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Posted by Paul Cook in Kempner, Texas [76.0.107.207] on Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 16:48:43 :
In Reply to: new powerwagon posted by BPeel [67.1.158.174] on Saturday, August 25, 2012 at 04:06:48 :
Welcome to the world of the Power Wagon. It’s always great to find another “new” Power Wagon owner. You will have to get used to folks who will put you down and have a ready excuse why they don’t have one.
Read the report on my Kempner Power Wagon Museum web site about the poor locking axle instructions in the Owner’s Manual. I would hope the got them right
Is it a Power Wagon? All vehicles are created starting with the frame. When I worked at the International Harvester truck factory, a vehicle built on a school bus chassis was a school bus. There was no confusing a Travelall with a tandem axle semi-tractor.
When I special ordered my truck, I spent some time talking to a Dodge executive whose name I will not disclose. He had a beautifully restored 1947 WDX and worked where the "new" Power Wagon was developed, but was not welcomed where much of the design and marketing took place. Instead, "whiz kids" did a lot of their work using off-road magazines and photographs as reference materials. I asked him about some of the equipment that was standard on the "new" Power Wagon.
One example was the "new" Power Wagon has cab mounted clearance lights as standard when, in fact, they were optional on the "Flat Fender" Power Wagon. There was a “flat fender” shown in some of the early corporate publicity. My friend told me that the clearance lights were standard on the “new” PW because they were in the photos the “whiz kids” used. A lot of us know whose truck this was.
When I asked why a particular “all weather” tire was chosen that did not perform as well as available “all terrain” tires, I was told that the tire was chosen based on reviews in several off road magazines where that particular tire brand was greatly advertised. Apparently the “whiz kids” did not understand that few magazines will ever publish bad reviews of a greatly advertised product.
Remember the “new” Power Wagon came into being at a time when a foreign company was trying many marketing strategies. There was tremendous effort being invested into selling Dodge pickups. The Ram name was already established for the existing high volume pickups. Also, this was a time when some Dodge models were exterminated.
For several years, the Power Wagon was marketed as a Power Wagon and had its own brochures. Unfortunately, it is cheaper to add some Power Wagon content into a Ram circular. None of the sales information in either type of brochure mentioned the distinct frames and other differences that cannot be switched between the two.
Now there are new foreign Dodge owners and they think that “PW” stands for Pizza Wagon. Even the chrome style Power Wagon name plate that survived the other foreign company is gone.
It’s okay for folks who have little or no experience with these trucks to express their expert opinions. At least they don’t refer to them as Jeeps. It’s also okay for Power Wagon wanna be’s to buy a Ram and add Power Wagon emblems they bought over the parts counter.