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Dodge 2500 off road upgrades

543 views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  slewcrew 
#1 ·
Hey guys I am just getting into off roading and obviously a noob. So I wanted to get a little info on my truck and what upgrades would be good/cheap and somewhat easy to do. I have a 98 ram 2500 24vdiesel. It has a dana 60 ft and a dana 80 rear with 35's. It has a 5sp manual with a gear vendor overdrive, I think it's a nv4500. I just ordered a Milemarker 12k hydraulic winch and will build a winch bumper for it as soon as I get it. Should I swap the auto hubs for manual? Do I need to upgrade the power steering pump for the winch? what kind of lockers would be best? etc... Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
That's a pretty big truck for wheeling.

It would help if said what kind of wheeling you will be doing: Rocks, Mud, Fire-Roads, or whatever.
Is this your Daily Driver? Trailered to the trail?

The good news is your drivetrain is fairly stout.

Not sure why there is an overdrive with the 5 speed (nv4500 5 gear is an overdrive already).

You posted this in the right place, but do lots of searches & reading.

The winch is a good start. However, most people prefer electric over hydraulic because if you engine (or power steering) dies, you lose the winch.
Batteries can be swapped from rig to rig, solving electrical issues.

If you put a locker in the front, then yes, you should swap the front hubs to manual. A work around would be a selectable locker (once again search).

Gears & lockers are a must for any serious wheeling.
Also body armor as well.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the info. It's my work truck so I'm not looking to do anything too crazy with it. I live in Vegas but travel some for work. So mainly desert trails and dunes but some mud on the rare occasion it rains. I bought the truck with the overdrive but it is nice, I can cruise 75 at 1500rpm.
 
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