Power Wagon Registry

Bought my 2012 Power Wagon in September after looking for about a year. It only had 19K miles and it was in very nice shape. I had to drive about 10 hours to Missouri to pick it up. I traded a 2015 Ram 1500 because I had talked myself out of getting a Power Wagon 2 years prior. Then, I could not justify picking up another new truck, especially at the price of the new ones. Anyway, I thought I would share my mods which are pretty limited. I have really enjoyed reading about everyone's trucks, and I figured I would share some about mine.

Here is what it looked like when I got it home. I did add some 285 70 17 Duratracs once I came home as the original BFG's were a bit worn. I had good luck with these tires on my work trucks, so I went with them. I picked the stock size since I tow a camper and I did not feel like changing control arms etc. Part of me would like to try going to 35s but I wanted to stay stock for now.

The truck came with Aluminess sliders and a K&N drop in filter.
Following that, I picked up an ARE Z-series topper because I really missed having one for hunting, camping, etc. I wanted something that looked good, and the local dealer was very good. I liked the look of these, so I decided to make it happen before hunting season. The topper worked great while out in the mountains. Wish I would have found some elk, but I had fun doing some winter wheelin'.
I tested out my winch when I got stuck in some deep snow, got to experience axle wrap, and overall really enjoyed my new rig!

I read a bunch of the posts on the forum about differentials, fluids, covers, etc. so I decided to switch over to Amsoil 75W90 in the front and 75W110 in the rear. I also added some filter mags in each. I cleaned off a bunch of metal goop from the front and rear locker magnets, and it seemed to speed up the lock up time.

While I had them apart, I decided to paint the diff covers the same color as the red trim. I have never done it before, but I have been getting addicted to the mod bug now that I have a truck I plan on keeping for a long time.

Shortly after I changed the fluids, I decided to pick up some Purple Cranium rock guards. I wasn't sure on the color, so I picked the standard(no upcharge) color. Here is the rear. I had a good time putting some of these on my new ride, and the red covers are growing on me. I have had some people comment on how they like the look too. Anyway, I have done some decent wheelin' since I got my rig, and I love the way it performs. I am looking at taking the family out to Moab in March during spring break. I figure it will be pretty nice weather and I can get the lay of the land out there.

Here are some pics from my recent adventures.
I picked up a nice air compressor which I have used several times and I really like how it worked. I added some TGL recovery gear which was a nice addition to the rig. I had some chains from my last truck that I will use if I get a chance this winter, but having grown up in North Dakota, the Colorado winters are not really chain worthy in most situations. I will post any new mods as they come. I am looking to do a CAI possibly since I miss the obnoxious noise it made on my last truck. I may look at some new shocks and possibly other upgrades to come.

Nice looking truck! May as well have been new!

Nice! That is some seriously low miles. What compressor setup did you go with?

It is a Superflow MV-89G. It was $129 and it seems to work very well. It takes about 20 minutes total for me to air up all four tires from about 25psi to 60psi. I wanted to try it before dumping a ton of money on another brand. There is one just like it that is silver in color that got good reviews, but it cost more money. I also picked up a tire deflator. I never ran my tires at lower pressure prior to having this truck, so all of these things are new to me. All of the reviews and research I did looked like this one would be as good or better than the more costly models.

Thanks I will check it out!

That truck looks great! Do the sliders bolt to the body? So I’m fixin to pull the trigger on a S&B intake. Ive had a lot if experience with them in my race shop days. Im definitely looking forward to meeting up sometime. Take care, and keep posting mods!

They bolt to the same holes on the body as normal steps. This one had them on it when I got it. I was thinking about an S&B too....just waiting on some more funds. Do you think it is worth putting one on? Some of the other posts said they decrease low end torque. I had a K&N on my 1/2 ton and it seemed a little more peppy than the stock system.

Well, once I get it I will let you know. Im also seriously considering a Pedal Commander to make up for any potential low end torque loss. That, and Im having the worst time trying to decide on which exhaust route to go.

Installed a Volant CAI with a Donaldson PowerCore dry filter today. It is not much louder than the stock box, but it feels like it is a bit smoother and faster on acceleration. It is very nice looking too! Picked up a DodgeOffRoad steering brace that I will try to install when I get a chance. I am still loving my Beast! Can't wait to do a tow out to Moab in March for Spring Break.

Tell us more about the sound level when you are working the truck hard - like towing a camper etc. Most people have noted a substantial annoying increase in sound level in that situation.

I bet the Volant is a lot quieter than the K&N. I had one on my previous truck and it was nice and not obnoxious in any way. But the K&N is annoyingly loud. But that annoyance subsided when I added my Magnaflow exhaust.

