# CJ vs YJ for plowing....Opinions



## poncho62 (Jan 23, 2004)

I am thinking about replacing my s10 Blazer with a Jeep. Will just be for personal use. A question for you Jeep guys. Whats better for plowing, a YJ or the older CJs. I have a 6 ft older Meyer to put on it. 

I pretty much know I want the six, but most I have found so far have the standard trans, would prefer an auto for plowing, but will see what I can find in my price range....You can comment on that too, if you like

thanks


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## theplowmeister (Nov 14, 2006)

YJ hands down 
stronger frame
better ride
91 and later have FI
more civilized inside and MUCH better on road manners.
Autos are hard to find but out there


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## unit28 (Jan 1, 2007)

PLowmeister,
Do the 91's and later YJ's have coils, or springs?


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## jkitterman (Jan 28, 2004)

YJ models are leaf spring. TJ models went to coil springs in 1997, I think


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## poncho62 (Jan 23, 2004)

unit28;931455 said:


> PLowmeister,
> Do the 91's and later YJ's have coils, or springs?


The 88 and 89 I looked at the other day were both leaf springs on the front. If they changed to coils in 91, that may make a difference in thinking...or would it?...My Blazer has torsion bar, never had a problem with the weight.


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## LEVE (Dec 5, 2005)

The CJ did not have a galvanized tub/fenders or frame. That started with the YJ.


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## FBNemo (Mar 1, 2006)

Poncho- glad to see that you are wanting to move into a jeep- either a CJ or YJ.
Although I'm a CJ lover, by no means do I want to start anything between the CJ and YJ lovers.:waving: Good points have already been noted from everyone.
Here are a few thing to consider-

The YJ and the CJ have alot more in common with each other than with the TJ. First off they are both leaf spring suspension. They both dont have the immenities of the TJ either.
How are you going to use this jeep in the spring/summer time? I would suggest looking at drivetrain options/strengths first, body/sheet metal second.

Things to look for. I copied this list from the 'net and added my comments.

*YJ*

1987-90 Peugot Tranny- Royal Piece of crap
91? Went to fuel injection - Big Plus
4cylinder/ 6 cylinder motors ONLY.
Dana 35 rear axle.
Dana 30 front disconnect (vacuum operated) on most models.

*CJ*

1976 First year for CJ-7. Same wheelbase at a YJ.
76-79: QuadraTrac behind TH-400 automatic. Chain driven.
76- 79: Dana 20 T-Case.Gear driven, not chain.
80-86: Dana 300 T-Case - usually considered good. Gear driven, not chain.
76-86- Dana 30 front axle
76-86: AMC20 2 piece Rear Axle - Some consider it better than the Dana 35 in the YJ. Replace 2 piece rear axles with after market one piece axles. 
1986- Dana 44. Good luck finding one.
Automatic trannys- 
GM TH-400 (3 speed automatic)
Chrysler TF-999 (3 speed automatic transmission - 6 cylinder)
Chrysler TF-904 (3 speed automatic transmission - 4 cylinder)
Carter Carb- I forgot which years but it is junk. Replace with a Motorcraft 2100 and HEI.
Never fuel injected - Bad
4cylinder/ 6 cylinder. AMC 304 8 cylinder motors available until early 80's .
Less emissions crap which is good and bad...

Clear as mud???:waving:


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## cj7plowing (Feb 7, 2009)

unless you are mechanically inclined I would get a 94 or 95 wrangler 4.0L auto. Unless you are going to find a cj setup correctly, there will be too much work to make it a dailly driver and running smooth. all the Wranglers have leaf springs up to 95. 96 was no production year for the retooling of the 97 TJ. 

A CJ set up correctly will plow circles around a yj, But with a few mods a wrangler will be a solid plowing platform. The frames in both are strong but a later year YJs used better metal so rotting would be less likely. The wrangler tubs are galvanized and the accessoires are better such as heat, defrost, rear window defrost and wiper and fuel injection. 

find a 94 or 95 4.0L auto and put 

31" tires on it 
2" shackle lift front and back to get it up
add a leaf springs front and back to beef up the suspension
solid axle kit for the rear, or look for a beefed axle that someone dropped out of a rebuild.
good quality trans cooler. 
one small thing I add to all my jeeps is a block heater. makes a big difference when starting the vehicle.
high output altenator which you would have to do in either the 60 amp just doesnt cut it plowing at 5mph.
dual batteries
I am not sure if their are any jeep grave yards in Canada but their are lots around here for upgrades

not sure what a late model yj would cost you their but you could get one here for under 5k with less than 100k miles on it no problem

some places to look at for part

4wheeldrive hardware
quadratec

jeeping websites to find parts (not sure if they crossover to Canada)
which some of the members here crossover to.
Jeepsunlimited
Jeepaholics
pirate4x4


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## Hubjeep (Jan 9, 2002)

The only two thing 80's CJ-7's have over YJ's is looks and the D300 T-case.

Which is why I build this: 

http://www.jpmagazine.com/featuredvehicles/154_0805_1978_jeep_cj7_yj_tj/index.html


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## poncho62 (Jan 23, 2004)

Thanks for the info guys, have learned a lot.......This rig would be just for a little plowing and running to and from town....I am not big into the off road stuff.


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## sjwrangler (Oct 5, 2009)

_A CJ set up correctly will plow circles around a yj, But with a few mods a wrangler will be a solid plowing platform. _

I HAVE to ask, why will a CJ plow circles around a YJ?

And do you mean a CJ7 or CJ5?


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## Hubjeep (Jan 9, 2002)

sjwrangler;931892 said:


> I HAVE to ask, why will a CJ plow circles around a YJ?


It won't.



cj7plowing;931672 said:


> A CJ set up correctly will plow circles around a yj...


How so? In the Jeep community there seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to say the CJ is superior to the YJ, but little to back it up. The YJ is much improved over the CJ in nearly all areas.

Cited here: [not limited to]



cj7plowing;931672 said:


> The wrangler tubs are galvanized and the accessoires are better such as heat, defrost, rear window defrost and wiper and fuel injection.


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## gunsworth (Nov 18, 2003)

LEVE;931491 said:


> The CJ did not have a galvanized tub/fenders or frame. That started with the YJ.


IIRC that didnt start on the YJ until later, wanna say 93.

And hands down go with the YJ, 91+


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## steel24 (Oct 19, 2009)

*jeep*

YJ or CJ??
YJ's have a much better heater!!

I've had 2 CJ's '78 '83 both cj7 And the heaters sucked real bad. My '78 was a levis addition quadra trac which i always thought would make a great plow truck.

Now i have a '99 TJ with a 18 series sno-way (about 15 years old) and it works great. Jeep says to use the 2.5L engine (lower gearing) which is what i have and it does just fine.

I would say spend just a little bit more money and get a TJ. That way you won't frezze your butt off and you can enjoy it a lot more in the summer time. You could find a good '97 for less than $4000.

Also with going to a TJ you can beef-up your coils with a budget boost and some airbags in the front to help with the load of the plow.


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