DODGE RAM 2500 POWER WAGON 2008 3.G Owners Manual

CAUTION!
Winching or rocking the vehicle off hard objects
increases the risk of underbody damage.
Hill Climbing
Hill climbing requires good judgment and a good under-
standing of your abilities and your vehicle's limitations.
Hills can cause serious problems. Some are just too steep
to climb and should not be attempted. You should always
feel confident with the vehicle and your abilities. You
should always climb hills straight up and down. Never
attempt to climb a hill on an angle.
²Before Climbing A Steep Hill± As you approach a
hill consider its grade or steepness. Determine if it is
too steep. Look to see what the traction is on the hill
side trail. Is the trail straight up and down? What is on
top and the other side? Are there ruts, rocks, branchesor other obstacles on the path? Can you safely recover
the vehicle if something goes wrong? If everything
looks good and you feel confident, then change trans-
mission into a lower gear, shift the transfer case into 4L
(Low) and proceed with caution. You should use first
gear and 4L (Low) for very steep hills.
²Driving Up Hill± Once you have determined your
ability to proceed and have shifted into the appropri-
ate gear, line your vehicle up for the straightest
possible run. Accelerate with an easy constant throttle
and apply more power as you start up the hill. Do not
race forward into a steep grade, the abrupt change of
grade could cause you to lose control. If the front end
begins to bounce, ease off the throttle slightly to bring
all four tires back on the ground. As you approach the
crest of the hill ease off the throttle and slowly proceed
over the top. If the wheels start to slip as you approach
the crest of a hill, ease off the accelerator and maintain
headway by turning the steering wheel no more than
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a1¤4turn quickly back and forth. This will provide a
fresh9bite9into the surface and will usually provide
enough traction to complete the climb. If you do not
make it to the top, place the vehicle in reverse and
back straight down the grade using engine resistance
along with the vehicle brakes.
WARNING!
Never attempt to climb a hill at an angle or turn
around on a steep grade. Driving across an incline
increases the risk of a roll over, which may result in
severe injury.
²Driving Down Hill± Before driving down a steep hill
you need to determine if it is too steep for a safe
descent. What is the surface traction? Is the grade too
steep to maintain a slow controlled descent? Are there
obstacles? Is it a straight descent? Is there plenty ofdistance at the base of the hill to regain control if the
vehicle descends to fast? If you feel confident in your
ability to proceed then make sure you are in 4L (Low)
with the transmission in 1st gear (manually select 1st
gear on automatic transmissions) and proceed with
caution. Allow engine braking to control the descent
and apply your brakes if necessary, but do not allow
the tires to lock.
WARNING!
Do not descend a steep grade in neutral. Use vehicle
brakes in conjunction with engine braking. Descend-
ing a grade too fast could cause you to lose control
and be seriously injured.
²Driving Across An Incline± If at all possible avoid
driving across an incline. If it is necessary, know your
vehicle's abilities. Driving across an incline places
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more weight on the down hill wheels, which increases
the possibilities of a down hill slide or roll over. Make
sure the surface has good traction with firm and stable
soils. If possible transverse the incline at an angle
heading slightly up or down.
WARNING!
Driving across an incline increases the risk of a roll
over, which may result in severe injury.
²If You Stall Or Begin To Lose Headway± If you stall
or begin to lose headway while climbing a steep hill,
allow your vehicle to come to a stop and immediately
apply the brake. Restart the engine and shift to R
(Reverse). Back slowly down the hill allowing the
compression braking of the engine and transmission tohelp regulate your speed. If the brakes are required to
control vehicle speed, apply them lightly and avoid
locking or skidding the tires.
WARNING!
If the engine stalls or you lose headway or cannot
make it to the top of a steep hill or grade, never
attempt to turn around. To do so may result in
tipping and rolling the vehicle, which may result in
severe injury. Always back carefully straight down a
hill in R (Reverse) gear. Never back down a hill in N
(Neutral) or with the clutch pedal depressed using
only the vehicle brakes. Never drive diagonally
across a hill, always drive straight up or down.
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Driving Through Water
Extreme care should be taken crossing any type of water.
Water crossings should be avoided if possible and only
be attempted when necessary, in a safe responsible
manner. You should only drive through areas which are
designated and approved. You should tread lightly and
avoid damage to the environment. You should know
your vehicles abilities and be able to recover it if some-
thing goes wrong. You should never stop or shut a
vehicle off when crossing deep water unless you ingested
water into the engine air intake. If the engine stalls do not
attempt to restart it. Determine if it has ingested water
first. The key to any crossing is low and slow. You want
to use 1st gear in 4L (low) and proceed very slowly with
a constant slow speed (3-5 mph maximum) and light
throttle. Keep the vehicle moving; do not try to accelerate
through the crossing. After crossing any water higherthan the bottom of the axle differentials, you should
inspect all of the vehicle fluids for signs of water inges-
tion.