Looks great. Love the color, but I might be biased...

Thanks. I really like the color too. I had a K&N CAI on my 1500 with the Hemi, and it was quite loud if you got on the skinny pedal. When I towed my camper in the mountains, it was pretty loud too. Going up some of the passes out here was a little annoying. So far, the Volant one is a MikeKey described. It is pretty similar to the factory box I had in previously.

I was wondering if anyone knew if the hole in the bottom of the Volant air box was susceptible to water getting into it during off road driving. I know you can get a downward pointing snorkel to connect to it, but I would not be using that for this truck. I didn't know if I should plug the hole or leave it alone. I am not doing any mud running right now, so I will leave it alone.

Forgot to mention, I installed my DodgeOffroad steering brace this afternoon. It was not to bad given my relative novice mechanical abilities. I really enjoy working on this truck, and I look forward to getting better at it. My steering was pretty good to begin with, but this made it feel just like the steering on my half ton. It is a bit tighter, but it is so smooth and responsive. Maybe it is in my head, but I could tell a difference. I bought this mainly as a preventative measure to extend the life of my steering. I was very impressed!

This truck has become my new hobby, so I will continue to look for ways to improve it. I was thinking about moving up in tire size, but based on my research, I would have to change the control arms. I may have to let these tires wear down before I get into that. However, I may get the bug to do it this summer. Let me know what you guys think. I would like to keep it very capable for towing, but my camper is only about 5,500lbs. I was wondering if those of you who have gone up to 35's would feel it would be worth the other changes?

ghaugo wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:41 pm

Forgot to mention, I installed my DodgeOffroad steering brace this afternoon. It was not to bad given my relative novice mechanical abilities. I really enjoy working on this truck, and I look forward to getting better at it. My steering was pretty good to begin with, but this made it feel just like the steering on my half ton. It is a bit tighter, but it is so smooth and responsive. Maybe it is in my head, but I could tell a difference. I bought this mainly as a preventative measure to extend the life of my steering. I was very impressed!

This truck has become my new hobby, so I will continue to look for ways to improve it. I was thinking about moving up in tire size, but based on my research, I would have to change the control arms. I may have to let these tires wear down before I get into that. However, I may get the bug to do it this summer. Let me know what you guys think. I would like to keep it very capable for towing, but my camper is only about 5,500lbs. I was wondering if those of you who have gone up to 35's would feel it would be worth the other changes?

Thats what it is all about right there

ghaugo wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:41 pm

Forgot to mention, I installed my DodgeOffroad steering brace this afternoon. It was not to bad given my relative novice mechanical abilities. I really enjoy working on this truck, and I look forward to getting better at it. My steering was pretty good to begin with, but this made it feel just like the steering on my half ton. It is a bit tighter, but it is so smooth and responsive. Maybe it is in my head, but I could tell a difference. I bought this mainly as a preventative measure to extend the life of my steering. I was very impressed!

This truck has become my new hobby, so I will continue to look for ways to improve it. I was thinking about moving up in tire size, but based on my research, I would have to change the control arms. I may have to let these tires wear down before I get into that. However, I may get the bug to do it this summer. Let me know what you guys think. I would like to keep it very capable for towing, but my camper is only about 5,500lbs. I was wondering if those of you who have gone up to 35's would feel it would be worth the other changes?

You won't need to do anything to get the 35's to fit. Pull the inner fender liners back a bit with some zip ties, that'll keep from rubbing. You'll get very minimal rubbing on the control arms, nothing to worry about. If you want to go to 37's, you'll need the bent arms, and new wheels with different backspacing.

I run the 35" Toyo CT's on my 13 with no rubbing, except at full lock with a little up-travel in the suspension. Even then, it doesn't hurt anything, just makes the stupid noise.

Changed my oil over to Amsoil 5w30 Signature Series for my upcoming trip to Moab. My truck runs smoother now especially on start up and now there is no tick! I am going to switch my transmission fluid over to the Amsoil Signature Series ATF next. Just need to figure out how to flush it all without making a huge mess.

Did a full ATF fluid exchange today. I put in the Signature Series ATF-4 from Amsoil. The truck seems a bit smoother on shifts etc. I was pretty happy with the trip out to Moab this month. I took the family out for spring break and pulled my 5,000lb trailer as well. The truck did ok, but it was a little less powerful than my 1500 was coming up the Ike gauntlet. I had quite a bit more weight in the truck, but my half ton with the 8 speed tranny had more zip. I did notice the PW handled much better with the load. We had a blast, and I got to do the south part of Fins and Things with the PW. My buddy rented a jeep and my rig handled everything except one steep part better than the jeep. I love this truck!

