# Just ordered an '08 Ram 2500



## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

After sorting through all the info I could find on this site and others, I went ahead and ordered an '08 Dodge Ram 2500 SXT, Hemi, 5spd Auto, 4x4, Quad cab, 8', SRW, Snow Chief, Towing, Protection, 1/2" Linex, tube steps, block and battery heater, sliding rear window, supplemental air bags, and an extra set of steel wheels with 265 17 BFGs... A dealer over here near Denver got me in at just under 30 grand all in. Sounded like a deal to me. Getting a black one. Going to put an 8'2" Boss XT on it. So far I'm having a hard time finding a price under about $5700 installed... But I sent the dealer chasing after one - he says they have an affiliate who can beat that price - we'll see. Going to get the Lifetime MaxCare on it I think - possibly the added care - haven't read the pamphlet yet.

Anyway - thanks for the advice guys. Figured I would share the good news. I'll post a pic when it comes in - looking at 4-6 weeks I'm told. I was told the same on my '08 Jeep Liberty, and it came in 3 weeks. We'll see...


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

Congrats on the new purchase. 

Something to consider:

Since it's a quad cab with an 8' bed you may want to consider running a 9.2 instead of the 8.2. It'll help greatly with the extra length of this truck.


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## iceyman (Mar 1, 2007)

take it from a dude who knows


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## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

Unfortunately, I'm limited to 950 lbs including the mount in order to maintain the warrenty...


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

jomofo;555733 said:


> Unfortunately, I'm limited to 950 lbs including the mount in order to maintain the warrenty...


You could just squeak under that number with a 9.2.


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## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

Just looked it up... You're right - 947 lbs is LESS than 950. lol... am I correct that it'll only cost me an extra couple of hundred dollars? I thought the 92 would put me over for sure...


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

Yes the 9.2 would only add a couple hundred bucks to the cost...and I think you'd be happy later that you spent that extra money and went with the wider blade.

As to the weight, these plows are actually lighter than the Boss "published" weight spec. A complete 9.2 V-XT _with mount and all _only has an *actual* shipping weight of 866 lbs.

And you know shipping companies don't "estimate" anything when they're buying the fuel.


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## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

B&B;555738 said:


> Yes the 9.2 would only add a couple hundred bucks to the cost...and I think you'd be happy later that you spent that extra money and went with the wider blade.
> 
> As to the weight, these plows are actually lighter than the Boss "published" weight spec. A complete 9.2 V-XT _with mount and all _only has an *actual* shipping weight of 866 lbs.
> 
> And you know shipping companies don't "estimate" anything when they're buying the fuel.


Interesting... You're right about the gas. And I can imagine in about 2 seconds why you're right about having the wider blade. What's you're experience carrying one on the front of a 2500?


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

jomofo;555740 said:


> Interesting... What's you're experience carrying one on the front of a 2500?


No more or less issues than with an 8.2...the 9.2 only adds a few more pounds anyway, so why not go with the extra 10" in width? Your truck should come with the 5200 lb FAWR...and Boss does allow the 9.2 on your truck since it has the Hemi rather than the diesel.

If you eventually do experience any premature front end wear due to carrying the weight of a snow plow, it'll wear them out whether your running an 8.2 or a 9.2...makes no difference.

And that extra 5" out each side makes a noticeable difference on a long truck.

Or any truck for that matter.


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## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

I've carried a 9'1" vee, 9" straight blade and 8'6" straight blade on my 05 2500 Gasser. I was carrying a 8'6" straight blade last season and missed the extra 7" and the Vee. Felt totally wrong with that "little" 8'6" straight blade. don't believe them when they say size dosn't matter.


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## kmwharley (Nov 5, 2007)

Not that this is a fair comparison but I know several people that are running blizzard 8611lp's on quad cab diesels.....yes over the mfg weight however the trucks actuall handle them fine (about 1050-1100 lbs) just a thought


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## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

Thanks for the advice guys... My only concern is that the road I'm going to be plowing is a little narrow in places and while the extra blade will be handy in some places, in others it'll be a bit of a pain. Basically, this is going to be used on one small parking area with about 100ft of space to push snow, and over about .5 miles of mountain road that is certainly narrower than 9 ft in some places. Narrower than 8 ft too... Dunno - we'll see. Have one dealer over here who says he can still get plows at the '08 price so I'll probably make a decision about this sooner than later.


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

Thats the beauty of a Vee..they're narrow enough in the Vee position to wiggle your way through most places.. and most are even a little narrower in the scoop position for those extra tight areas.

A 9.2 in the Vee position is only 3" wider *overall* than an 8' straight blade.

If the mirrors will clear....so will the plow (in most cases where curbs don't apply of course ).


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## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

lol... no curbs for miles... no manhole covers either. We do have lots of uneven dirt road which will just be snow covered for the winter. Lots of rocks and trees sticking out here and there... I still have my doubts... FWIW, I'm pretty new to this. My plan is to take it slow and I'm thinking the 8.2 would have to be a little easier to maneuver, and probably not that big a drag considering the road is only 1 truck width wide anyway - two straight shots with plenty of room on the downhill side both ways - I'm thinking 3-4 passes per run, max. Maybe the 9.2 saves me 1 pass, but will also make some tighter aspect of it more difficult... that's what I'm thinking anyway... You think I'm wrong?


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

Running a wider plow isn't just about saving time or saving a pass when your dealing with a narrow road.... 

Are there many curves in this road? That's exactly where you want the extra width with a long wheelbase truck that a 9.2 would provide. With a narrow plow you'll need to run the rear inside wheel of the truck off/near the side of the road in order to get the snow pushed back far enough off the road. Not good on a truck if theirs any brush/tree branches or a ditch close by to the edges of the road. Which of course is the norm on low maintained dirt roads. The more you can stay in the center of the road, the safer you are from damage...or getting stuck.

