I know what you're saying. That rig came by us on I70 on our way to Moab this past spring. I thought, that's a Power Wagon and it has a camper hanging off the back even. I paced the rig for a bit but he was going over 80mi/hr and my gas mileage falls of a cliff over 75mi/hr so I backed off. I read that the truck has air bags and a rear sway bar. I think Andy at Hallmark had a Power Wagon for a while and had the camper on for their Moab pics. The Power Wagon is an amazing rig but a stock 1ton would be a better choice 99% of the time.Bigfoot said:Interesting that they--and Hallmark--put it on a Power Wagon which Ram specifically forbids. They did add airbags and a rear sway bar although I'm sure the combo exceeds the GVWR and returns dreadful fuel mileage. The combo must work okay given how much they use it.
There's trade-offs and there's risky choices. The Taco is a tough little truck that can take some extra weight. I borrowed one that was 1500 lbs over GVWR and although it was woefully underpowered it drove okay (it had suspension mods). In contrast the Power Wagon is intended for off-road articulation, not load, and can be dangerous with a camper. Suspension mods would help but go against the design.smlobx said:Bigfoot-
Don't you think that every TC that uses a Tacoma is over their GVW? For that matter most half tons exceed their gvwr's as well..
Life is a trade off sometimes.
So you are saying that a Tacoma 1,500# over gross is ok while a power wagon with huge axles,brakes,frame,etc. is not suitable, even with the suspension modified to haul a camper ?Bigfoot said:There's trade-offs and there's risky choices. The Taco is a tough little truck that can take some extra weight. I borrowed one that was 1500 lbs over GVWR and although it was woefully underpowered it drove okay (it had suspension mods). In contrast the Power Wagon is intended for off-road articulation, not load, and can be dangerous with a camper. Suspension mods would help but go against the design.
The Tacoma was not okay IMHO but it did show me to what extremes the truck can be pushed. The Ram 2500 can certainly carry the weight of a moderate slide-in camper especially with suspension mods. However, a 2500 Power Wagon has extra height and a soft suspension purpose built for off-roading, characteristics that make a camper dangerous. To be sure the Power Wagon suspension could be custom modified to carry the weight, but that sacrifices some off-road ability (and probably part of the warranty). Owner's choice but if it were me I'd more likely keep the truck stock and tow a small, rugged travel trailer.UHAULER said:So you are saying that a Tacoma 1,500# over gross is ok while a power wagon with huge axles,brakes,frame,etc. is not suitable, even with the suspension modified to haul a camper ?