# Why not a jeep cherokee



## snow problem

I was wondering why so many guys want to spend so much more for a wrangler to plow sonw with then a cherokee. I know all about the un-boidy thing, but how many you guys that plow with a cherokee have had a problem with the frame or lack of frame. I think my cherokee plows great, but it does have it limitations, all of which i would think are the same for the wrangler. So what is the the benift to spending the extra money of a wrangler. I could think of several benfits of the cherokee.


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## JeepTJ

I think my Cherokee is a great plow truck. It out performs my FS GMC pickup. I can get in many more tight spaces than the PU could ever imagine. I only plow driveways and I think the Cherokee is a good compromise vehicle for this. My logon name is JeepTJ, because I almost bought a new (2006) Wrangler Unlimited after I joined this site. I decided not to get the TJ for many reasons and ended up settling in on the XJ (plus the XJ was 1/3 the cost of the TJ payup). I haven't had any issues with the unit body. The Jeep has held up great. Now if I can only say the same thing about the front axle (D30)....

Fran


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## The Duke

JeepTJ;509572 said:


> Now if I can only say the same thing about the front axle (D30)....
> 
> Fran


Don't worry about the D30 up front......worry about the D35 in the rear.

The D30, with alloy shafts will put up with 35" tires, no problem. The D35 in the rear is famous for grenading with stock tires.


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## JeepPlow18

Last year was my first year in the snow biz and I bought a 89' Jeep Cherokee and put a 6.5 Western on it. it was a nice starter for me so easy to maneuver around cars and plow driveways. I sold it and now have my 95' chevy silverado k2500 being the fact that I took on five times the accounts as last year I had to get larger equipment, I still wish I had that Cherokee as part of my fleet. I would take a Cherokee with a 6.5 foot blade over a wrangler any day. Mike


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## JeepTJ

The Duke;509629 said:


> Don't worry about the D30 up front......worry about the D35 in the rear.


Not in my XJ!!!! I have the ChryCo 8.25, 29 spline in the rear



The Duke;509629 said:


> The D30, with alloy shafts will put up with 35" tires, no problem.


My goal is to put in a set of Alloy USA shafts in the D30. Unfortunately, they're still in CA waiting to be shipped:crying: I had to pull out the inner shafts so I could use the XJ as my DD. It sucks plowing in one wheel drive (no locker in the rear, just the front):angry: You can only do so much with studded snow tires. Ever since the DS front u-joint/yoke blew apart a week ago, we've had 3 plowable storms and another on the way tonite. It just hasn't been any fun.



The Duke;509629 said:


> The D35 in the rear is famous for grenading with stock tires.


This was one of the things I was looking for (not to have), when I bought the XJ.

Fran


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## Lawn Enforcer

Nice thread, I want to put a Hiniker plow on my '99 Jeep Cherokee, so I'll be watching this one closely.


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## theplowmeister

Why the TJ over the XJ If you think the XJ is maneuverable and can get into tight places try the TJ. on 3 car garages and some 2 car garages I dont back drag... I plow left to right in front of the garage. and I can push a 7 1/2 fisher RD full of snow up hill. its just like the XJ but MORE maneuverable. I have 3 driveways with circles that you will not be able to plow with your XJ (and theypayup for it) I alone can keep 76 customers happy that means morepayup.


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## theplowmeister

Why haven't you put some shafts in!?. Just because your waiting for good ones does'nt mean you cant put in some from a junk yard so you can plow and make payup



JeepTJ;509721 said:


> Not in my XJ!!!! I have the ChryCo 8.25, 29 spline in the rear
> 
> My goal is to put in a set of Alloy USA shafts in the D30. Unfortunately, they're still in CA waiting to be shipped:crying: I had to pull out the inner shafts so I could use the XJ as my DD. It sucks plowing in one wheel drive (no locker in the rear, just the front):angry: You can only do so much with studded snow tires. Ever since the DS front u-joint/yoke blew apart a week ago, we've had 3 plowable storms and another on the way tonite. It just hasn't been any fun.
> 
> This was one of the things I was looking for (not to have), when I bought the XJ.
> 
> Fran


