Everybody who owns a truck eventually runs into the same problem. There is a set of things you want with you all the time and nowhere sensible to put them. Tow straps, a come along, ratchet straps, a decent set of boots, the extension cord, the tow ball you swap out twice a month. In the cab they slide around and smell like diesel. Loose in the bed they either blow out on Highway 16 or walk off in a parking lot. RamBox is Ram's answer to exactly that, and it is one of the few truck options where the pitch and the reality actually line up. Before we get into it, if you want to see which trucks on the ground right now are already built with it, our new Ram 1500 inventory lists the build on every unit.

The honest part nobody puts in the brochure is that RamBox costs you something too. It is a real tradeoff, not a free upgrade, and whether it is the right call depends almost entirely on what you put in your bed on a normal week. Here is the straight version of both halves.

Key Takeaways

• RamBox is two lockable, weatherproof, drainable, lighted bins built into the bed rails, one down each side, running the length of the box and as wide as the wheel well.
• Capacity is 7.3 cubic feet on the shorter box and 8.6 cubic feet on the longer one. Ram's own figure for the longer version is that it swallows long handled shovels, one piece fishing rods, and up to 140 beverage cans.
• The tradeoff is bed width up top, not down low. Ram designed the system so a sheet of plywood still lies flat on the bed floor between the bins. What you give up is the wider space above the wheel wells that a standard bed gives you.
• The lids are the winter question. They are drained and sealed from the factory, and the thing that actually decides how they behave in February is whether you keep the seals treated, which takes about two minutes a season.
• It is an order time decision, not a retrofit. RamBox is built into the box at the factory. If you want it, it has to be specced on the truck you order or found on a truck already built that way.

What RamBox Actually Is

Strip the marketing off and it is a simple idea executed well. Ram took the dead space over each rear wheel well, the wedge of the bed that no one has ever used properly, and turned it into two enclosed compartments moulded into the bed rails. Ram calls it a segment exclusive system, and each bin is weatherproof, lockable, drainable, and lit inside.

The lids run on swing hinges with an intermediate stop and a full open position that lifts them 90 degrees, straight up and out of your way. That intermediate stop sounds like a footnote and is not. It means you can get into the bin with the lid parked where the wind cannot slam it on your forearm, which on a gusty day out here is the whole difference between using the thing and resenting it.

Capacity depends on which box you order. On the shorter box the two bins give you 7.3 cubic feet of storage. On the longer box you get 8.6 cubic feet, and the bins themselves stretch to 60 inches long against 50.5 inches on the shorter version. That extra length is what turns it from a bin into something that takes a full length shovel or a one piece rod without a fight.

They lock, and that is not a small feature. They lock with the truck, so the same fob that secures the cab secures whatever you left out back. For anybody who parks overnight in Winnipeg, or leaves the truck at a job site, or has ever come back to a bed that is lighter than they left it, that is most of the value right there.

The Tradeoff Nobody Explains Properly

This is where a lot of online advice gets it wrong, so it is worth being precise.

A standard Ram bed is wide at the rails and narrows at the wheel wells. That means you get a broad opening up top and a pinch point low down. With RamBox, the bins occupy the rail space along both sides, so the bed is effectively the same width from the floor all the way up.

Here is the part people miss. Ram engineered the gap between the bins deliberately so that a sheet of plywood still lies flat on the bed floor. A four foot wide sheet drops in and sits down like it always did. What you actually lose is the ability to stack wide, flat material above the wheel wells, where a standard bed gives you those extra inches of width near the top of the box.

So the real question is not "can I still haul sheets." You can. The question is whether you regularly carry wide loads stacked up high. If you are a framer moving lifts of sheeting, or you routinely load pallets in with a forklift at a supply yard, the RamBox rails will get in your way and you will notice it every single time. If you are hauling gravel, a quad, firewood, hockey gear, a deck's worth of lumber, or the usual mixed load, you will almost never bump into the limitation.

The second half of the tradeoff is weight. The system is built into the box, so it adds mass to the truck, and every kilogram of truck is a kilogram off what you are allowed to put in it. It is not a dramatic hit, but if you order near the top of your payload ceiling it belongs in the math. We work that out on the actual build rather than guessing, and if payload is your real constraint the Ram 1500 payload guide walks through how the number is calculated and where it goes.

Worth knowing too: RamBox is a factory build decision, so it interacts with bed accessories. Not every tonneau cover, rack, or bed liner made for a standard box fits a RamBox truck. There are plenty that do, they are just a different part number, and it is a five minute conversation with our parts department before you order rather than a surprise afterward.

How It Behaves in a Manitoba Winter

This is the question we actually get asked across the desk, and the internet answer is usually written by somebody who has never seen minus 35.

