So what to do about Ram Boxes

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727Jay

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Hello folks, new to the forums with a request for some solid advice and expertise.

I am planning on ordering a ’22 Longhorn this fall and although I really want the Ram Box, I am worried about them warping and me (being a little bit **** about fit and finish) regretting having ordered them on a truck I want to have for a very long time. Many of the ones I have seen when sneaking around dealer lots seem to be on the verge of warping and that makes me a bit reluctant about getting them.
I‘m not going to be using it as a work truck, but more of as a “gentleman’s truck”. Wow, that sounds smarmy, but that’s all I’ve got. Anyway, pulling a boat trailer a bit, furniture moving, stuff like that, but mostly for getting to work and back until I retire in a few years.
So what do ya’ll think, roll the dice and deal with it if it happens or play it safe? No wrong answers, as they say.
‘Preciate it...
 

Daw14

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Have them reinforced when you purchase the truck, all the work could be done from the underside so no paint work needed. Yes it would add to the cost of the truck but you wouldn’t need to worry about something that may or may not happen,just like insurance.
 
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727Jay

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Not to be a dullard, but do you mean attaching something like a small angle iron to the underside of the lid along the length of the lid?
 

gfh77665

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At the absolute worst, you might have to replace the lids years down the road. No big deal IMO.
 

Green_Manalishi

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My 2017 boxes don't fit as well as they should. I slotted the holes on the striker which allowed the lid to close tighter, but it still isn't even from front to back.
Better than it was, though.
 

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tron67j

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I thought I wanted Ramboxes on my truck, but since they don't come in 8' beds it didn't matter. But I am glad I don't have them as I get more carrying capacity and since I keep my trucks for years I was wondering about long term looks. I do wish Ram had something like Chevy does. Part number

84705347​

 

Daw14

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Not to be a dullard, but do you mean attaching something like a small angle iron to the underside of the lid along the length of th. Yes something like that,possibly a rectangular frame that might be glassed in . Keep in mind that not all of these lids warp,I don’t think it’s a whole bunch of them.
 

mikeru

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For those of you suggesting to mount angle iron or something similar obviously haven't taken a look at the lids. That's not a feasible option without major modifications to the boxes themselves. Those of you saying you'd miss the bed space haven't had a truck with them. I used to think the same thing until I actually owned a truck with them. Sure, there are occasions where I might utilize that space, but I can load more firewood in my truck than it's capable of hauling. With very few exceptions you wouldn't miss the small amount of space you lose. And having the storage in the bed sides is priceless for me.

I've figured out how to adjust my own rambox lids so it's a non-issue for me now. I didn't like how the lids on my previous truck looked. I took it in and the dealer had me get an estimate from a body shop since no one there had any experience with them. The body shop quoted me almost $2k, and involved fiberglass and repainting the sides of my box along with the lids in order to blend the paint properly. No thank you. So I took a close look at how they are constructed. The painted section is actually just a garnish, and provides no real structure to the actual lid, which is the black plastic section the garnish mounts to. I removed the screws and enlarged the holes to get some adjustment, and I bought the special tool that's listed in the STAR publication (case number S1923000014 Rev C), that's used for adjusting the gaps. There are also rubber bumpers on each end to help make adjustments. Now my lids fit almost perfect. After about 30 minutes I was able to get them looking nearly perfect. I'm extremely happy with how it came out.

Striker adjustment tool. Mopar part 2069900230.
Rambox adjustment tool.jpg

Remove these screws and enlarge the holes in the black plastic to increase the range of adjustment. Don't drill into the painted garnish. You'll want to pull the painted garnish up to clear the back of the holes. The amount of adjustment needed depends on how pushed in the garnish is.
Rambox garnish adjustment screws.jpg

Use an Allen wrench to adjust bumpers out if needed.
Rambox lid bumper.jpg

Sorry, no before pics. These are after adjusting them.
Left rambox lid.jpg

Right rambox lid.jpg
 

Farmer Fran

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I will not own another truck without them. To add to the discussion I have the spray liner and divider, couple all that with the MF tailgate and you have pure awesome.
 

REBEL12

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I Have them and love them . its nice to come out of a store and put stuff in them instead of in side the cab or rolling around in the box. they are weather proof and lock able.
 

LugsLeadOut84

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What a shame...I had them on my 2012 and the fit was great - no warping, leaking or other issues I've been hearing about. Are these issues new? I loved them and missed them on my 2 trucks since then. I generally take trucks from dealer inventory and my dealer said they usually don't order Ramboxes for inventory trucks.
And as far as them taking bed space....They utilize the usually wasted space over the wheel wells - the width is not impacted except over the wheel wells - you can still fit 4 x 8 sheets in the bed. They take the place of tool boxes or totes in the bed, anyway. I think they bring more benefit than you give up in space. That is, if they work as designed.
 

mikeru

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What a shame...I had them on my 2012 and the fit was great - no warping, leaking or other issues I've been hearing about. Are these issues new? I loved them and missed them on my 2 trucks since then. I generally take trucks from dealer inventory and my dealer said they usually don't order Ramboxes for inventory trucks.
And as far as them taking bed space....They utilize the usually wasted space over the wheel wells - the width is not impacted except over the wheel wells - you can still fit 4 x 8 sheets in the bed. They take the place of tool boxes or totes in the bed, anyway. I think they bring more benefit than you give up in space. That is, if they work as designed.
They function just fine. The issues with the lid fitment are purely cosmetic. And most of the issues can be adjusted out, as I showed in an earlier post.
 