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## cherokeeman

*im with you all the way jeep tj*

ussmileyflagussmileyflagussmileyflagive plowed for many years i used to be a mechanic for a college here in mass ive driven bachoes dump trucks kubota tractors also 1 ton pickups heavy loaders i must say that my 96 cherokee with a 7 foot plow streight six 4 litre impresses me the most been plowing with it for 7 years now i installed a 4 inch skyjacker lift to it i cant possibly see how the cj has any advantage over my cherokee i read some of these posts where people plowing with the cj 5 speed manual trans i dont know about you but after a big storm im spent with my automatic ive done nothing to beef up diffs front and rear all stock drivetrain have more power than i know what to do with im with you on this one jeep tj


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## Kunker

Wranglers have frames...what more reason do you need? I'd hate to support a couple hundred pounds of a plow and all the stress of plowing by some fancy bends in sheetmetal, but that's just my opinion.


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## snow problem

Thanks for your opinion, but how many people do you that have damaged their cherokee's plowing. Is the wrangler heavier than the cherokee, I don't think so, I can't see spending the extra money for the wrangler not to mention the better ride the cherokee has when your not plowing.


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## basher

Not that I feel the Cherokee lacks anything need to plow snow. Some people claim it has better off-road ability and manners then a standard production Wrangler. However; visibility would be the greatest determent to its replacing the king of production driveway snow movers: The Wrangler, in all its configurations in particular the CJ5, although the FCJ could be king had it been more popular 

You think your TJ is maneuverable, try a CJ5 with a three speed.


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## theplowmeister

basher;749215 said:


> You think your TJ is maneuverable, try a CJ5 with a three speed.


That maybe true but the CJ is just to caveman for me

I've gotten soft in my old age. I like rear window defrost, wiper and ac drying the defroster, Vent heat that I can point at the rear side windows and the ride of the coil springs (after plowing for 12 hours I'm fatigued enough, I can't imagine sitting in a CJ for 12 hours) and the stronger TJ frame, Fuel injection.... the list goes on.

My business is to important for it to rely on a 23 year old platform.


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## theplowmeister

snow problem;749036 said:


> Thanks for your opinion, but how many people do you that have damaged their cherokee's plowing. Is the wrangler heavier than the cherokee, I don't think so, I can't see spending the extra money for the wrangler not to mention the better ride the cherokee has when your not plowing.


Actual the 91 wrangler weighs #100 MORE than the 91 Cherokee


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## cherokeeman

hey kunker ive seen with my own eyes full chasis frames crack due to plowing have never heard about unabodys haveing any problems ive been plowing with my 96 cherokee 4 litre 7 foot blade for 7 years now had to modify my plow because of plow frame cracks i must have added atleast double the weight to the dam thing i have had no problems at all with my unabody frame who knows my frame is probobly stronger than the solid frame if thers anybody out there who has dammaged thier unabody frame let me know i know its not impossible but there a very strong platform from my point of view


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## cocco78

I plow with a Commanche which is also unibody just like the cherokee... The only thing that I don't like is when I raise the plow when its heavy with snow or stuck to the ground I can hear the poor jeep cracking and popping all over the place, especially around the windshield. I've also seen some older plow XJ's with the front part of the "frame" bent down and fatigued from plowing... I also owed a 2000 Cherokee a few years that was just a daily driver but I did take it camping and that whole thing flexed and twisted on mild trails... If you stopped on a twisty part of the trail and open the doors or rear hatch you couldn't close them until you were on even ground. and that was on an almost new Jeep with under 30,000 miles... After that XJ I got a 99 Grand cherokee, WJ, and that unibody was very strong and didn't flex or twist at all, you could park with the suspension all crossed up and all the doors opened and shut perfectly... I know people that have turned old XJ's into hard core off road Jeeps and after a few seasons of wheeling spot welds started popping and stress cracks appeared around parts of the body...


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## cherokeeman

ihave owned a 89 comanchee years ago with a 6 and a half foot plow i loved that thing wish i never sold it i never had the body twist and no problems with my windshield mo veing around as far as my cherokee i have no problems with my doors comming apart it sounds to me like you bought your jeeps being built on a monday or friday if you use common sence while operating these vehicles you should never have these kinds of problems must admit theres times where i really have to beat the hell out of it but im smart about how i handle it if you carelessy abouse these vehicles of cource you will run into problems so many people with plows few know how to properly use them 2 storms ago i laughted my ass off seen a duell wheel chevy plowing the middle lane clearing snow that guy or kid was going so fast his plow was jumping almost as hight as his hood banging up and down with sparks flying everywhere not to mention he left a huge mess behind him the whole way you wouldnt be one of these guys would you cocco78


