Hunting upgrades for my RAM 1500

[Rob5589]

I read a bunch of responses and none that mention extreme vulnerabilities of your truck. I too had a 2014 ram 1500 cc laramie sb. Had a winch in front/rear on a hitch, bilsteins all around leveled in front, hd springs in the rear to reduce sag with weight in the bed, 33” tires, and it had a topper. It was great until I broke 2 things and damaged another 2.

1- I broke the ELECTRONIC power steering during a water crossing. Granted it was a bit extreme, flash flood I pushed through hard, but the power steering seals failed and fried the electronics. $3k to fix and not under warranty. If you dont have a skid plate here it is highly recommended. Also just be weary of this flaw and that even skid plates wont save you. Jar you wheels hard enough it can ruin the seals.

2- Driving down a dry forest road that any stock truck can handle, I drove over a stick that was 5’ long and only 1” diameter. Something you dont think twice about normally. It popped up just right as it broke and speared my transmission pan. Drained my tranny fluid instantly and left me stranded miles from help. Theres a sequence of buttons to push to get it into complete neutral to drag home. The tranny pan is composite PLASTIC!!! Add a skid plate here if you can. I could not find one at the time. Very expensive fluid ($30/q x9) tranny($15k), and pan($400). Luckily my tranny survived but we removed the rear driveshaft to drag her out.

3- Dented both rock rails under the passenger and driver doors. Protect your rails too, preferably with something mounted to the frame. Those steps that attach the the body are cute and worthless - I added some after my rock rail damage and bent those brackets without trying.

I upgraded to a ram 2500 cummins. Its resale value and strengths are unmatched vs a 1500. I loved my 1500 but she left me stranded too many times and was weak. Great on road truck but dont let that fool you, shes vulnerable off road. Take it from someone who paid the price.

I used to do a bunch of fairly hard wheeling; Rubicon, Fordyce, etc. One thing you learn quick; water crossings are sketchy, and do not run over those "tire/tranny popper" sticks in the road.

 

[Spike elk]

Get some good tires and put the rest of your money in the gas tank.

 

[roosiebull]

worth saying again, good 10 ply tires. i have always run 10 ply even on baby pickups, because every set i have had that weren't left me with a flat in a bad spot (flats never happen in a convenient place) it's a very predictable pattern

 

[Moserkr]

I used to do a bunch of fairly hard wheeling; Rubicon, Fordyce, etc. One thing you learn quick; water crossings are sketchy, and do not run over those "tire/tranny popper" sticks in the road.

I dont disagree. Still doesnt change the fact that sealed electronics low to the ground controlling a major vehicle function is a bad idea. Also not having a skid plate over another major component with a large plastic pan is a horrible idea for guys who push these trucks off the beaten path. Ram makes great trucks - i bought another, although larger, and my BIL has a 1500 with 250k on the hemi that still purrs. No trucks are built perfect, or we would all own one, but OP now knows to be weary or preventative of the flaws. Besides good tires and recovery gear, Im a huge fan of armor if you want to keep your truck nice. First thing I put on my new truck were rock sliders mounted to the frame from white knuckle off road. Overkill? Yes. Peace of mind? Priceless. Didnt want the feeling of making a nice truck look so ugly like I did with my 1500’s rock rails. Still miss that hemi though... what a fun motor

 

[raz175]

Just trade your truck for a Power Wagon. Already built for off road with lockers front and rear, front sway bar disconnect, winch, factory lift. I added a canopy and a Decked unit to mine, and it's ready to go anywhere where I need to go.

 

[fisharizona]

Make sure you have a matching high quality spare tire. I personally wouldn't go to 18s; more tire is better and will help with avoiding pinch flats. 10 ply tires are stiff but worth it on nasty roads.

Get a good air compressor and ARB plug kit. Tow strap is good to have as well.

 

[Rob5589]

Make sure you have a matching high quality spare tire. I personally wouldn't go to 18s; more tire is better and will help with avoiding pinch flats. 10 ply tires are stiff but worth it on nasty roads.

Get a good air compressor and ARB plug kit. Tow strap is good to have as well.

He has 20's now. So an 18 will provide more sidewall and better pinch protection.

 

[fisharizona]

He has 20's now. So an 18 will provide more sidewall and better pinch protection.