GTyankee

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Back when the Ramboxes came out that first year or two
The dealership had a storage area full of sun warped lids

They must have asked Chevy, how they made all of those beautiful Corvettes

I may get Ramboxes on my next order in 2023 or 24
Hopefully someone has developed a great hard bed cover by then
 

CanRebel

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Hello folks, new to the forums with a request for some solid advice and expertise.

I am planning on ordering a ’22 Longhorn this fall and although I really want the Ram Box, I am worried about them warping and me (being a little bit **** about fit and finish) regretting having ordered them on a truck I want to have for a very long time. Many of the ones I have seen when sneaking around dealer lots seem to be on the verge of warping and that makes me a bit reluctant about getting them.
I‘m not going to be using it as a work truck, but more of as a “gentleman’s truck”. Wow, that sounds smarmy, but that’s all I’ve got. Anyway, pulling a boat trailer a bit, furniture moving, stuff like that, but mostly for getting to work and back until I retire in a few years.
So what do ya’ll think, roll the dice and deal with it if it happens or play it safe? No wrong answers, as they say.
‘Preciate it...

I dislike them. For function, it's ok. But looks? I think they look ugly.
Friends that have them on their trucks all love them. Even when they warp, etc...
There are other options, that in my view do very close to same thing.
You also have more limited options for cover if you plan on putting one on. There are more options than in other years though.

I'm sure you are aware they are plastic. Not only can and do warp. They also color fade.
 

oe542bob

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On my 4th Ram 6.5’ bed with the Rambox option. Use them everyday. One side has various clothing, hard hats, gloves, etc. Passenger side has various tools, rags, spray cans, etc.

I’d have a 5th gen truck already, but I still want the longer bed, but for some reason, only the 5.7’ is available on the 1500.
Never had any water intrusion, figment slightly off, adjusted the rubber bumpers and made it better. Only issue I’ve ever had was the plastic linkage breakage that the power locks use. In fact, I just got done replacing both on my truck this morning. A friend of mine had one of his lids replaced because the outer fascia (colored part) was coming off. Dealer replaced entire lid under warranty.

Before Ramboxes, I always had a crossbed tool box for storage. Can only reach so far, and many times I had to get up into the bed to access it.
As far as bed space, the inner wall is just moved inward. Really still the same space just moved to a different location!
 

mikeru

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I dislike them. For function, it's ok. But looks? I think they look ugly.
Friends that have them on their trucks all love them. Even when they warp, etc...
There are other options, that in my view do very close to same thing.
You also have more limited options for cover if you plan on putting one on. There are more options than in other years though.

I'm sure you are aware they are plastic. Not only can and do warp. They also color fade.
You have opinions based on other's experiences. But do you have any first-hand experience with them? Sure, there are "other options" for storage. I tried several different products on the 2017 (non-rambox) Rebel I used to own. But none of them were as versatile and functional. Not even close really. For me, it's not just the lockable bed side storage. The bed divider/extender is at least as useful as the storage bins. Multiple attachment points for the bed divider gives you more options than a simple flip style bed divider/extender gives. I'm not faulting you for not liking them, and I'm not trying to change your mind. But honestly, I used to have a similar opinion on them, which is why the Rebel didn't have them. But the wife bought her truck with ramboxes and I was able to actually use them and see how useful they really are. And honestly, after owning a couple different Ram trucks with them, I prefer the look over a bed without them.
 

CanRebel

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You have opinions based on other's experiences. But do you have any first-hand experience with them? Sure, there are "other options" for storage. I tried several different products on the 2017 (non-rambox) Rebel I used to own. But none of them were as versatile and functional. Not even close really. For me, it's not just the lockable bed side storage. The bed divider/extender is at least as useful as the storage bins. Multiple attachment points for the bed divider gives you more options than a simple flip style bed divider/extender gives. I'm not faulting you for not liking them, and I'm not trying to change your mind. But honestly, I used to have a similar opinion on them, which is why the Rebel didn't have them. But the wife bought her truck with ramboxes and I was able to actually use them and see how useful they really are. And honestly, after owning a couple different Ram trucks with them, I prefer the look over a bed without them.
First, I was giving MY opinion to OP. Not to you...
If you like them. Tell him/her. I don't care if you do or not. I gave my own opinion.

Second, how does me typing I think they look ugly, some one's experience?
I wrote
/quote
I think they look ugly. Friends that have them on their trucks all love them.
/quote
Same with people who remove all badges...
 

mikeru

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First, I was giving MY opinion to OP. Not to you...
If you like them. Tell him/her. I don't care if you do or not. I gave my own opinion.

Second, how does me typing I think they look ugly, some one's experience?
I wrote
/quote
I think they look ugly. Friends that have them on their trucks all love them.
/quote
Same with people who remove all badges...
Sorry, I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers. I was just asking if you have any first-hand experience with them. This is a public forum. People can and will comment. Your opinion on looks is just that, your opinion. I wasn't judging that opinion one way or the other, just that my opinion differs. If you're going to post your opinion in a forum it's best to have a thick skin. Because there will always be people who don't share the same opinion, and they may not be as considerate in telling you that.
 

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