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## cocco78

I don't think i'm one of those guys, i'm pretty easy on my stuff... I have my trip spring a little loose so the plow trips a little easier to give the old uni-body a brake. Every cherokee i've ever been in suffered from unibody flex, from 20k miles on the odo to 200k miles, I owned a 2000 and bought it with under 30,000 miles. Try putting down a rutted 2 track road or crossing a washout and flexing up the suspension, stop, jump out and try and operate the rear hatch. It has nothing to do with mondays, fridays, or common sense, XJ's uni-body has some flex to it, its pretty common knowlege in the Jeep circle. But I guess most people wouldn't take a Cherokee down a rutted road, so maybe I have less common sense, but I don't beat on my stuff... I moved up to a 99 WJ Grand Cherokee after the XJ and the uni-body had zero flex, these were made much better than the XJ's. Now my Comanche is an 88, and has 250,000 miles on it, and has been in michigan winters every year since 1988. The uni-body is stressed, it creaks and groans...


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## hedhunter9

My Plow Cherekee with 257,000 miles on it creaks and groans a little.

But at 55 I do too....

Great plow vehicle and would never be with out one again...


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## cherokeeman

cocco 78 i must appauligise my last note to you was a bit snippy i still havent seen any unabody problems my wife ownes a 1998 grand cherokee we love it but we always had tranny issues when her jeep was cold the tranny would occassionally slip you gave it gas but nothing would happen for a split second than catch when the tranny was hot it would bang after each shift cycle i took her jeep to 3 tranny shops they plugged thier computer in under the dash each place came up with no codes i was pissed off because we had a 30 day warrentee i was hopeing to get it rebuilt and end these problems once and for all the tranny shops told me the same story we had a dodge tranny and the jeeps were not the only vehicles with this problems they told me it was the nature of the beast he said the dodge dakotas had the same problems ect her jeep at the time had 89 thousand miles on it so i had the fluid and filter replaced with no diffrence in performance so we lived with it my 1996 cherokee 4 litre inline six is a completely diffrent animal i have never had any tranny issues its lower geared a very strong little jeep these cherokees were made to work hard in the summer months i haul a good sized trailer my brother ownes a construction co i hauled his kubota 22 hundred series tracter on that trailer i was talking about the tractor is small with a bachoe on it but it was heavey for my jeep i had no problems as far as pulling it my jeep pulled it like nothing i have a 4 inch skyjacker lift in it the rest of my jeep did not like it one bit braking could have been better my rear leaf springs failed big time believe me i was takeing it slow my rear leaf springs that came with the skyjacker kit were junk to begin with i still have no flex problems guess im lucky hope your making money out there good luck cherokeeman


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## cocco78

No problem... The AW4 in the XJ is a great transmission, I have the Aw4 in my Comanche with closing in on 250k miles on it!!!

Now how is this for a strong unibody, here is my old 99 WJ, 4.7L v8 with the 5 speed auto and quadra-drive....


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## cherokeeman

i never heard of a 99 grand cherokee with a 5 speed manual tranny my wifes 98 grand has a 4 speed auto with overdrive for some reason i think the tranny problems are narrowed down to the 4 litre grand cherokee series i have a neighbor with a 99 grand cherokee he has i think a 318v8 i asked him how his tranny was he said no problems he also hauls a trailer like my brothers plus he hauls a 22 foot boat in the summer i wonder if theres anyone out there with a 4 litre 98 grand cherokee with the same problems we had that is a sweet ride you have there id love to test drive the new grandcherokee with the hemmi i heard there awsome could you emagine paying the gas bill on the hemmi my wifes 4 litre guzzles down the gas i know she has a much bigger gas tank when the gas prices were out of controll it cost us 80 to 90 dollars to fill it up we got 239 miles per tankfull thats not encourageing i fill my cherokee i think its a 20 gallon yank im not sure on a full tank i average about 200 miles per tank full anyway i love your grand cherokee you must have an animal on your hands when it comes to raw power id like to learn more about your 5 speed auto transmission i am also very impresed with that home made plow you and your girlfriend did for the comanchee i think i might know why my cherokee does not creak i have a 2 inch trailer rcvr on the front end 4 or 6 half inch bolts holding it all toghter i was impressed with the rcvr idea it was just the cheezy plow that came with it i think i already told you about all of the modifactions and added strenth to my snowbear im broke i could not even think about replaceing it with a real plow so like you i had to figure out how to modify it the plow is working the balls now i hope it can stay toghter for years to come id love to have you as a neighbor you are a very tallented person you got my vote take care like i say to everyone hope your makeing money plowing there talking 2 to 6 inches tonight here in the northeast hope its enough to put a couple of bucks in my pocket cocco78 have a good one cherokeeman


