2005 Dodge POWER WAGON Owner’s Report

Part 1, Georgia Rally

Several times, there have been discussions about the 2005 POWER WAGON on the Dodge POWER WAGON Forum. On Forum 157 someone asked who on the Forum was going to buy a new 2005 POWER WAGON. I responded and gave my vehicle special order number. Several Forum visitors said it was not wise to buy one because it would depreciate in value. They claimed they could build up an old POWER WAGON with all the features of the 2005, that the one they built would cost less, and it would only increase in value.

Then, on Forum 175, a Forum visitor says he finally saw one at a dealer. He said, "At the unintended risk of insulting anyone here who can afford one and decided to buy one, I wasnt that impressed. It didnt strike me as anything more than a mid duty truck with a hidden winch and load leveling suspension. Not alot of uniqueness for $46,000.00 truck! So, what do you guys think? Is the truck more than Im giving it credit for?" (sic)

"Ask the man who owns one." If you remember which automobile company had that slogan, you grew up when the reputation of the vehicles generally preceded the advertising "hype" that faces us today.

Until a post on Forum 175 by "ang" Saturday, May 07, 2005 at 8:10AM, it appeared I was the only Forum visitor "who owns one" so I’ll tell you about my 2005 POWER WAGON. I hope "ang" will provide you all with his evaluation for comparison.

First, the POWER WAGON is built from a basic RAM 2500 4x4. This is the same as when Dodge introduced the W-100 and W-200 in 1957. The "W" series used the same body sheetmetal as the standard two-wheel-drive "D" series Dodge trucks.

But the similarity ends quickly. The Forum visitor says, "Not alot of uniqueness for $46,000.00 truck!" He should have read the window sticker. He would have seen there are many "unique" features. While the Hemi engine is standard on the 2500 and the same five-speed automatic transmission is optional in both, there is little else in the drive train that is not "unique" to the POWER WAGON. There are many options available individually on the 2500 that are included in the POWER WAGON option package.

The base price of my truck was $32,115. The POWER WAGON package was $6,335. The automatic transmission is a mandatory option at $1,170. The destination charge was $850. This comes to $40470. I can only guess that the additional $5530 worth of accessories on the $46,000 truck included leather seats, SIRIUS radio and other options that were never offered on any previous POWER WAGON.

I just drove my 2005 POWER WAGON from Kempner, Texas, to Commerce, Georgia, to attend the Southern POWER WAGON Rally. I cruised (cruise control standard) at just under 70 mph. The trip was 991 miles, the farthest I have ever ridden in or driven a POWER WAGON. With the engine still being broken in, I got about 14.5 mpg.

In preparation for the Rally, Scott Youngblood had cut a trail that crossed several streams with steep sided banks. He also used earth moving equipment to dig a mud pit and a frame twister section. The frame twister was basically a series of alternating holes made with a backhoe bucket. The holes were between two and three feet deep. The fronts and backs were generally straight up.

Some folks were surprised that I headed out onto the trail with the new truck, but I had not yet had a chance to try out all the features, gimmicks, and gizmos. So here’s the report of my truck’s "virgin" outing.

So how did I do? I did not do well at all. I read the owners manual, but I missed some important instructions. The manual covers the locking differentials in at least three different places. The locking differentials are for use only in low-range, four- wheel-drive. There is even an instruction that says to put it in Neutral and shut off the engine to shift into low-range. I hit the trail in high-range and, even though I switched the lockers on, I only had standard four-wheel-drive. The disconnecting front stabilizer bar did respond to the switch and made a difference in the frame twister.

So how did the POWER WAGON do? Both the long-bed, regular cab and the short-bed, Quad-cab models of the 2005 POWER WAGON have a 140 inch wheelbase. M-37 wheelbase is 112 inches. A ’69 W-100 wheelbase is 114 inches. A "flatfender" wheelbase is 126 inches. A ’72 W-200 wheelbase is 131 inches. And, a ’75 W-100 short-bed crew-cab wheelbase is 133 inches. The 2005 POWER WAGON has a fairly long wheelbase, but the steering was very good. I was following Scott in his "flatfender" and could turn a bit shorter than he did.

The B.F. Goodrich "All Terrain" tires were great on the interstate. The tread pattern is useless in mud. The diameter of these LT285,70R17D tires is larger than most other original equipment pickup tires, but they do not give much ground clearance when compared to the 11.00 x 16 Michelins or the 38 x 13 x 16 Super Swampers on my other trucks. Trucks with these larger tires had already been using the trails so when I got to the mud pit, my undercarriage drug and I was stuck. The standard equipment winch got me through the rest of the mud pit. Also, these standard equipment tires made the "approach" and "departure" angles inadequate, particularly when I am used to going off road in an M-37 with 11.00 x 16 Michelins. The tires are the single greatest weakness.