The bins are drained from the factory, which matters more here than in a mild climate. Water finds its way in, whether that is melt off a load of snow, a car wash, or freezing rain. Drained bins mean it leaves instead of pooling and turning into a block of ice around whatever you stored.

The honest wear point is the lid seal. Any sealed lid on any vehicle can freeze shut if the rubber is dry and there is standing moisture on it when the temperature drops. This is not specific to RamBox. It is the same reason your doors freeze shut, and we have written up how to keep frozen door locks and seals from ruining your morning, because the fix is identical. Wipe the seals down and treat them with a silicone or rubber conditioner in the fall. That is the whole maintenance item. Skip it for three winters and you will be the person who says RamBox lids freeze. Do it once a season and it is a non issue.

One more prairie specific note. In the deep cold, do not haul on a frozen lid to force it. If a lid is stuck, the seal is iced, not broken. Warm it, do not lever it. Cracked lid hardware from someone putting a boot into it in January is a repair we have seen and it is entirely avoidable.

Who Genuinely Gets Value Out of It

After enough of these deliveries you get a fairly clear picture of who uses it every day and who forgets it is there.

It earns its money for: tradespeople who carry tools but do not want a full service body, anybody towing regularly who wants straps, chains, a ball mount, and gloves secured and dry, farmers and acreage owners who need a place for the stuff that lives in the truck permanently, hunters and anglers, and people who park in the city and want anything of value locked away out of sight.

It is probably not worth it for: buyers whose bed is genuinely a flat deck for wide material, anyone running right at their payload limit, and buyers who mostly use the truck empty and already have a cab that swallows everything they carry.

The version that surprises people is the second truck in a two truck household. If you have a work truck and this is the family truck, RamBox quietly becomes the place all the outdoor life lives, and the cab stays clean. That is the buyer who tells us a year later it was the best option they ticked.

Whichever way you land, every new Ram 1500 we deliver carries the Dunn Eh+ value stack with its maintenance plan, anti theft protection, walkaway coverage, and zero dealer fees. If you are trading something in to step into a RamBox truck, start with an instant cash offer on your trade, and when you are ready to work out the monthly, our finance application takes a couple of minutes.

FAQs

How much does the Ram 1500 RamBox hold?

The two bins together hold 7.3 cubic feet on the shorter box and 8.6 cubic feet on the longer box. Ram's own description of the longer configuration is that it takes long handled shovels, one piece fishing rods, and up to 140 beverage cans. The bins measure 60 inches long on the longer box against 50.5 inches on the shorter one.

Does RamBox make the bed too narrow for plywood?

No. Ram designed the spacing so a sheet of plywood still lies flat on the bed floor between the bins. What you give up is width higher up, above the wheel wells, where a standard bed opens out wider. If you regularly stack wide flat material up high, that is the limitation you will feel. For ordinary mixed loads you will not.

Do the RamBox lids freeze shut in a Manitoba winter?

They can, in exactly the same way a door seal can, and for the same reason. The bins are drained from the factory so water escapes rather than pooling. Treat the lid seals with a rubber conditioner each fall and it stops being a problem. If a lid is iced, warm it rather than forcing it, because forcing it is how the hardware gets damaged.

Can RamBox be added to a truck later?

Not practically. The bins are moulded into the bed and it is a factory build decision, so it has to be specced when the truck is ordered or found on a truck already built that way. We can order one to your spec or check what is already on the ground.

Does RamBox reduce payload?

It adds weight to the truck, and anything that adds weight reduces what you can legally carry. It is not a dramatic difference, but if you are ordering close to your payload ceiling it belongs in the calculation. Ask us to run the numbers on your actual build rather than working off a brochure figure.

Does RamBox affect which tonneau cover or bed liner fits?

Yes. RamBox trucks take RamBox specific bed accessories, so a cover or liner made for a standard box will not fit. There is a good range available, it is just a different part number, so sort it out at order time.

The Bottom Line

RamBox is one of the more honest options on the Ram order sheet. It solves a real problem, it does it well, and Ram was straight about the geometry by keeping the bed floor wide enough for sheet goods. It is not free, though. You trade the wide upper bed for secured, dry, lit storage, plus a little weight, plus a narrower accessory list.

If your bed is a flat deck for wide material, skip it. If your truck is a rolling toolbox, a tow rig, or the family's outdoor vehicle, it is the option most likely to still be making you happy three years in.

The easiest way to decide is to stand at the back of one with the lids open. Come see what is on the lot in our new Ram 1500 inventory, tell us what you actually haul in a normal month, and we will tell you honestly whether RamBox is worth it on your truck or whether you are better off putting the money somewhere else on the build.

Tyler Dunn, Dunn Ram Trucks, Portage la Prairie