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## cocco78

It was a 5 speed auto in my old grand pictured above. In 99 and 2000, I forget the exact trans they used but it was a 4 speed auto, but they had a flash for it to add another gear in there somwhere and it improved the whole trans with the way it drove afterwards. The 99's are the new body stile and are completely different than the 98's, last year for the 318. In 99 they went to the 4.7, great motors, great transmissions.. I consistantly got 20-22 mpg highway with that thing.

It would not be good for you if we were neighbors, i'm a bad influence on other people with Jeeps. LOL


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## cherokeeman

what do you mean bad influence you seem to be the type of person id get along with have to admit i am a bit twisted at least thats what my friends say im 42 years old and i believe your never too old to learn new stuff i was a mechanic for a small college i worked on things i never new existed that to me was awsome kubota tractors big frontend loaders ezgos all types of field equipment generators lawn equipment dump trucks pickup trucks johndeere 310d bachoes police cars mostly ford products ford taurus for the coaches ford exploror ect i worked in the ice rink my first 8 years driving the zamboni to clean the ice i did a little bit of everything had my classb licence i used to drive the mack garbage truck and charter the sports teams on yhe college bus i was there for 15 years untill i blewout my 2 lower discs in my lower back was out for six months then managed to blow out another disc in my neck that was it for me atleast i can walk without a limp now i did not expect to feel useless or depressed im now on ssi thank god if i had a neighbor like you i bet i could stay bussy i love to fix things anything i own a 1966 chevy impala ss its in great shape dodge viper blue i bought it last year frame off restoration intiror is like new its a 4 speed munzi tranny 12 inch rear end dont know what the ratio is in the rear end right now it needs frontend work and a few other things i just dont have the motavation to work on it thats what i meant by saying id love to have you as a neighbor you seem like the kind of person that doesnt let anything hold you back already seen your work its awsome if i had some one like you around i think id keep my hands busier working on all that equipment back at the college was therapy im serious like to send you some pictures of my impala ss see what you think i cant even get e mail with this piece of **** computor and the service sucks cant even check my bank account but ill try like hell take care cocco 78 cherokeemanussmileyflag


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## cocco78

I also have a little car obsession... I picked up a southern california rust free 1983 Mustang GT that is in need of a restoration. I'm 31 so the 80's cars are my thing, LOL... I also have 2 heniated disks in my lower back but I can still get around fine, just can't lift or pull to hard on my socks to put them on!

I use the manche to move parts around now as well....

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=auxw8w&s=5

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=33c3qbl&s=5


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## cherokeeman

hi cooco78 my pictures are tied up in my lap top its not working yet again got it for my wife for christmas 2 years ago its a hp i hate the damm thing cost me at the time 1000 dollars worked good for the first year now this **** again but i will get those pictures of my 66 impala ss do you have any pictures of your mustang you could show me i cant wait to get it out of the carport in my backyard my neighbors will know when i take it out it has headers its pretty loud with that 4 speed munszi manual tranny makes it a lot of fun only wish my frontend was up to the task my front tires were hitting the back of my wheel wells to the point i had to have it toed last summer the camber adjustments were out of wack i adjusted them the best i could cant afford to bring it to a garage all new balljoints and tierodends was a frame off restoration all of these parts seem to be under sized for the weight of the vehicle its a huge car well talk to you later cherokeemanussmileyflag


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## cocco78

Its nothing special, just rust free. I rebuilt the motor mostly stock except for an edelbrock cam and intake. I would like to restore it to stock with some minor performance upgrades.


