[Jared1946]

I've gone too far in the quest for bigger and better toys. I've always been a Jeep guy, I've owned 14 Jeeps, from 1942 GPW to a 2012 Rubicon 2-door, but this Fall/Winter I ordered and bought a 2015 Power Wagon.....and now I am making plans to get rid of it!

It all started with towing needs, atv's and dirt bikes my Wranglers could handle....but homeowner requirements and lifestyle requirements lead me to two Tacoma's, a 2005 and a 2012. Great trucks, did everything I asked them to do until I upgraded to a 2015 Polaris Ranger Crew 900 and flatbed trailer. Putting a 450R quad in the bed and towing the nearly 5,000 pounds of trailer, side by side and gear caused the Tacoma to be overloaded and very hard to drive.

So enter the Power Wagon. I wanted a capable off road truck that could easily tow a Jeep or travel trailer. Problem solved right? WRONG!

The Power Wagon tows great.....but it's freakin' huge. Hard to park, won't fit in the garage, hard to maneuver off road, won't fit hardly anywhere...it is to the point I am willing to sell the Polaris, trailer, everything and just go back to a 2 door Jeep and a couple of dirt bikes!

And yes I knew all of this stuff before I bought it.....I just thought I could handle it....and I can't!!! To me it's not worth driving the damn Power Wagon to be able to tow toys that I could drive instead.

Point is, think long and hard before you trade off your Jeeps for something the size of a school bus!!!

 

[stampedingTurtles]

A crew-cab 2500 series...yeah that's a big truck.

I previously had a Quad cab 1500 and felt that was too big!

It is really too bad that Dodge doesn't offer the lockers/disconnects on something like a 1500 regular or quad cab.

Or even better, if they would bring back a small/midsize truck and offer those sorts of features.

Or they could just make a Wrangler-based pickup....

 

[Jared1946]

Or they could just make a Wrangler-based pickup....

That would solve almost all of my problems. Removable top and doors, plus a bed to haul stuff....I'd buy one today!

I really hate owning two vehicles.....I had the Tacoma's and Wranglers/CJ's at the same time, but I hated that in order to own a nice truck, I had to own derelict Jeeps or vice versa. So I either had a Jeep with 180k on it and a new truck or a new Jeep and an old beater truck that I was afraid to drive more than 10 miles!

But after years and years of swapping vehicles I think I have made my mind up. Order a 15 JK 2door with Half Doors and just drive it. Go back to hooking up a trailer to go to Home Depot or dirt bike riding.....it isn't that big of a pain in the ass when you consider the alternative is driving this behemoth school bus for 5-10 years!!!!! NOPE!!! Not happening!!

 

[Chief301]

Or they could just make a Wrangler-based pickup....

That would solve almost all of my problems. Removable top and doors, plus a bed to haul stuff....I'd buy one today!

I really hate owning two vehicles.....I had the Tacoma's and Wranglers/CJ's at the same time, but I hated that in order to own a nice truck, I had to own derelict Jeeps or vice versa. So I either had a Jeep with 180k on it and a new truck or a new Jeep and an old beater truck that I was afraid to drive more than 10 miles!

But after years and years of swapping vehicles I think I have made my mind up. Order a 15 JK 2door with Half Doors and just drive it. Go back to hooking up a trailer to go to Home Depot or dirt bike riding.....it isn't that big of a pain in the ass when you consider the alternative is driving this behemoth school bus for 5-10 years!!!!! NOPE!!! Not happening!!

I'm with ya...been owning full sized trucks for almost 20 years now and finally bought my first jeep (used) a couple of years ago. So I had the best of both worlds...a truck when I needed it and a jeep for fun and nice weather. But alas, the jeep was totaled a few months ago, and since my daughter recently started driving I bought her a car with the insurance settlement instead of replacing the jeep. But I knew I was going to get another jeep. We decided to buy brand new this time and be without a truck for the first time in my adult life. I studied on it quite a bit but ultimately I have a crew cab truck that NEVER has anybody in the back seat and a truck bed that is seldom used for cargo. If needed I already have a 5'x8' utility trailer if I have to haul anything.