In addition to my residential/commercial accounts I also plow a 3800 ft private drive thats basically in the middle of a forest...it's only 10 feet wide at it's widest point and fairly twisty. I do it with an 8.5 ft blade...and it's not wide enough to keep the truck out of the rough stuff along the road in the turns when pushing the snow back far enough to make room for the next storm. 

So you can see that your circumstances are the perfect use for a wider plow, since the extra width would actually be beneficial as it'll allow you to keep the truck out of trouble.

And don't let a large plow scare you, a good operator can use virtually any size plow on virtually any size account. There's no such thing as too wide a plow...just not enough operator. 

Of course the only way to become a good operator is experience. 

But if your set on an 8.2, you can always buy a standard 8.2 (non XT) and add a set of wings when you find yourself wishing you would have bought a wider plow .

Just food for thought coming from experience.


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## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

Visibility from the drivers seat new Ram (02 up) sucks. Seeing the blade can be a female dog. I can barely see the whips of an 8 foot blade from the drivers seat. The average plow loses 14% of it's width when at full angle (vees are included in this) this means your 8'2" blade is 7' wide, the 9'2" is 94.5" (almost 8 foot) when plowing. 

If you are convinced you need the smaller blade, get a Snoway with down pressure so you have the ability to scrape up the hard pack you are going to create driving over the unplowed snow with your rear wheels any time you use the plow anyway but in a straight line.


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## ServiceOnSite (Nov 23, 2006)

i was just wondering what comes with this " snow chief " package


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## Kingwinter (Jan 26, 2008)

ServiceOnSite;555990 said:


> i was just wondering what comes with this " snow chief " package


I think it's just a skid plate or two...

But remember the snow chief package is different from the snow plow prep package.

Either way, it's a hemi, so it should all be covered under dodge's lifetime powertrain warranty, and maybe even their $2.99 fuel guarantee deal too?


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## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

Kingwinter;556293 said:


> I think it's just a skid plate or two...
> 
> But remember the snow chief package is different from the snow plow prep package.
> 
> Either way, it's a hemi, so it should all be covered under dodge's lifetime powertrain warranty, and maybe even their $2.99 fuel guarantee deal too?


Yep - lifetime coverage, bumper to bumper with the maxcare package. $2.99 gas for 12,000 per year - I forget the duration.

The snow chief package has the snow plow prep group, vinyl floor, smaller tires, clearance lamps, and one stupid ass looking sticker which should be off the truck before I even see it..


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## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

B&B;555857 said:


> Running a wider plow isn't just about saving time or saving a pass when your dealing with a narrow road....
> 
> Are there many curves in this road? That's exactly where you want the extra width with a long wheelbase truck that a 9.2 would provide. With a narrow plow you'll need to run the rear inside wheel of the truck off/near the side of the road in order to get the snow pushed back far enough off the road. Not good on a truck if theirs any brush/tree branches or a ditch close by to the edges of the road. Which of course is the norm on low maintained dirt roads. The more you can stay in the center of the road, the safer you are from damage...or getting stuck.
> 
> ...


Well, I definately qualify as not enough operator.... 

As it turns out, there are not many turns in the road - it's straight for about 250 yds, does a nice wide 170 degree left turn, and goes dead ass straight for about .5 miles. I'm not responssible for it beyond that point, although I may have to do it at some point. Luckily, it's more of the same for most of the way down.

I know what you mean about being wide enough to keep the truck clear - in this instance, there is a steady grade running away from the road for it's entire length and I think if I'm patient about how I do it, I can have 85% of the snow moving in that direction. The wider plow would definately help.

Question for you guys though, if I have to configure the plow like this \__ to get through a narrow section, I would think I increase the risk to the plow if I hit something on the left. There are a number of places where the road, from the rock to the trees, is only a little wider than the truck. I don't want to **** the thing up or make my life significantly more difficult than it will be already... Am I correct in thinking this way?


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## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

jomofo;556501 said:


> Question for you guys though, if I have to configure the plow like this \__ to get through a narrow section, I would think I increase the risk to the plow if I hit something on the left. There are a number of places where the road, from the rock to the trees, is only a little wider than the truck. I don't want to **** the thing up or make my life significantly more difficult than it will be already... Am I correct in thinking this way?


No the PR (pressure Releif) Valve will cushion it. that's what they're designed for

For narrow sections I'd configure it in some version of this /\ . As B&B pointed out the scoop is most often the narrowest position, but is not ideal for actually road clearing. It's used more to transport snow or clean ups. the Vee or what I refer to as the "modified Vee position" (slightly swept back) would be the best.


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

basher;556516 said:


> the Vee or what I refer to as the "modified Vee position" (slightly swept back) would be the best.


100% agree.. if you need it to fit through a narrow area but windrow the snow to the sides at the same time you want to either be in the vee position, or the modified vee (as Basher said) if necessary rather than the "dog leg" position since the plow will actually be a little wider in the dog leg config than it would be in vee (which can also come in very handy at times as well). In your situation if you ran an 8.2 vs the 9.2 you may actually NEED to run the dogleg in order to cover the wheel track in the inside turn (again depending on the severity of the turns).

One of the nice feature's of running a V vs a straight blade in narrow confinments....the ability to be able to configure the plow to make it fit the job at hand....

Just food for thought.


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## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

I can totally see how the v configuration would be the easiest to get into a tight spot, however because of the terrain and the volume of snow, I'm going to need to keep the white fluffy stuff moving to the downhill side, which is how I ended up with the dog-leg config. The more I think about it, the less of an issue I think it will be. The road is a little narrow in places, but not less than 7'. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to offer the advice... any other thoughts come to mind, I'm all ears.


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