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## cherokeeman

it looks like you have one hell of a vehicle by the work ive seen you do im sure that mustang in good hands not to mention its rust free i ordered one of those car ports 20 by 12 by 10 it held up pretty good here in the northeast the wind is always a challenge here so i poured a 5 inch concrete slab drilled the posts to the platfprm worked out the balls i found a picture of my impala lastnight im going to try to post it today awsome car cherokeeman


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## unit28

I drove that same car in high school. Also had a new 86 hatch, after I graduated.
Had lots of memories and road trips in the 86. Drove it from TX to Montana,.what a blast.
did I just say that?...lOL


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## cherokeeman

cocco78...these are the only pictures my wife could find today. She'll look some more, but here they are for now







100_0727


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## cherokeeman




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## cherokeeman

cocco78 could you explain how i could get my pictures to your post i found all the pictures of my 66 impalass we just dont know how to send them thanks cherokeeman


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## cocco78

when you reply look down to the bottom of the screen and there will be a "manage attachments" button, You can upload pics from your computer to this website and it will automatically put them in for you. You can't link to pics on your computer, they have to be hosted online.


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## cherokeeman

*66 impala pics*

cocco78....hopefully this works


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## cherokeeman

hi cocco78 i still have more pictures to sort through you havent seen the back tail lights on the 66 impala i love the way the tail lights curve around the trunk lid on the side of the car chevy still had some what of a curve tail section as a fin well hope you like what youve seen so far what kind of engine do you have in tour garage boy do i wish i had a garage that engine looked imperesive thanks for your pictures i forgot to mention i owned a 71 vw bug sold it toards buying my impala my motorcycle fell victim to the impala cause talk to you soon


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## cocco78

Nice car! Most of my stuff usually goes better than it looks, I can never keep anything nice and clean no matter how I try. The motor in my garage was what I built for the stang, basic 5.0L HO, edelbrock cam, performer rpm intake, 550cfm cab, cast iron gt40 heads, mac long tube headers. Nothing fancy... Probably a couple horse more than stock but nothing to win any races with, just for driving... Not really into speed, just cruising and laying tire once in a while.


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## cherokeeman

hi cocco78 my car has a 1975 marine 350 in it aluminum intake big elderbrok carb the intake is a name i never heard of before i think its german with the 12 bolt posi rearend in it the car does alright for a big boat i dont know what kind of headers it has on it but it sure is loud i have a old geaser nextdoor he is giving me hell about the noise he threatened to call the police quite a few times the local cops here like the car i have talked to quite alot of them dont think i will have any problems with the skill you have is quite impressive from my point of veiw only wish you were closer you could teach me alot i have never rebuilt a engine before just worked on them when they brake down thats the part i enjoy the most working with my hands on cars or anything for that matter i will try to have my wife send you more pictures of the car take care we have gotten 2 good sized snow storms it snowed today heavey sticky **** what a mess talk to you later cherokeeman


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## cocco78

This was my first and only motor i've done so far. It was alot of work, I had it together and apart so many times I never want to do one again! Next time, buy crate motor!


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## cherokeeman

how are you doing cocco78 i couldnt help but notice the vehicle in your garage is that a 1950s jeep that looks like a nice project maby do a little at a time because of time and cost i used to watch this program called trucks stacy david is the host on the older episodes this guy is unbelieveable he rebuilt a 1940s dodge truck from ww2 you wouldnt believe how awsome that truck turned out then again when you have a unlimited budget you can do all these things but this guy really knows his stuff he left the show a few years ago now they have a couple of geeks hosting it its on the speed channel anyway im sure you could do a hell of a job on yours if thats what you have meanwhile i will send my impala ss to you to work on for me ha ha and your advise about buying a crate motor im with you on that but wheres all the fun in that plus im sure you learned alot rebuilding a engine whats the expression measure twice cut once by the time you were done toy probbly could have done it blind folded minus all that missing skin on your hands boy do your hands fingers and knuckles take a beating well i will talk to you later cherokeeman by the way we just had 2 messy snowstorms in the last two weeks when the last time you got snow


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## domstra1

*who installed your plow to the jeep*

looking for someone who will install a western on my jeep Cherokee, can you suggest someone


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## Hubjeep

Nice location stated in that install question. 



cherokeeman;758031 said:


> i still havent seen any unabody problems...


Has *anyone*? I LOL at those who *surmise* the XJ is weak due to it.


