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: Slideshow: A new edition truck was developed by Ram specifically with the needs of farmers in mind.

Curt Arens, Editor, Nebraska Farmer

August 30, 2017

12 Slides

Ram took the opportunity on Tuesday, the first day of the Farm Progress Show being held in Decatur, Ill., to unveil the company’s new 2018 Harvest Edition trucks for the first time. “Ram has a close connection to farmers,” said Jim Morrison, Head of Ram. “We wanted to pay tribute to what you do every day, so we designed these trucks for farmers specifically.”

Morrison noted the company’s dedication to farmers, citing the popular Ram TV commercial, featuring the words of Paul Harvey describing what it means to be a farmer. He noted that Ram wanted to continue with that spirit by saluting farmers with a special edition truck that suited their needs for increased capabilities, work on and off the road, strong technological components, combined with great looks.

According to Morrison, the new series trucks, which can be ordered in New Holland Blue and Case-IH Red to match a producer’s preference, have been in the development stages for about a year and a half. “We had a lot of farmer input in the development,” Morrison noted. “This is something farmers have been asking for - to have trucks in colors that match their tractors.” The Harvest package also comes in Bright White and Brilliant Black, as well as monotone and two-tone with Bright Silver color schemes.

The Harvest Edition trucks are available across the Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 lineup, and come in all box lengths and the entire fleet of powertrains, including 5.7-liter HEMI V-8; 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 and 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel. They are available in the full line of cab configurations like all four-door Quad, Crew and Mega Cab. But there are special features that make the new trucks more compatible to agricultural needs.

Set for service

Durability features like black tubular side steps, a spray-in bedliner, a fold-out bumper step and mud flaps, as well as rubber floor mats, skid plates and 4x4 tow hooks are intended to hold up to the job. Heated seats add to farmer comfort, but there are other technological features that help farmers stay connected in the field. “We know that farmers love technology and use it,” Morrison said. That’s why these new trucks come standard with an 8.4-inch Uconnect 4C touchscreen radio with navigation, 4G Wifi, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, which gives producers connectivity, fingertip access to smartphone map mirroring and access to current weather maps and forecasts for specific geographic locations.

Chrome is a big part of the Harvest Edition appearance. The exterior of the trucks features a chrome “Wave Mesh” luxury cross-hair grille; 17-inch chrome wheels on the 1500 models and 18-inch polished aluminum on the Heavy Duty models; chrome mirrors and door handles, along with chrome-tipped dual exhausts on V-8 1500 models.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the Ram 1500 Harvest Edition starts at $39,910, plus $1395 destination charge, while the Ram Heavy Duty models start at $46,235.

You can learn more online at ramtrucks.com.

About the Author(s)

Curt Arens

Editor, Nebraska Farmer

Curt Arens began writing about Nebraska’s farm families when he was in high school. Before joining Farm Progress as a field editor in April 2010, he had worked as a freelance farm writer for 27 years, first for newspapers and then for farm magazines, including Nebraska Farmer.

His real full-time career, however, during that same period was farming his family’s fourth generation land in northeast Nebraska. He also operated his Christmas tree farm and grew black oil sunflowers for wild birdseed. Curt continues to raise corn, soybeans and alfalfa and runs a cow-calf herd.

Curt and his wife Donna have four children, Lauren, Taylor, Zachary and Benjamin. They are active in their church and St. Rose School in Crofton, where Donna teaches and their children attend classes.

Previously, the 1986 University of Nebraska animal science graduate wrote a weekly rural life column, developed a farm radio program and wrote books about farm direct marketing and farmers markets. He received media honors from the Nebraska Forest Service, Center for Rural Affairs and Northeast Nebraska Experimental Farm Association.

He wrote about the spiritual side of farming in his 2008 book, “Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land,” garnering a Catholic Press Association award.

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