2008 DODGE RAM 2500 POWER WAGON Owners Manual

stand a safe distance in front of you where they can see
the obstacle, watch your tires and undercarriage, and
guide you through.
Crossing Large Rocks
When approaching large rocks, choose a path which
ensures you drive over the largest of them with your
tires. This will lift your undercarriage over the obstacle.
The tread of the tire is tougher and thicker than the side
wall and is designed to take the abuse. Always look
ahead and make every effort to cross the large rocks with
your tires.
CAUTION!
Never attempt to straddle a rock that is large enough
to strike your axles or undercarriage.
CAUTION!
Never attempt to drive over a rock which is large
enough to contact the door sills.
Crossing A Ravine, Gully, Ditch, Washout Or Rut
When crossing a ravine, gully, ditch, washout or a large
rut, the angled approach is the key to maintaining your
vehicle's mobility. Approach these obstacles at a 45-
degree angle and let each tire go through the obstacle
independently. You need to use caution when crossing
large obstacles with steep sides. Do not attempt to cross
any large obstacle with steep sides at an angle great
enough to put the vehicle at risk of a roll over. If you get
caught in a rut, dig a small trench to the right or left at a
45-degree angle ahead of the front tires. Use the removed
STARTING AND OPERATING 289
5

dirt to fill the rut ahead of the turnout you just created.
You should now be able to drive out following the trench
you just created at a 45-degree angle.
WARNING!
There is an increased risk of roll over when crossing
an obstacle, at any angle, with steep sides.
Crossing Logs
To cross a log, approach it at a slight angle (approxi-
mately 10 to 15 degrees). This allows one front tire to be
on top of the log while the other just starts to climb the
log. While climbing the log, modulate your brake and
accelerator to avoid spinning the log out from under your
tires. Then ease the vehicle off the log using your brakes.
CAUTION!
Do not attempted to cross a log with a greater
diameter than the running ground clearance or the
vehicle will become high centered.
Getting High Centered
If you get hung up or high centered on an object, get out
of the vehicle and try to determine what the vehicle is
hung up on, where it is contacting the underbody and
what is the best direction to recover the vehicle. Depend-
ing on what you are in contact with, jack the vehicle up
and place a few rocks under the tires so the weight is off
of the high point when you let the vehicle down. You can
also try rocking the vehicle or winching the vehicle off
the object.
290 STARTING AND OPERATING

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
STARTING AND OPERATING 291
5

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
292 STARTING AND OPERATING

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.
STARTING AND OPERATING 293
5

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
294 STARTING AND OPERATING

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.
STARTING AND OPERATING 295
5

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.
296 STARTING AND OPERATING