Low_Sky's 2015 Power Wagon Laramie

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 8:47 pm

It hasn't been long and I am already spending more money on my truck, so I figured I might as well start a build thread to help me document everything and help others learn about what's out there for our trucks. I will use this first post to document the truck as I bought it, and will add follow-on posts about my fuel economy, accessories, modifications, observations, etc. For as long as I can edit this first post, I'll use it as a table of contents and add links to subsequent posts.

My Power Wagon is a 2015 Laramie. When I get home from this work hitch I will scan and post the factory build sheet, but for now here are the options I ordered.

Western brown exterior
Canyon brown/light frost beige interior
Keyless enter'n'go
Spray-in bed liner
Remote start
RamBox
Power adjustable pedals w/memory
Rear window defroster
Engine block heater

I put a full set of Husky Liner #99003 Weather Beater floor liners in it on day zero, and they are holding up pretty well so far. They fit well, don't slide around, and hold a fair amount of water/mud/dirt without leaking.

I also let the dealer sell me Mopar's weather-proofing package. I plan on owning this truck for a long time and I wanted the rust warranty. I felt their asking price was absurd, but I talked them down to something I felt was reasonable. Hopefully Chrysler will honor the warranty if the truck ever does rust through a body panel.

Here's the truck the day after I got it home from the dealership.

The Wish List:

Hi-lift jack.
Recovery gear (4.5T yarding blocks, shackles, 3x tree-savers, kinetic rope, winch line extension).
Synthetic winch line. Haven't decided if I want to replace the wire rope for the increased safety of synthetic soon, or just wait until I wear the wire rope out (if ever).
35" tires when I wear the factory 33"s out.
Chains for 35"s.
Custom RamBox inserts to keep fly rods safe and organized.
Console Vault.

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 9:13 pm

The first serious chunk of change I dropped on my truck was for a set of rock sliders. I wanted to be able to drive my Power Wagon off road without worrying about costly damage to the rocker panels or door openings. I decided that I wanted White Knuckle Off-Road sliders, but they didn't have their design for the 2014.5+ trucks finished at the time. When I saw member Jnallison's custom sliders I was impressed, and his buddy who welded them was able to work me into his busy schedule and make a set for me too. He did great work, and if there are any imperfections (which I doubt), they are buried under a well-applied layer of Line-X and will never see the light of day.

These go wheel-to-wheel, and have a 2"x2"x1/4" square tube with a 1-3/4"x.120" round tube step, if I am remembering the dimensions correctly. Below the door openings are expanded metal treads for extra traction, and the kick-out at the rear is filled with 1/8" diamond plate. The mounting plates sandwich the frame for a no-drill bolt-on installation, and only require popping a couple of cable ties for the wiring harness loose to clear the mounting hardware.

When I get back from this hitch I will try to remember to take some better photos.

The guy that made these great sliders is in Farmington, NM, and said he wouldn't mind me sending more work his way. If you want his contact info we can discuss it via PM, but please be respectful of the fact that he has a day job and a family, and takes side work like this on a case-by-case basis when time is available.

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 9:33 pm

I ordered and installed a BakFlip F1 bed cover in light of the fact that I travel frequently for work, and am moving to a place that receives 68 inches of annual snowfall on average. I wanted to protect my valuables while I'm away from my truck, and keep the snow out.

If you order a BakFlip cover, I cannot stress enough. . . . WATCH THE VIDEO. I installed mine in a hotel parking lot in Missoula, MT and my memory of the video (I watched it twice a week before) and the lousy paper instructions that came in the box were not enough to get me through a correct installation. In about an hour's work I had a mechanically functional bed cover, minus the water-draining cups and hoses and a strip of seal that goes . . . . . somewhere

By the time I realized my mistakes, it was too late to take the whole thing apart and start over (the install has to be done in correct sequence, more or less). For now, theft protection is what I need, and I'll worry about the water-proof bits when I have more time to mess with them.

Overall I am very happy with this bed cover. It is very low profile, and both RamBoxes are accessible with the cover up or down. Because of the F1's narrower width to accommodate the RamBox, it does not extend beyond the sides of the cab when locked in the folded up position. The full width covers do stick out past the sides of the cab when folded, and that would bother me enough to make me less likely to drive with the cover folded back.