I always felt the 5.7 was too small for the 3/4 ton. Which is why I waited for the 6.4 when I moved up from my 1500 5.7.

The 35’s should be fine for towing your trailer. I towed fulltime for several months on 35’s pulling a 27ft Airstream weighing in at 6980lbs.

And it did fine.

So far it has been pretty good. I think after driving the same engine in the 1500 with the 8 speed transmission and a 3.92 gave me a different perspective of how fast the truck should be. This one definitely feels much heavier driving, but it is about 1,000lbs more according to the scales. I haven't decided on the tires yet as I don't have many miles on mine since I bought them when I got the truck. The Duratracs worked very well in Moab, and they were awesome in the snow/mud this past hunting season. I also felt like I should change the control arms to get full travel from the suspension if I got the 35s. I think I like the thought or look of them more than anything else. I thought if I went up in size I would also look at a tuner to get the speedometer to read correctly. Then I would look at changing my drop hitch shank as it is about maxed out for drop. Ugh!

As far as the 5.7 goes, I think it is adequate for the truck, but when I test drove the 6.4, it did not feel much different. I think the 6.4 probably tows better at less rpms. The biggest part I did like was the overall feel of the truck while towing. My 1500 bounced around a lot and it got pushed a lot more in the wind. The PW was totally different. The squat on my 1500 was around 3.5" and the wagon only dropped 3.4". The off road feel is night and day. It was the biggest reason I went with a PW in the first place.

I really wish I could join you guys in Moab this year. Unfortunately, I am gone for work. Being out there for a few days this spring break got me hooked. It would be awesome to be out there with a bunch of you guys who know what you're doing as I am pretty new to the wheelin' thing. My only 4 wheeling experience was from the military and hunting which were out of necessity and not so much for fun. I also didn't have a rig that could do what the PW could do. Maybe next year! Thanks for the feedback, MikeKey. I have enjoyed reading your blogs and watching the videos.

I completely agree with you on the half ton vs 3/4 ton... on both accounts. For work I drive a ‘17 half ton 5.7 with 8 speed trans, and that truck just flat out feels twice as fast and nimble in comparison to my PW with the 6.4. But then again, towing with the two is night and day as well, even with the low payload numbers with the PW (according to the door sticker, my half ton work truck has more payload than my PW).

Keep enjoying the rig!!!

The current 6.4L "HD truck" Hemi is rated at 410HP and 429lb-Ft, while the 5.7L Hemi is rated at 383HP and 400lb-Ft in the HD trucks and 395HP and 410lb-Ft in the 1500's. They're all pretty close to each other.

Nice truck man. Welcome to the madness!

Well, it did not take long for me to ditch my 33's. I only put about 8,000 miles on the Duratracs, and they worked great. However, I made the mistake of joining this forum, and now I am hooked on working on my truck. We bought a new camper this summer that has a GVWR of 7,600lbs. I towed it across Colorado and Wyoming to include a trip to Leadville, CO. I had the truck pegged going up Eisenhower Pass on the same route you see on the Ike Gauntlet videos. The 5.7 was screaming at me, but I made it up doing 55-60 the whole way even when a truck pulled out in the middle lane going 30mph about 2/3 of the way up the mountain. It was lugging pretty good, but it is quite a towing test if you have never run that route.

I originally bought the 33's because I wanted to keep the truck stock.....I mean, it came from the factory with everything I wanted, no need to modify this truck. Then I got into this forum, and presto less than a year later I am off and running on the mod list. I decided to go up to Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tires in 315/70/17. They measure just at 34" when on the truck. I love the way they look, but they do rub when at full lock as I had read. I talked to Damagwagon about getting some Thuren short arms to remedy that problem. I also had him throw in a trackbar to replace while I was at it. My truck only has 29K on it. It has no trackbar issues, but I figured I would do that while I was under the truck. Marcus sent me a message to let me know the parts will arrive this Thursday, so I get to have some fun working on my rig.

We took the family camping this weekend, and I drove up around 11,000 feet. I did notice the truck pulls just a bit harder with the new tires, but the speedometer was right on with the GPS. I noticed a slight change in mpg, but nothing drastic. I think the decrease in pulling power is minor, but it is noticeable. I am excited to take some more trips and do some real wheelin'.

Here is the truck at the campsite with the new shoes! I took it offroad in the rain over some rocky trails and the tires did not slip at all. They are a little stiff still, but I am going to play with the air pressure to see where I like it. I may look at getting a tuner to try to get a little power back as the gearing feels a little soft right now. I will have to see once I put the new parts on.

Truck looks much better w the 35's. I installed 35's as soon as I got mine and love em.