The story
By 1974 Ford had been selling the Bronco since 1966 and Chevrolet the K5 Blazer since 1969, and Dodge had nothing to sell against them. Its answer was the Ramcharger, a Dodge pickup with the bed cut off and the wheelbase shortened by 9 inches. It arrived for the 1974 model year, and Plymouth dealers got a twin called the Trail Duster. It was late, but it came with something rare in 1974: full-time four-wheel drive as standard. You could also order a 440 big-block, and the roof was optional.
THE RHINO
During development the truck was code-named 'Rhino', and the finished product lived up to the name. It used a 106-inch version of the Dodge pickup's AD platform and was assembled at Warren Truck in Michigan. Dodge sold it as a basic utility vehicle. Early trucks had only a driver's seat as standard, and Wikipedia says the passenger seat stayed on the options list until 1976. The roof was optional too. You could have no top, a dealer-fitted fabric top, or a removable steel hardtop with a flip-up rear window.
The very first trucks were stranger still. Until the June 10, 1974 build date, the door pillars were part of the removable roof, so the 'half doors' had no frame above the glass. Later trucks got normal pickup doors. The name had history too. AutoGuide notes that 'Ramchargers' had been a club of Chrysler employees who went drag racing in the 1950s, and the badge had stayed on factory-backed racing efforts ever since. A 1974 SUV with a roof that unbolted and a cooler built into the console was a fitting way to use it.
FULL-TIME, ALL THE TIME
The trick was the New Process NP203 transfer case. Dodge's 1978 brochure describes five lever positions. Low Loc locks the center differential and gives a 2.0:1 low range for snow, mud and sand. Low keeps the center differential working. Neutral is for running a power take-off. High is for everyday driving, and High Loc is for extra traction. There were no front hubs to lock, because the Spicer 44 front axle was a full-time design with nothing to disengage. Consumer Guide notes that most 4x4s of the period had part-time systems, which couldn't be used on dry pavement.
The rest of the running gear was heavy-duty Dodge truck: leaf springs at both ends, a Chrysler 9¼-inch rear axle, power front disc brakes and a 36,000 psi steel frame. The 225 slant six was available, along with the 318 and 360 small-blocks and the 400 and 440 big-blocks. The 1977 brochure still lists the 440 for the four-wheel-drive AW100. A Ramcharger even won the 1975 Sno*Drift rally.
FROM FLEET SPECIAL TO MACHO
Dodge added a two-wheel-drive AD100 and the slant six for 1975, according to Ramcharger Central's year-by-year notes. From there the truck grew more comfortable every year. The SE package brought cloth-and-vinyl buckets, woodgrain trim, a lockable console with a removable beverage chest and extra gauges. By 1978 you could order a three-passenger front bench, a Sky Lite sunroof, a CB radio, a factory Sno-Commander snowplow package, and towing packages for trailers of up to 6,000 lb.
For 1978 Dodge also leaned into the van-and-decals spirit of the age. The Ramcharger Four by Four came with the Macho package: bold body and tailgate graphics, spoke or chrome wheels, 10-15LT tires and power steering. Top Hand trucks with their own graphics turned up the same year. For 1979 the truck got a new hood, grille and headlights, with four rectangular lamps on the upper trims. The big-blocks were gone, leaving the 318 as standard and the 360 as the option on the 4x4.
THE LAST OPEN-AIR DODGE
In 1980 Dodge dropped full-time four-wheel drive and switched to a part-time system with the chain-drive NP208. It was the generation's last year. The 1981 second-generation Ramcharger followed the redesigned Ram pickup and got a welded-on steel roof and a fiberglass liftgate. That ended the open-air era, and the Trail Duster was dropped after 1981. Rivals kept going in their own directions. The square-body K5 kept a removable rear top, and the full-size Bronco, new for 1978, became the Ramcharger's most direct rival.
Today the first generation is the Ramcharger collectors want. AutoGuide says the earliest and latest Ramchargers generally bring the most money. On Bring a Trailer, Trail Dusters have recently sold for more than equivalent Dodges. Owners on Ramcharger Central still argue about the NP203. Torque King, which sells the parts, calls it troublesome. One long-time member's verdict is 'Just leave it alone! … The 203 is an awesome transfer case.' Keep the front hubs greased, and he may well be right.
SIDEBAR · THE PLYMOUTH VERSION
Trail Duster: Plymouth's only SUV
Plymouth's version arrived alongside the Dodge for 1974 and was sold until 1981. It was Plymouth's only SUV, and Motor1 says it was basically a Ramcharger with a different badge. DrivingLine calls it the much rarer twin. OldCarBrochures holds separate Trail Duster brochures for 1976, 1977 and 1978. The top trim was the Trail Duster Sport, and Motor1 notes its faux-wood trim.
Today the badge matters at auction. Of the 16 first-generation trucks that sold on Bring a Trailer between December 2021 and August 2026, the seven Dodges brought $15,110–26,500. The nine Trail Dusters brought $17,945–57,500, and seven of them sold for $29,000 or more.