FarmJim
Junior Member
I had them on my 2016 and have them on my 2020. It's a major reason I bought Ram. Convenient, useful. Another option for carrying many items that aren't dumped into the bed or put in the back of the cab.
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Big fan. Huge.
(*caveat: you asked about a PW w/ RB. I do NOT have a PW, I have a Laramie w/RB.)
Had a 2005 1500 SLT WITHOUT a RamBox for 250k miles before I finally bought my Laramie in 2020 with the RamBox. For YEARS with my old truck I was pining for the Ram Box. Finally go it, and love it. Wouldn’t go back.
I look at RB today as Asian girlfriends in the ‘80s & ‘90s. You had to be a little bit “different” or have “yellow fever” to have wanted an Asian girlfriend. Why? Just because not many people had one or knew about one so it was just unknown and odd so no one wanted one. Once you try one though, you’re like “wow! I shoulda been doing this earlier!” Now the word’s out, more guys are trying it, it’s almost “a thing” now to have one, still niche, but instead of universal hate now there is a lot of ‘I wonder what it is that he likes about that so much?’ I think Ram Boxes are the same. We all come from the same pickup truck for generations, the RB is a little odd, but alluring, but repulsive at the same time. Some make the leap and try it out and are hooked; a few try it and don’t like it and go back. Most don’t try it and wonder about it, and a few don’t try it and tell everyone else how much it must suck because not everyone has one.
The “I can’t do a RB because I need a rack or it limits my tonneau options” is the same guys who say “I can’t have an Asian GF because I like gibundemous boobs”, or “I need a little bit thicker there”. Okay, that’s true, but both are good. Take the RB for a spin and you’ll realize that you will miss the big boobs less than you thought you would and there’s a lot of other things going on there that make up for it.
Asian GF twenty years ago = Ram Box today.
Coulda, shoulda, woulda if we had known more then.
Net sum is: yes RB. Positives outweigh the negatives. And there are negatives, no doubt. But still, RB yes.
To me, biggest single drawback to the freaking Ram Box is that they don’t no more make em in 6’ beds. That alone should be a no-go to lots of buyers.
I never had use for no 8’ bed, but I always had disdain for those little mall crawler grocery wagons with the puny 5’7” beds. But I wanted RamBox so bad I put up with getting a small bed this time around. That is my biggest regret – not the volume or width of the bed with the RB, but the fact that I had to “settle” for the 5’ bed in order to get the RB.
Still, I’d do it again.
I have had some issues where I wished I had a 6’ bed, but nothing critical nor showstopper. However, the RB has been a giant positive for me since day one.
I’m one of those “prepared” type guys so I believe any truck owner should carry (if not for his own use than to be a helpful good citizen to fellow motorists) towing gear, compressor, first aid stuff, hazard warning (foldable triangles, road flares, etc), weather things (umbrellas, ponchos), basic tools, tape, clamps, gloves, rags and assorted 5h1t. All of that used to get smashed under my rear seat in my old truck, in various containers or loose, and would invariably get out sometimes, or would be wet or muddy if I used em on the road (tow strap, gloves for example). Now, all of that kr@p stays in the outside of the truck in the RamBox. I have one side RB for all that, the other is for the wife: she can put groceries in it if she chooses, or dump ice in it and use it for a cooler, or TP if we’re going out in the country, or whatever. The point is, that is “hers” and none of HER 5h1t is kept inside the cab of MY truck.
Let’s look at four of the biggest cons of the RB and dispense with those first:
1. Limit for toneau and rack and camper options.
2. Cargo space lost
3. Bad fit
4. Demand is low so it must suck, right?
Lack of options for racks, etc.
First of all, what percentage of owners even do rack or camper their bed? A minority. And then its not like they CAN’T find an option, just that they are not happy with the lack of choice.
Lost cargo space. Not really - it is just transformed from lose, curved space around the wheels to enclosed - still odd shpaed - but with flat bottom sections no longer curved. So yeah, you do "lose" some volume - but not really - and it’s mostly only “useless” volume that is lost, not practical dimensions.
