General Clortho
Member
Early this year, I placed a PW on order just how I wanted it (Tradesman base model, all vinyl bench seats and floor, 8.4, marker lights, no graphics) after about a year of research and saving. I like my vehicles utilitarian and simple. Once I had narrowed it down to a RAM 2500, I went back and forth on a PW or a 4wd diesel. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, etc. They both cost about the same, and I wanted one or the other for all the reasons they offer what they do. In the end, I went with the PW for the off-road goodies and darn do they look great.
Was it the right decision? Maybe this will help someone, because I wish I would have read this before deciding.
My other rig is a modified Wrangler on 35's for reference, but not a Rubicon, and it still has a front open diff and fixed sway bars. My thought process being that it sucked to drive the Wrangler for hundreds of miles at a time and because the PW had lockers, disco's and a winch, it should be able to handle most of the off-road activities I like to do. Plus, I needed the room for the family. I can drive the PW at 80mph in comfort with all the room my family needs for hours and hours, so that is a big check box checked.
Two weeks into ownership I am walking out with the PW suck in a field with both diffs locked and nothing to winch to. I thought, "I messed up. I should have seen that coming, but I didn't think I would get stuck there in this beast with lockers. The stock tires suck anyway so I will upgrade those." I chalked it up to inexperience with a mammoth sized truck. It wasn't that far, I got some help, and picked up the Wrangler to pull out the PW. The Wrangler did circles around the PW in the field and pulled it right out. I learned a big lesson about how much a rig's weight degrades its off-road performance in the soft stuff given the same basic tire. The PW sunk like a rock in the mud but the Wrangler danced over it. For reference, I would not have taken the diesel version back there at all. My 12V Cummins 3500 dually would get stuck in wet grass.
Fast forward a few months and with 35's, and I am backing out of a climb due to lack of breakover. The air dam was a victim, and I wasn't willing to drag the belly of the truck anymore that I already had. If I had of "sent it", I could of made it over, but just didn't think it was worth it. That and the 3 point turns to fit on the trail and folding in mirrors were getting tiresome. I had learned lesson numbers 2 and 3. The truck was too darn wide and too darn long. She climbed up the incline like a goat though. The next time I was in the Wrangler, and it was a cake walk, but the PW did climb better.
The coined phase "Power Wagon don't care" is not as true as I had hoped. Power Wagon is darn capable, and awesome truck, gobs of power, great on long trips and on the highway, looks killer and I love it, but it does care. It is just too darn big and heavy and hard to see out for me on the trail. I suppose some would call it a challenge to navigate the behemoth through where smaller rigs go, and I respect that. I also don't have the off-road camera's and that would be a big help. I just don't know how much I will be using the off-road goodies on the PW to justify the cost of them now. On the other hand, the PW is fairly unique, mine especially is rare, and I love driving it.
Looking back, I would have been better off to get the diesel and tow the Wrangler to the trail, which I still plan on doing (setting up the Wrangler now to flat tow). The diesel would have checked the long travel boxes, the towing box and the utility boxes better, but not the "cool" factor box. I have been looking at travel trailers and the consideration of air bags, and that would not have been a factor with the diesel. If I were to rewind, I would have opted for the diesel, but the smile I get when driving the PW daily is a bonus, so I am keeping her.
Was it the right decision? Maybe this will help someone, because I wish I would have read this before deciding.
My other rig is a modified Wrangler on 35's for reference, but not a Rubicon, and it still has a front open diff and fixed sway bars. My thought process being that it sucked to drive the Wrangler for hundreds of miles at a time and because the PW had lockers, disco's and a winch, it should be able to handle most of the off-road activities I like to do. Plus, I needed the room for the family. I can drive the PW at 80mph in comfort with all the room my family needs for hours and hours, so that is a big check box checked.
Two weeks into ownership I am walking out with the PW suck in a field with both diffs locked and nothing to winch to. I thought, "I messed up. I should have seen that coming, but I didn't think I would get stuck there in this beast with lockers. The stock tires suck anyway so I will upgrade those." I chalked it up to inexperience with a mammoth sized truck. It wasn't that far, I got some help, and picked up the Wrangler to pull out the PW. The Wrangler did circles around the PW in the field and pulled it right out. I learned a big lesson about how much a rig's weight degrades its off-road performance in the soft stuff given the same basic tire. The PW sunk like a rock in the mud but the Wrangler danced over it. For reference, I would not have taken the diesel version back there at all. My 12V Cummins 3500 dually would get stuck in wet grass.
Fast forward a few months and with 35's, and I am backing out of a climb due to lack of breakover. The air dam was a victim, and I wasn't willing to drag the belly of the truck anymore that I already had. If I had of "sent it", I could of made it over, but just didn't think it was worth it. That and the 3 point turns to fit on the trail and folding in mirrors were getting tiresome. I had learned lesson numbers 2 and 3. The truck was too darn wide and too darn long. She climbed up the incline like a goat though. The next time I was in the Wrangler, and it was a cake walk, but the PW did climb better.
The coined phase "Power Wagon don't care" is not as true as I had hoped. Power Wagon is darn capable, and awesome truck, gobs of power, great on long trips and on the highway, looks killer and I love it, but it does care. It is just too darn big and heavy and hard to see out for me on the trail. I suppose some would call it a challenge to navigate the behemoth through where smaller rigs go, and I respect that. I also don't have the off-road camera's and that would be a big help. I just don't know how much I will be using the off-road goodies on the PW to justify the cost of them now. On the other hand, the PW is fairly unique, mine especially is rare, and I love driving it.
Looking back, I would have been better off to get the diesel and tow the Wrangler to the trail, which I still plan on doing (setting up the Wrangler now to flat tow). The diesel would have checked the long travel boxes, the towing box and the utility boxes better, but not the "cool" factor box. I have been looking at travel trailers and the consideration of air bags, and that would not have been a factor with the diesel. If I were to rewind, I would have opted for the diesel, but the smile I get when driving the PW daily is a bonus, so I am keeping her.