuren and Carli are highly recommended... but you will lose cargo capacity. On my personal I went with bds 3 inch kit. Got it for about 2300 Canadian. Coils in the front spacer in the back. Nx2 shocks which was a drastic improvement for me over stock. Gets you a bit higher and saves some room for tires and a winch
 

Dean2

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I agree about staying away from air suspension up here. No air works good at -40, though the Firestone Air Bags I had on a Chev many years ago stood up not bad for a couple of years but I did not run with much air in them in the winter. Long term however I doubt they would have and I know anyone that bought air on a Dodge pickup either got rid of the truck or swapped out the air suspension for conventional..
 

OC455

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Being in alberta as well strongly recommend staying away from air bags.
I agree about staying away from air suspension up here.
I didn't say anything about air bags or air suspension. Just supplementing the rear coil spring with an air spring. I had the Timber Grove Air Spring Assist Mounts (ASAM) on my half-ton and they worked well in the winter time and it gets just as cold here...air them up as needed.
 

4xdad

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I am building my pw for the same thing I have taken my truck on a couple of trips it’s very comfortable while I don’t plan on beating my truck I don’t want to walk home lol because I live in Edmonton i find that some parts are very expensive what with exchange and shipping so I built my own stuff some things you just have to bite the bulllet
 

Dean2

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I didn't say anything about air bags or air suspension. Just supplementing the rear coil spring with an air spring. I had the Timber Grove Air Spring Assist Mounts (ASAM) on my half-ton and they worked well in the winter time and it gets just as cold here...air them up as needed.
No, it really, really doesn't.

This is around noon after it warmed up quite a bit.

81Yxrnc.jpg
 

OC455

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Ok.....
 
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