That same 4x8 plyboard that fit between the wheel humps of my old 2005 ram 1500 still fits flat on the floor of my 2020 bed with RamBox.
What did I lose? That weirdo space forward and aft of the wheel hump. Sure, when I used to drag the family to the kid’s pony club camp every summer that 5 gallon jerry can of water fit nicely in that weird space. So did the basket of dive mask snorkles and towels. But mostly that weird volume – being a curved hump in the first place – didn’t allow for stacking things upright squarely anyway. C’mon everybody, admit it – that weird volume front and aft of the wheel hump we only ever put things in it AFTER we loaded the bed with the large square rectangle stuff and secured the load and THEN we just piled loosely odds and ends into that available trapezoidal volume anyway. It’s not like it was a nice rectangle of volume that could stack well in the first place. Or that sheet metal curve over the tire was particularly load bearing. I don’t know how many dents were in my wheel humps because of stuff I piled onto it that it couldn’t support in the first place. And things you put on it were lifted high in relation to the bed wall anyway. Now, all that impractical space is in an enclosed neat managed space.
Bad Fit:
Well, I have one of the RB doors the gap with the quarter panel is wider than the other side. Big deal. There are QC/QA problems with EVERYTHING nowadays anyway – things are so complex systems-of-systems that EVERYTHING is a quality problem anyway. We own a Wrnagler and it has its own problems. FCA sux for quality but we buy it for its unique features, right? (i.e. there is no Wranglers except for wrangler, the Ram has the best ride quality this generation, the only brand with a RamBox type solution, etc). Fords have their own problems. Y’alls Smart TVs don’t mesh nicely with you other whizbang gadgets in the house. Etc etc. Point is, it aint perfect, but it is great, and nothing is perfect anyway.
Mine don't leak, btw, even in commercial pressure car washes.
Demand is so low that is must suck, right?
I guess. I think it’s a vicious spiral though that leads to RB sales dropping. The factory had massive production quantity and deliverable timing issues with the last generation change that involved the entire vehicle. RB subcontractor production rate was just one of the current generation launch problems. Then they settled on only making RB in the 5’7” bed this generation. How much of that was because of low demand vs how much of that CAUSED demand to drop???
The one thing that I truly enjoy about my Ram, are the boxes. These are the greatest design around. Yup, you do loose some bed space, but that isn't an issue for me. They lock and unlock just like the doors and there are lights inside. There are drain plugs if you use them as a cooler. I wish other brand trucks had these.Sorry if this has been beat to death on here, trying to get feedback on the ram box whether or not you guys that have them would buy the truck with that option again. Dave Smith Auto in Idaho doesn't stock any pw with the ram box saying they are not a popular option.
2009 Crewcab Rambox, 442,160
2015 Ecodiesel Longhorn Rambox Crewcab
2019- 2500 Megacab Rambox Longhorn
2020 Crewcab Rambox
All of them works well for me
Use them for work
Doesn’t leak
2009 Crewcab Rambox, 442,160
2015 Ecodiesel Longhorn Rambox Crewcab
2019- 2500 Megacab Rambox Longhorn
2020 Crewcab Rambox
All of them works well for me
Use them for work
Doesn’t leak
I'll unsure what you mean be 'the fit of the kids not the greatest.' Mine close as well as any door and or trunk.For what I do they work well. Like others have said the fit of the lids are not the greatest for the price you pay for them.
I’ve put pistol grip toolboxes on every truck I’ve owned. Very convenient for my needs.
So instead of the toolboxes decided to do the swap.
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Rambox swap
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=17770&share_tid=154105&url=https://www.ramforum.com/index.php?threads/Rambox-swap.154105/&share_type=t&link_source=app
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Teacher: "Thank you Johnny. Now, let's get back to the question that was asked..."I don’t have any first hand experience with them. And while I think they are good idea in theory and useful for some people one of my requirements for my PW was NO Ramboxes. For me it was one less thing to have problems with and let’s me have the full range of options when it comes to bed accessories. Toppers, expedition racks, ect.