Testing the Heavyweights: Why the Ram 2500 Earned Its Place in Our Fleet

The Oahu Gauntlet: Sand Island to Kaneohe

The testing started on Oahu while I was prepping the boat for its 209-nautical mile cruise down to Hilo. I needed to see how different models handled a massive load under real pressure.

I started renting different heavy-duty truck models, hooking up the Grady White, and pulling her back and forth from Sand Island all the way over to Kaneohe. Anyone who knows Oahu knows that route means testing a truck’s braking, its transmission cooling, and its raw torque on serious inclines like the Pali.

Some trucks felt strained when the weight shifted. Others had transmissions that hunted for gears constantly on the climbs. I took notes on every single one. I wanted to know exactly how each engine breathed and how stable the chassis felt with a massive boat sitting on the hitch behind me.

The Hilo Test: From the Harbor to the Ranch

The testing didn’t stop once the boat successfully crossed the channel to the Big Island. After tying up in Hilo, I kept the experiment going. I continued renting different truck models at various points just to handle the haul from Hilo Harbor up to our ranch.

Towing from sea level up into the hills is a completely different beast. You need sustained, heavy-duty power that doesn’t overheat, and you need a braking system that gives you absolute control on the way back down.

After pushing the limits of the competition on both islands, one clear winner handled the tow better than anything else on the market: the Ram 2500.

The Mainland Secret: Skipping the Luxury Island Markup

Once I knew the Ram was the truck for the job, I ran into a different problem: finding the right package at a fair price.

When you look at the dealerships in Hilo or Kona, they seem completely focused on stocking ultra high-end, luxury models. They fill their lots with fancy leather trims, chrome packages, and high-tech dashboards that push price tags through the roof. But out at the harbor or working on the homestead, fancy chrome doesn’t pull a boat. A dedicated workhorse handles the exact same load for a fraction of the cost.

Because the local dealers wouldn’t budge on their premium inventories, I looked to the mainland and tracked down exactly what I needed right here in Washington. I ended up buying a 2024 Ram 2500 Big Horn with the 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel engine for less than $60,000.

The price difference was massive. By focusing on a capable, practical trim on the mainland, it was thousands of dollars cheaper—even after factoring in the cost to ship the truck across the ocean to Hawaii than buying locally.

Why the 6.7L Cummins Won the Job

When you hook a heavy load to that 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel, you instantly feel why the research paid off. It doesn’t scream or hunt for gears; it just digs in and delivers pure, effortless low-end torque.

• The Chassis Stability: The truck stays completely planted, meaning the boat doesn’t boss the truck around on tight island turns or steep drops.

• Launch Confidence: On slick, wet boat ramps, that heavy-duty traction means we can launch or pull the boat out from virtually any spot on the Big Island without losing grip.

• Dual-Purpose Muscle: When it’s not at the harbor, it has the exact structural muscle required for hauling equipment and materials for clearing our one-acre parcels and building the homestead.

Buying a truck like this isn’t about flash—it’s about having a tool you can rely on 100% of the time. By testing the builds on the islands and outsmarting the dealership markups on the mainland, we got the ultimate workhorse for the fleet. The truck is ready, and the next run is going to be legendary.

What’s your go-to rig for heavy towing? Have you ever shipped a vehicle from the mainland to save a chunk of cash? Let’s talk trucks in the comments below!