In Wheel Time

Ram 2018 Harvest Edition Trucks debut this fall

Mike Marrs
Sep 2, 2017, 6:00 am
There will be no shortage of new Ram trucks this fall. In Wheel Time

A new line of specialized Ram Harvest Edition trucks for 2018 were unveiled this week at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. The new model is designed specifically for America’s farm families. As the industry’s first agricultural market-specific truck — the Ram Harvest Edition is visually distinguished by two new colors: Case IH Red and New Holland Blue.

Trucks of all sizes and types are the lifeblood of America’s farms and ranches. Ram Truck has longstanding relationships with, and supporting, the activities of farmers across the country, including the likes of Case IH and New Holland farm equipment manufacturers, National FFA Organization members, Farmers in America farm owners, and Dairy Farmers of America members.

 “The Ram Harvest Edition marks the first time that Ram dealers will be able to stock trucks that exactly match the colors of two of the most popular lines of farm equipment in the nation,” said Mike Manley, head of Jeep & Ram Brands — FCA Global. “Farmers have been asking for these colors, and Ram is proud to be the first in the industry to be able to offer them. The Ram Harvest Edition truck will allow farm families to get their work done while proudly showing their agricultural brand loyalty.”
  
The 2018 Ram Harvest Edition will be available across the Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 lineup; in all four-door Quad, Crew and Mega Cab configurations; all box lengths and all powertrains, including 5.7-liter HEMI V-8, 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 and 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel.
 
According to Ram, Harvest Edition trucks are loaded with features that are designed to work on the farm. Among them, a ride-height increase of one inch and aggressive on/off-road tires on Ram 1500 Harvest Edition trucks are designed to help owners comfortably and confidently navigate rough farm roads and pastures.
 
Also included in the farm-life essentials are black tubular side steps, a durable spray-in bedliner, fold-out bumper step and mud flaps, rubber floor mats, skid plates and tow hooks (4x4) and heated seats. The Ram Heavy Duty models also come with on/off-road tires and add a cargo-view camera.
 
Today’s farmers are extremely tech savvy so the Harvest Edition comes standard with an 8.4-inch Uconnect 4C touchscreen radio with navigation, 4G Wi-Fi, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, which gives farmers seamless connectivity, fingertip access to smartphone map mirroring, and up-to-the minute weather maps and forecasts customizable to any location in the nation.
 
The Harvest Edition features a premium exterior appearance packed with bright highlights, including a chrome “Wave Mesh” luxury cross-hair grille; bright front and rear bumpers; 17-inch chrome wheels (1500 models, 18-inch polished aluminum on Heavy Duty models); chrome mirrors; chrome door handles and chrome-tipped dual exhausts (V-8 1500 models).
 
The Harvest package also includes body-color (or Bright Silver) wheel flares and upper facia (1500). 

In addition to Case Red and New Holland Blue, Harvest Edition Ram trucks are also available in Bright White and Brilliant Black. Monotone and two-tone with Bright Silver color schemes are available.
 
Ram 1500 Harvest Edition MSRP starts at $39,910, plus $1,395 destination charge. Ram Heavy Duty models start at $46,235. They go on sale in the third quarter of 2017.

Ram Certified Agricultural Dealership Program

Farming continues to be a part of the foundation on which Ram’s success is built. Ram stands by its commitment to the farm community, supporting the future of farming and the development of the next generation of farmers and future leaders in agriculture.
  
A key element in their commitment to agriculture is the Ram Certified Agriculture Dealership program where Ram provides various affiliate reward programs that support American agricultural customers. RCAD enables Ram to extend its commitment to the local agricultural community by equipping Ram Truck dealers to properly serve local farmers and ranchers.  

RCAD educates dealership staff and requires that they complete a grassroots training curriculum which is dedicated to helping dealers gain a greater awareness and address the needs of the farming and ranching communities.
 