And I agree, that truck is just a PITA to get in a parking spot and has the turning radius of a school bus

Besides, my dad is in his 80's and hardly ever uses his truck anymore, and lives 10 minutes away, so I can pretty much borrow the truck anytime I might need one.

 

[Mowrangler]

I had a Ram 1500 extended cab short bed and it was too much truck for what I use it for so when it got wrecked I got a Dakota Quad cab as a daily driver. Its easy to park and maneuver gets decent mileage and will pull my YJ without any problem. It is a shame Dodge went brain dead and discontinued the Dakota.

 

[Jared1946]

Yeah if I had Jay Leno money I'd have the Power Wagon, a new Jeep, a new Hell Cat Challenger, a new Harley, and a half dozen ATV's and Dirt bikes for good measure....oh and a 55 Chevy to top it off!! LOL!

It all boils down to what you want to drive daily and what you need. I am willing to sell stuff that requires a big truck to tow in order to drive something I want daily. Just not worth it for me I don't think.

I used to work on my own stuff as well, done enough cracked exhaust manifolds on 4.0L engines to last a lifetime though....that is why I sold everything old last year and bought the Polaris to replace a 46 Willys I was tired of working on.

So going back to old Jeeps isn't an option, I'm done with wrenching. So new or nothing from now on!

 

[Mowrangler]

I am with you on not wanting to have to work on my DD that why I bought the Dakota.
I am a retired auto tech but I still like to tinker and still want a toy although my wife think I spend money on it like Leno.

 

[DREDnot]

I sold my 05 LJ rubicon to get an 07 megacab Cummins 4x4. At the time, the three boys were teens and we couldnt all fit in the jeep for family excursions. We toured the west coast in style for five years with that bad boy but once the kids were out of the picture, I traded it off for a 2012 KK liberty for DD duty, hot summer wheeling, and road trips. Still, I needed to have a "Jeep" jeep to be able to strip down for "combat".

I do run across the need for a truck now and again. A nice *********** wagon would be a winner.

 

[Cole Man]

I cant stand Power Wagons just because of the size. To me it looks like I could drive it right into the ocean and set sail lol.

 

[Dextreme]

I use my Dodge Dually as a support vehicle for my TJ. Can't imagine life with out having both.

Flat towing...

 

[Jared1946]

I use my Dodge Dually as a support vehicle for my TJ. Can't imagine life with out having both.

Flat towing...

Now that is a pretty neat set up!!! I didn't know they made toy haulers big enough to fit a TJ in!!!! But I can't imagine trying to park a dually around here!!! My PW barely fits!

 

[IRQ]

Hmm how to you get out of the jeep when you drive it in there

 

[jeepers29]

Dex, nice set up. I have a F250 for my big towing jobs and like you would not be happy without it. It gets driven about once a week just to keep all the seals wet, otherwise a tow rig and a hauler.

 

[Badger 13]

So I take it that there is nothing actually wrong with the truck, but it is just way more vehicle then you expected ?

Jim

 

[stampedingTurtles]

Hmm how to you get out of the jeep when you drive it in there

Fold the windshield down and crawl out over the hood?

Or between the seats and out through the tailgate?

Or more likely it isn't as close to the side of the trailer on the drivers side as the pictures make it look...

 

[billiebob]

I agree with the OP.

Done all the above but I hated towing the Jeep I preferred to drive. I now scale everything to fit living with a Wrangler first.

 

[Jared1946]

So I take it that there is nothing actually wrong with the truck, but it is just way more vehicle then you expected ?

Jim

Exactly, the PW is great. Nice build quality, everything works, ride is ok if you air the tires down from the factory 65psi to around 50. The thing goes great in the snow and ice with the long wheelbase and weight.

The problem is just one of logistics and driving enjoyment. The main complaint is that it is simply too big to manage. Towing with a 2door wrangler and 10ft trailer is effortless. There isn't a drive-thru or ATM I can't make it through. But the PW and a 14-18ft trailer is over 40ft long!!

The PW is also too tall to hit ATM machines without getting out. Pain in the ass.

I live in a heavily wooded area and maneuvering around trees is a daily occurence, doing so with a trailer is also frequent.

So yeah, I'm to the point that I will tailor my lifestyle to fit a Wrangler!