I didn't see that. Yea, going to 18s then is an upgrade.

Ive got 17's with a 285's on my Chevy, its a good balance of rim and tire FWIW.

 

[fmyth]

Just trade your truck for a Power Wagon. Already built for off road with lockers front and rear, front sway bar disconnect, winch, factory lift. I added a canopy and a Decked unit to mine, and it's ready to go anywhere where I need to go.

The Ram Power Wagon is an incredible off road machine but was a little too much for me. I traded my 2019 Ram PW for a new Rebel. The Rebel is a better fit for my driving and hunting needs and does a better job towing my 28' toy hauler. I spend 90% of my time driving on the highway to get to my hunts and only 10% off road. If I didn't have to drive a 1,000 miles each way to hunt I'd still have the PW. The 5th Gen 1500 is leaps and bounds ahead of the 2500's in comfort, ride, quietness, etc and with its 1" lift, skid plates, high clearance front bumper and locking rear diff its surprisingly capable off road. This year I made 2 trips to WY for archery and rifle elk hunts and drove close to 6k miles on forest service roads and 2 track in snow, mud etc and had no problems.

 

[fmyth]

I didn't see that. Yea, going to 18s then is an upgrade.

Ive got 17's with a 285's on my Chevy, its a good balance of rim and tire FWIW.

Can't fit 17's on the 5th gen Ram 1500's because of the huge rear disc brakes. Only 1/2" of clearance between wheel and rotor with 18"s.

 

[Rob5589]

Can't fit 17's on the 5th gen Ram 1500's because of the huge rear disc brakes. Only 1/2" of clearance between wheel and rotor with 18"s.

Even some 18's don't fit the 5th gen. The factory 18" wheel only has a few millimeters of space in the front.

 

[CamoPirate]

I don't know much about trucks, other than that I need to stop offroading my sedan and get one soon, but I was under the impression larger wheels were necessary to raise your axle higher off the ground? Wouldn't going to 18s lower the truck, or are we talking same overall height, just smaller rim and thicker tires?

 

[Rob5589]

I don't know much about trucks, other than that I need to stop offroading my sedan and get one soon, but I was under the impression larger wheels were necessary to raise your axle higher off the ground? Wouldn't going to 18s lower the truck, or are we talking same overall height, just smaller rim and thicker tires?

The real difference is a larger hole in the tire. Smaller wheel, more tire sidewall. And vice versa for a larger wheel.

 

[Rob5589]

Not sure they are available for your year but, the Mopar slush mats are awesome. They are deep, fit perfectly, and can contain a good amount of goop. I bought them just for hunting but now leave them in all the time.

 

[tdot]

People discussing rim size and not a single recommendation for a rear window gun rack. I thought this was a hunting site. Yeesh.

 

[JBrew]

People discussing rim size and not a single recommendation for a rear window gun rack. I thought this was a hunting site. Yeesh.

Those were the days!

 

[d_rek]

Good seat covers. I have the carhartt ones.

Husky floor liners for front and back seats.

Mud flaps

A tonneau cover or bed topper.

Snow chains.

Good set of all terrain tires.

The collapsing camp are pretty cool, too. If I was doing more out of state trips it would be on my shortlist. But you can also make due with a topper and a cot in the bed as well.

 

[WCB]

People discussing rim size and not a single recommendation for a rear window gun rack. I thought this was a hunting site. Yeesh.

Gun rack...isn't that what the space between your seat and the center console is for?

 

[Diamond K]

I will repeat what several have said,
10 ply tires (ride will change)
Floor pans
seat covers "American Sniper" they look great , more affordable and are just as tough as the Carhartt. I have had both
If you don't have a mega cab you might consider doing the "back seat flip down modification" There is enough room to store boots or a gun behind the seat. I did mine yesterday on a 2500. Took about 20 minutes. Makes it so much easier to install seat covers too.

 

[WCB]

tell me more about the interlocking floor mats. brand?

Basically they are once piece floor mats for the front and rear passenger areas of the truck. I know weather tech makes some and would imagine any major brand would. The ones that came with my are technically two pieces that lock together in the middle (I don't have a full center console extending to the dash). Makes it much easier to pull out and clean.