CAUTION!
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission, transfer
case, engine or vehicle interior can occur if you drive
too fast or through too deep of water. Water can cause
permanent damage to engine, driveline or other
vehicle components and your brakes will be less
effective once wet and/or muddy
²Before You Cross Any Type Of Water± As you
approach any type of water you need to determine if
you can cross it safely and responsibly. If necessary, get
out and walk through the water or probe it with a
stick. You need to be sure of its depth, approach angle,
current and bottom condition. Be careful of murky or
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muddy waters, check for hidden obstacles. Make sure
you will not be intruding on any wildlife and you can
recover the vehicle if necessary. The key to a safe
crossing is the water depth, current and bottom con-
ditions. On soft bottoms the vehicle will sink in,
effectively increasing the water level on the vehicle. Be
sure to consider this when determining the depth and
the ability to safely cross.
²Crossing Puddles, Pools, Flooded Areas Or Other
Standing Water± Puddles, pools, flooded or other
standing water areas normally contain murky or
muddy waters. These water types normally contain
hidden obstacles and make it difficult to determine an
accurate water depth, approach angle, and bottom
condition. Murky or muddy water holes are where
you want to hook up tow straps prior to entering. This
makes for a faster, cleaner and easier vehicle recovery.
If you are able to determine you can safely cross, than
proceed using the low and slow method.
CAUTION!
Muddy waters can reduce the cooling system effec-
tiveness by depositing debris onto the radiator.
²Crossing Ditches, Streams, Shallow Rivers Or Other
Flowing Water± Flowing water can be extremely
dangerous. Never attempt to cross a fast running
stream or river even in shallow water. Fast moving
water can easily push your vehicle downstream
sweeping it out of control. Even in very shallow water,
a high current can still wash the dirt out from around
your tires putting you and your vehicle in jeopardy.
There is still a high risk of personal injury and vehicle
damage with slower water currents in depths greater
than the vehicle's running ground clearance. You
should never attempt to cross flowing water which is
deeper than the vehicle's running ground clearance.
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Even the slowest current can push the heaviest vehicle
downstream out of control if the water is deep enough
to push on the large surface area of the vehicle's body.
Before you proceed determine the speed of the current,
the water's depth, approach angle, bottom condition
and if there are any obstacles, then cross at an angle
heading slightly upstream using the low and slow
technique.
WARNING!
Never drive through fast moving deep water. It can
push your vehicle downstream, sweeping it out of
control. This could put you and your passengers at
risk of injury or drowning.
Airing Down For Off-Road Driving
Running lower tire pressure off-road can improve your
ride comfort and vehicle traction. Reducing the tire air
pressure allows the tire to bulge slightly, improving its
surface area for better flotation and ability to mold or
form to the ground contour. Different terrain, tires, and
vehicles require different tire pressure. Hard surfaces like
rock and heavier vehicles require higher pressures than
softer surfaces such as sand and lighter vehicles. You will
need to experiment to determine what is right for your
situation. It is easier and faster to let air out than it is to
replace it so, start high and lower it as required. Remem-
ber you must return the tires to normal air pressure
before driving on road or at highway conditions. Be sure
you have a way to return the tires to their normal on road
air pressure.
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CAUTION!
Reduced tire pressure increases the risk of tire dam-
age and may cause tire unseating with total loss of air
pressure. To reduce the risk of tire unseating, while at
a reduced tire pressure, drive at slower speeds and
avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
Vehicle Recovery
If you drive off-road, you may encounter a situation
where you will need to recover your vehicle. Vehicle
recovery should always be given consideration before
attempting a questionable obstacle. You should never go
off-road driving without the ability to recover your
vehicle from a situation. Having another vehicle with
you usually works best for most situations. The first
thing to do is assess the situation. Why are you stuck?
Are you hung up on something? Would it be easier to goforward or to go backward? Can you still move the
vehicle? Is there an anchor point to winch to? Are you
alone or do you have another vehicle to help? Is there
high risk of vehicle damage during the recovery process?