For example, with the purchase of every new Ram truck, RCAD dealers offer a farm-specific package worth more than $5,300 that includes a discount on Crop Copter Ag Drone products, a voucher toward AgroLiquid Crop Nutrition, and a subscription to Agrible’s Grower Bundle.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

EVERY-THING SPORTS

How the landscape of high school sports in Texas could soon be turned on its head

Bringing NIL deals to high schools will have some challenges. Photo via: Wiki Commons.

Name, image, and likeness, or NIL as it has been known, has been a hotly debated topic. When some states allowed college athletes to start getting paid through NIL deals, others had to follow suit. NIL deals basically allow athletes to get paid from endorsements and the like. They can make appearances, sign autographs, and get endorsements. No longer can schools make a king's ransom off the backs of these athletes without the athletes themselves benefitting from their popularity.

Sponsorships are also allowed, which started some of this years ago when Jeremy Bloom was a pro skier who also played college football at Colorado. Bloom wasn't allowed to have sponsorships, which was a HUGE part of his skiing career, if he wanted to continue to play college football. After fighting a losing battle when the NCAA declared him permanently ineligible, Bloom went on to compete in the 2006 Winter Olympics. He went on to have a couple short stints in the NFL, but his football career never materialized.

When a few states took the NIL law and opened it to high school student athletes, they REALLY opened a can of worms! Other states are now in full scramble mode trying to figure out how can they make this work, do they want to make this work, and wondering if this will open Pandora's Box. Newsflash: Pandora's Box has been open longer than your local grocery store chain. Schools have been paying for play ever since time began. SMU got the dreaded "Death Penalty" in the 80s behind it. Teams have seemingly had wink-wink agreements not to out one another. But high schools? This is a bit much.

AAU, club, and travel sports have had a shady undertone that's been more intense over the last 20 years or so. This is especially true in AAU basketball, where shoe companies and the like have long been "sponsors" of teams. Follow your favorite NBA player's career from high school to the league, then see what shoe company he signs with. I guarantee there's a pipeline in most cases straight from the sponsors of his AAU/high school team to his shoe deal.

Bringing NIL deals to high schools will have some challenges. For example: I heard this past weekend that a prominent high school player has an NIL deal in place with Bentley. What if said school sees a kid at another school, possibly in another state that may not have NIL deals for high schoolers. What's stopping said school from relocating this kid and family by offering them new jobs as well as an NIL deal? Private schools and charter schools aren't regulated like public schools. What's going to stop them from using funds to create a factory of college athletes by offering what other schools can't as far as NIL is concerned?

Here in Texas, football is king. Specifically, high school football. You can go to any town on a Friday night, and the local high school stadium is packed to the brim. If any of you think those towns won't band together to offer kids the best NIL deals they can in order to gain any advantage, you're crazy. States will need to hurry and approve this to stay competitive, but they'll also need to regulate it as best and as fast as they can to prevent a wild west scenario. I can see this getting out of hand quickly, but then some will step in to regulate it as soon as the scales no longer tilt in favor of the rich and powerful.

Texas is an oil rich state. New tech companies are moving here in droves because of the state tax laws. That's why the housing market is looking the way it is now. With the way high school football is like a religion here, imagine if NIL deals are allowed? What's stopping a powerhouse program from becoming invincible and cranking out 10-20 or more top tier D1 athletes from a single graduating class on a single team? We already see it with these human athlete factories masquerading as high schools.

I'm all for student athletes taking advantage of NIL. However, it has to be regulated. Why not have agents get trained and certified like pros do. Then also have them register in each state and pass a state certification, similar to the way lawyers or real estate agents have to. Now everyone is state and/or federally certified to help kids get what they can above board in NIL deals. This could've helped prevent Nick Saban's ignorant comments from last week by bringing much needed law and order to the wild west of NIL deals. Until it happens, we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, I'll sit and watch the utter CHAOS (in my Khal voice)!

high school sports high school football ncaa college nil texas high school

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome