Driven! AEV Prospector XL Tray Bed Is Half Tractor, Half Overland Truck

Yes, but only if you act fast. In fact, the 10 examples slated for production have already been spoken for. But to further pique your interest in case more slots suddenly open up, AEV tossed us the keys to the Prospector XL Tray Bed, and we put it to work in the famous slickrock trails of Moab, Utah.

Big tires with minimal lift. That's the secret to why the AEV Prospector is both cool and functional. AEV started with a fifth-gen Ram 2500 Bighorn with the 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel and employed its two-step formula for fitting massive meats. First came installing the AEV DualSport 3-inch RT suspension lift, part of which included moving the front axle forward about 1.5 inches using AEV's custom bracketry. This helps keep the big tires away from the firewall during suspension compression and at full steering lock.

With the axle positioned forward of its stock location, AEV finished out the tire clearance one-two punch with its Highmark fenders. While these do require significant cutting to the truck's sheetmetal, the result is a wheel opening large enough for 41-inch tires to articulate without rubbing, and a fresh-from-the-factory aesthetic.

Part of the Prospector XL's allure is its stellar on-road manners, thanks largely to how AEV preserved the factory steering and suspension geometry. Another factor is the AEV-specific XP8100 Bilstein big-piston reservoir shocks. These dampers are tuned to manage body roll and on-pavement irregularities while sponging up bigger hits on the dirt with plenty of fluid capacity to keep the shocks at optimal operating temps during extended use.

AEV's front bumper is stamped steel, and the frame-mounted recovery points are formed from nodular iron. Holes through the recovery points were designed to only accept hardware with a sufficient diameter to recover the sizable machine.

The 16,000-pound-capacity winch behind the bumper was not an afterthought; in fact, it was set as far back between the frame rails as possible, and the bumper was engineered around it.

Where the traditional AEV Prospector XL maintains a factory bed, this epic truck has a hand-built aluminum tray bed. In addition to each side panel latching (rattle-free) in place and folding down for cargo access, there's room to mount a full-size spare tire using AEV's vertical mount kit.

Moab and its environs were an ideal place to put the Prospector XL's skills to work, starting with the highway drive to the dirt. Short of the big step it takes to swing a leg into the Prospector's cab, there's little to remind the driver they're at the helm of what is essentially a roadworthy monster truck. The interior was left very much alone save for the AEV branding on the seats. The powertrain also remains stock. When we got up to highway speed, even with the 41-inch Super Swampers underfoot, the truck kept the noise to a minimum and required no additional steering inputs.

When the path ahead turned to dirt, we shifted into four-wheel drive and immediately appreciated how the truck's 6.7-liter Cummins engine's gooey diesel torque paired with the low-range transfer case gearing allowed the behemoth truck to simply idle its way up, over, and through sandstone obstacles.

The biggest challenge of driving the Prospector on the trails is keeping track of obstacles once they disappear beneath the truck's broad nose. An AEV-spec forward-facing off-road camera would save many cranings of neck to spot rocks ahead of the machine. That aside, the truck was able to wend its way between trees and rocks skillfully despite its proportions. When the trails opened up and the rocks gave way to undulating sand whoops, the Bilstein remote-reservoir shocks proved their mettle and kept the bottom-outs at bay.

Considering the Prospector is a full-size heavy-duty pickup truck, its suspension articulation is impressive. The AEV DualSport link-and-coil suspension system allows the axles to move freely, keeping tires in contact with terra firma as much as possible. When the Prospector did lift its tires, the truck handled the adversity predictably and idled on through.

It's the details that make the Prospector stand out. An ARB dual air compressor is mounted under the tray bed that feeds a chuck at each side of the truck. This is handy for reinflating tires as well as powering pneumatic tools. Out back, the truck has impeccable trail manners. The exhaust is tucked high to the frame to keep it free from damage, and each side of the bumper features a nodular iron recovery point angled so that it skids over trail irregularities. The front recovery points have similar shapes to reduce the risk of hang-ups on the trail.

AEV's formula maintains the straight-from-the-factory reliability of the Ram truck and adds adventure-ready upgrades to transform the truck into something that's just as much a tool as it is a joy to drive. It's composed on the pavement, nimble enough for decently tight trails, and has the utility for multiday excursions.

The Prospector' small cab limits the passengers to one other human, and if you're looking for the off-road suspension setup with the most flex, this isn't it.

Whether you want a do-it-all tool on the hunting ranch or a mule to trek across Siberia, this diesel-burning machine with the tools and big tires to get it done.