The only "improvement" I would like to make (if it won't void the 3-year warranty) is to install some recessed tie-downs in the panels. The cover is rated to carry 400 lbs of evenly distributed load, and I would like to be able to throw my 9' inflatable pontoon raft on top of the cover and strap it down.

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 11:54 pm

The 6.4L Hemi goes through dead dinosaurs like there's no tomorrow.

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04Ram2500Hemi · Post by **04Ram2500Hemi** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 3:12 pm

Wow- the Western Brown is an amazing color! As far as fuel economy goes, if I could average over 12mpg I'd be thrilled. Most of the time I'm averaging 11.5mpg while tooling around town, but there's times it's closer to 11mpg. At 75mph I'm lucky to get 14.5mpg, so I'd say the 6.4L with the 4.10 gears and MDS is a bit of an improvement in the fuel economy department.

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 4:13 pm

Those are almost all highway miles. Pure city driving gets me about 8 mpg.

That 16 mpg tank was coming down out of the mountains in southern Colorado, cheating

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Mule · Post by **Mule** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 3:25 pm

Dang, i'm sitting at 13.3 and that's a trip north to FtC, and a couple round-trips out east (airport, friend's place). All unloaded highway driving...
only broke 14 once, and that was Centennial WY to FtC unloaded with a tailwind the whole way. :\

Stickman · Post by **Stickman** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:14 pm

I would say something is definitely a miss there, or you have a heavy lead foot. If I'm being semi-easy on the gas I average 11-12 with about 70/30 highway/city easily. If I'm trying to save I can get 12.5-13, maybe even 13.5 if I'm SUPER easy, that's in my '12 that has the stock 33s and 4:56s.

Stickman · Post by **Stickman** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:17 pm

Course you could still be seeing a little of the break in mileage since yours is still somewhat new. I didn't see decent mileage until I had 5k or 6k miles on mine, around the first oil change, or second if you did one around 1k for insurance.

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:47 pm

I'm pretty sure my extra-low mileage can be attributed to where I have been driving my truck since I have had it. The city miles are almost all from Dallas, TX city streets. Most of the highway miles are from interstates with 70-80 mph speed limits, which I usually stick to pretty closely. In a few months I'll be moving to Alaska, where the highway speed limits are lower, and I expect my mileage to go up a little bit.

leo72987 · Post by **leo72987** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:47 am

Nice rig I like the brown as well when my 2005 Wagon becomes a pile of dust I will be upgrading to a new Wagon lol. I have never hit 16 I pretty much average 13.5, granted the 05's came with 4.56 gears and a none mds hemi

Which I prefer but wouldn't mind a few more mpg's haha.

TruckBoatTruck · Post by **TruckBoatTruck** » Tue Sep 08, 2015 6:22 pm

I really like those sliders. How much did they run you if you don't mind me asking? I would be very interested in them.

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 1:53 pm

TruckBoatTruck wrote:I really like those sliders. How much did they run you if you don't mind me asking? I would be very interested in them.

PM sent.

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Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 1:54 pm

Double post. Thanks Tapatalk.

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2wagons1driveway · Post by **2wagons1driveway** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:45 pm

Looking good man love those sliders damn good investment!

Sent from that big land mass the rest of the world hates

gun45boat · Post by **gun45boat** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 2:41 pm

Nice workkk..... Love the color....

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 8:03 pm

Thanks for the kind words, guys. My buddy in WA has some trails near his house, so I'm finally going to take it out wheeling this weekend. I'm pretty excited, but I have to play it safe. That's just the start of a 3500 mile road trip. Can't afford to tear anything up.

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2wagons1driveway · Post by **2wagons1driveway** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:30 pm

These trucks can really take a lot stock man just watch your speed over rough terrain and your approach and break over angles but other than that they kick it offroad p.wagon ain't all hype. Try to use the lockers a bit at least the rears more you use em faster they seem to work

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Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Thu Mar 08, 2018 3:26 pm

Holy crap it's been a long time since I updated this.

Hawse fairlead conversion: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5365&sid=14b809e26c ... f0e7423e5c

Truck is on 35" Toyo CT's these days. I've been happy with the performance on ice and snow so far.

It's winter now, so the truck stays covered in permafilth.

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