Big Boss Update

Big Boss Revisted

ProPickup’s 2010 Big Boss Sweepstake’s  winner still lovin’ his Ram 2500 4×4

It was just one year ago that a college student in Tennessee received a phone call that changed his life.

Thomas Ferguson, a Knoxville college student and fledgling contractor, thought the phone call and e-mails confirming he was the winner of  ProPickup’s 2010 Big Boss Ram 2500HD, worth approximately $75,000, were part of an elaborate hoax.

But it wasn’t a hoax. He’d won the Big Boss.

“This Ram pickup is going to give me the push I need to keep working hard and accomplish my goals,”  the east Tennessee native said when the magazine’s associate publisher, Stephen Abernathy, handed him the keys.

“I followed every article in the magazine and every post on the web site as the ‘Big Boss’ was being built last year. It’s a great truck and I can’t wait to put it to work.”

And he was true to his word. Here’s the latest on the Bog Boss in Ferguson’s own words:

“Big Boss is doing great! I’ve been very  busy with my new business! Up until last week I was putting in 45-50 hours of work a week as well as 16 hours of school. Luckily finals ended last week for me and now I’m focused on getting more work, employees, and expanding the business.
Big Boss has really been such a blessing.

Not only is it a very nice means of transportation, but the equipment that came with it also gave me an opportunity which I am forever grateful for.

It pulls harder than any diesel I’ve owned or had the privilege of driving, especially with a heavy load behind it. The exhaust brake is one of my favorite features, I almost can’t imagine driving without one.

Big Boss on a jobsite in 2011.

I looked towards some performance modifications for added fuel economy and installed a 5 inch turbo back exhaust, a H&S Mini Max programmer, and the H&S EGR cooler delete.

Those changes help the ruck runs about twenty degrees cooler. I can also monitor my parameters like exhaust gas temperature while hauling.

Those mods also boosted the Big Boss’  fuel economy from a city average of 11 mpg to 14 mpg and highway average from 13 mpg to 17 mpg. (figures were hand calculated.)

It also added quite a bit of usable power, articles I’ve read state by just deleting the exhaust adds 55 horse power.

There is nothing I have put this truck up against so far that it has not exceeded my expectations and crushed any and all competition. It is one of a kind and I’ve very proud to say it’s mine.

Thomas Ferguson with the truck and equipment that's jump-started his own service business.

I’m very thankful for everyone at Randall-Reilly and ProPickup: You have given me an opportunity many do not have.

I do want to apologize that the truck is not being used in the heavy equipment field as much as was expected. Bill Martin has since retired and is now referred to as Captain Bill Martin as he opened his own charter fishing service just North of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I long to operate equipment again and am still in school working towards a degree in Civil Engineering, but the opportunity I see in my onsite maintenance business has me working hard towards setting it up and growing it into what will hopefully be a local household name.

For now I’m putting a lot of effort into rental car companies, package delivery companies, and ground transportation companies as they seem to need the service most.”

If Ferguson’s new business allows him time to break way this summer he has promised to bring the Big Boss to put on display at the ProPickup Truck Expo Aug. 23-25 at the Dallas Convention Center.

If Ferguson’s new business allows him time to break way this summer he has promised to bring the Big Boss to put on display at the ProPickup Truck Expo Aug. 23-25 at the Dallas Convention Center.