Answering these questions will help you determine the
best method of recovery. If you can still move the vehicle
slightly and the only issue is slick ground, then rock
cycling your vehicle would be the first choice. If you have
ample room, an additional vehicle and there is low risk of
vehicle impingement on the surroundings, then using a
tow strap to the vehicle tow hooks would be fast and
easy. If the vehicle is severely hung up or in a situation
where great care needs to be taken during the recovery,
then nothing can do the job better than a winch. If you are
severely hung up on something you should jack the
vehicle up and stack something under the wheels to
allow the vehicle to roll off the object without causing
further damage. This should be tried before attempting
any recovery method.
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CAUTION!
Pulling the vehicle off an obstacle, without first
clearing the object, may result in additional under-
body damage.
²Rock Cycling Your Vehicle± Rock cycling your ve-
hicle is one of the easiest, fastest and most commonly
used methods. This simply involves shifting your
vehicle from drive to reverse, while applying throttle
after each shift. During this process, for additional
traction, try turning your steering wheel quickly back
and forth no more than a
1¤4turn. If you are stuck in
mud, sand, or snow try spinning your tires during this
process to clean the debris from the tread and improve
the traction. You want to create a rocking motion with
the vehicle. This helps build vehicle momentum,
which hopefully gets you out. Remember to ease offand on the accelerator before and after the shift. If after
a few rock cycles your vehicle is not free, stop and try
another method of recovery. Continuous rock cycling
will only cause unnecessary damage to your vehicle
and the environment.
CAUTION!
Damage can occur when spinning your tires at an
excessive high speed. Do not spin your tires faster
than an indicated 35 mph
²Using The Tow Hooks With A Tow Strap±Tow
straps are a quick and easy way to recover your
vehicle from minor situations if you have a secondary
vehicle which is not stuck. The tow hooks on your
vehicle are designed to take the abusive force gener-
ated during vehicle recovery. Do not use the bumper
or any other vehicle component as an attachment
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point. Using tow straps requires coordination between
the two drivers. Good communication and line of sight
are required for a safe recovery. First connect the tow
strap to the correct attachment points on both vehicles.
There should be a least 20 to 30 feet between the
vehicles to allow for a safe recovery. If necessary join
two tow straps together using a 1
1¤2inch hard wood
dowel. This will keep the straps from becoming knot-
ted and is safer than using a clevis pin if the strap
breaks. Next have the tow vehicle backup, leaving 2 to
3 feet worth of slack in the strap. Then the tow vehicle,
using light throttle, should accelerate tightening the
strap providing the pulling force needed to free the
vehicle. The vehicle being recovered should assist in
the recovery, at the time of the snap, by slowly
spinning the tires in the same direction as the pulling
vehicle. After the vehicle becomes free, the driver of
the previously stuck vehicle should signal they are free
and should hit their brakes stopping both vehicles.The driver of the pulling vehicle should let off the
throttle without using the brakes, once signaled by the
other driver. This sequence is important to avoid
having the recovered vehicle hit the pulling vehicle.
WARNING!
Never use tow straps with end hooks or link two
straps with a clevis pin. These heavy metal objects
could become projectiles if a strap breaks, which
could cause severe injury. Never leave more than 2 or
3 feet of slack in the strap. More slack than this
greatly increases the risk of injury and vehicle dam-
age. Always keep everyone at least 30 feet away from
a strapping or winching situation.
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²Winching (see the section on ªWinch Operationº for
additional information on the Power Wagon's winch)
± Winching is most commonly used in the following
situations: there is no support vehicle available, a high
controlled force is required to recover the vehicle,
there is a high risk of environmental or vehicle dam-
age, or where nothing else seemed to work. A winch
can deliver a high pulling force with a great deal of
control. It allows you to walk the vehicle out of the
situation in a slow controlled manor. This control
works well for avoiding further vehicle damage. Once
you decide it is time to use the winch look for a good
anchor point. It needs to be strong enough to hold
more than the vehicle's weight and provide a direction
of pull as straight as possible. Use block and tackle if
necessary to improve the angle of pull or increase the
winch's pulling force. If the anchor point is a tree use
a strap around its base and hook the cable to the strap.
If it is another vehicle, then place that vehicle in parkand block the front tires. If you cannot find an anchor
point within reach try using your spare tire by burying
it. Once you have determined an anchor point hook up
the cable, ensuring there are a least five wraps of cable
left on the drum, and place a floor mat or something
else over the strung out cable. Placing something over
the strung out cable helps keep the cable on the
ground if it breaks. Next, place the vehicle in 1st gear
and apply a very light throttle as you power the winch
in. Be careful not to allow slack in the cable as you
recover the vehicle. Do not try to guide the cable into
the drum. If it starts to bunch up on one end, let it. You
can re-spool the cable afterwards. Never use a winch
cable as a tow strap and always stand back while
winching.
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