When I got to the "frame twister" part of the trail, at least I did have the sway bar disconnected. That helped me a great deal since I did not have the locking differentials in the "locked" mode. The increased wheel travel let me get the most out of the standard 4x4 mode since all four wheels were in contact with the ground MOST of the time. Several folks watching my progress told me that I had bounced the truck up onto two wheels several times.

I did get to try out the locking differentials. It rained all Friday night and kept on to about noon Saturday. To enter the event headquarters, we had to cross a ditch. The entry path was built up, but had deteriorated from a grassy path into a gooey black mud strip that became a real test of traction. A few two-wheel-drives made a run at it and got in. Soon, even some four-wheel-drive vehicles were having trouble. Having read all the different sections of my owner’s manual, I approached and put my truck in low-range, four-wheel-drive and switched on the differential locks. I had no trouble except for the reduced traction of the B. F. Goodrich tires. With more traffic throughout the day – some of which required being towed - we found that the entry path had deteriorated even more. Later that afternoon we were getting ready to convoy out for dinner. The entry path was even worse. A lot of four-wheel-drives needed an assist with a tow strap to get out to the paved road. I was one of the last to exit the event headquarters area. When it was my turn, I made it unassisted with four tires each flinging mud and showing that the differentials were really locked.

By the way, the front license plate bracket is a joke. It sticks down below the bumper. It’s like the old saying, "Don’t lead with your chin." Some kind soul retrieved my license plate and the bracket.  It's on the floor behind the seat.

So what are my thoughts about my new 2005 POWER WAGON?

For everyone who is trying to convert his old POWER WAGON into a highway cruiser – you’ll never match the new one on the highway. The 5.7 Hemi is smooth and strong. The five-speed automatic transmission shifted early and there were no instances of high engine revs except when kicking down into passing gear. Generally, the engine pulled well and accelerated without going into passing gear. At highway speeds, the tachometer showed very close to the same rpm’s with the 4.56 differential gearing as on my CTD two-wheel-drive with the 3.54 differential. I left Texas with just 1100 miles on the truck. My mileage improved with each tank of gas and I gradually worked up to 14.5 mpg on the highway.

But that’s not what a POWER WAGON is about.

I discussed the off-road performance of my 2005 POWER WAGON above. I also told how I came up short. Keep in mind that the trail here was prepared just for this event. We (the truck and I) handled several natural stream crossings with some success. We did not do well in the specially dug mud pit obstacle. We were only marginal in the "frame twister" obstacle. I gave in and asked for the tow strap when the last pit kept moving me toward a tree and a fallen log. I have not had a chance to test my trucks ability on regular trails. I do believe I could have made it through the "frame twister" if I had the use of the locking differentials.

Just as most POWER WAGON owners have upgraded from the OEM tires on their trucks, I believe the OEM tires on the 2005 POWER WAGON are inadequate. Larger tires are necessary to get the benefit of the amazing technology built into this truck.

When I got back to Texas, I took the truck in for a lube and oil change. I wanted to see the underside while it was up on a lift. There’s no comparison to the POWER WAGON underside and that of a RAM 2500 4x4. The POWER WAGON has skid plates protecting the steering stabilizer and the gasoline tank that the RAM 2500 does not have. It has two cross members welded to the frame that support heavy steel bars which protect the driveline components that the RAM 2500 does not have. The PW front drive shaft has a CV joint at the transfer case end and has a lubrication fitting there that the RAM 2500 does not have.

I had bounced my truck up onto two wheels several times going through the "frame twister" and felt it slam back down. There was no sign of any damage. I am confident you will see there is a lot of uniqueness when you look at the truck from underneath.

With regard to the overall exterior appearance of the 2005, I feel the Dodge guys missed out on several POWER WAGON visual clues. Where were the original POWER WAGON colors? Only red was available for 2005. And what is with them putting the POWER WAGON name plates on the sides of the doors? They should be on the hood – just like on all the "flatfenders" and "W" series previously built. They did add a POWER WAGON name on the tailgate instead of the chrome "4x4" plate. (If I have seen correctly, all the other guys have a plastic sticky thing to say "4x4".)

The POWER WAGON option package 26P is $6335. I went to the Dodge web site and priced many of the Dodge options that were included in the 26P package. I spent some time on the internet pricing other 26P items not available from Dodge. I believe a detailed price list of these items with installation costs for the non-Dodge items will bring you close to the package price.

I'll be bringing my truck to a POWER WAGON event near you. 

Those are my thoughts.  I'll update them as I have more experience with the truck.