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## gunsworth

it all has to do with the size, a wrangler is much shorter and more maneuverable and less blind spots(I have a wrangler and a cherokee, night and day difference in driving, neither have a plow though, rotted frame on the wrangler, and cherokee is my womans dd). the cherokee will do just fine, but if i were going to use something with a longer wheelbase than a wrangler id got with a small pickup over a cherokee. 
And dont listen to everyone about the axles being weak, you will have no issues plowing with a 30 and 35 or 8.25. Those axles are alot stronger than people give them credit for, if your diffs are open and your tires are 33s or less, i dont see anyway you could break one plowing...

As for the people crying about the unibody compared to a solid frame, I will garuantee cherokees unibody frames will withstand more than most YJ wranglers, not many left without rotted frames. Of course i found out after buying a plow for mine that the frame was toast....


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## SIPLOWGUY

My 01 Cherokee. I haven't pushed any snow with it yet but expect it to be great!


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## MLG

SIPlowGuy,

Hard to see around those light, eh?


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## SIPLOWGUY

domstra1;1387069 said:


> looking for someone who will install a western on my jeep Cherokee, can you suggest someone


I will. I'll PM you with my number.


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## SIPLOWGUY

MLG;1401238 said:


> SIPlowGuy,
> 
> Hard to see around those light, eh?


I always wondered what Western was thinking about those lights!


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## SIPLOWGUY

SIPLOWGUY;1401457 said:


> I always wondered what Western was thinking about those lights!


Beleive it or not the lights reflect off the blade!


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## 89MJComanche

Some one mentioned above the curb weight of the YJvsXJ deal. The thing you gotta remember though is that the dynamics of 100lbs of curb weight, when you take into consideration the shorter wheel base... makes the XJ a much better plow truck. The worst part about XJ Cherokee's is the fact that the unibody mounting area in not the best. If you really hammer the sh!t out of your setup you will bend something sooner or later. However, that said, for $500, you can snag another used XJ and beat it for years more by swapping your stuff over to it.

I own both a YJ and a XJ setup, both with Meyer Steel 6.5/E47 setups. I'm actually retrofitting a new hoop for the YJ right now as I decided I no longer liked the BUTCH not Meyer setup that some one else put in the Jeep.

Basically the YJ is great for short parking lot pushes of less than 300ft, it is great to weave in and out parking places and around curbs etc. It has excellent visibility with the soft upper windows removed, and the rear window and tailgate removed. It's like driving a tractor. With a heavy blade lifted up in the air on the front of its a death trap to drive at highway speeds.

The XJ on the other hand is like the dream plow hoopdie. I love it. I love it. I love it! You guys with the 3/4 ton trucks cant plow snow any better than I can with an XJ!! No way shape or form! In fact if you got an IFS 3/4 ton... you plow worse than I do cause every bounce in the road is wearing out your junky IFS conponents.


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## gunsworth

89MJComanche;1413563 said:


> The XJ on the other hand is like the dream plow hoopdie. I love it. I love it. I love it! You guys with the 3/4 ton trucks cant plow snow any better than I can with an XJ!! No way shape or form! In fact if you got an IFS 3/4 ton... you plow worse than I do cause every bounce in the road is wearing out your junky IFS conponents.


Dont agree with you entirely there, The amoutn of balljoints, wheel bearings and axle ujoints I go through on my yj and girlfriends XJ is unreal. I am al for my solid front for offroading but there is no comparison in ride quality to my chevy 2500 which I got 150K out of with all stock components, just this year I had to do the pitman and idler arms which wasnt bad at all.

And when it comes to lots where you need to stack, the xj just doesnt have the power or weight to stack without beating the **** out of it. I have plowed with all types of vehicles in the last 15 years, for lots Ill take a standard cab 3/4 ton with good ballast over anything else, for drives give me a wrangler with a hardtop all day long, XJ would take second on drives and smaller lots, even then id rather have a small pickup (ranger or commanchee) over an xj for the use of the bed for snowblowers and salt, just too many blind spots with an XJ.

XJs are cheap to buy, maintain, and very reliable so they have their place plowing, just dont try saying they are the best thing out there. As for the unibody, I dont see any issue really just speculation from old schoolers, just like solid vs ifs front suspension. it is 2012, there are more advancements and technology in vehicles now than those based on designs from 30 years ago (with the exception of 1/2 ton pickups, the new ones are just not built for plowing)


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## SIPLOWGUY

gunsworth;1413930 said:


> Dont agree with you entirely there, The amoutn of balljoints, wheel bearings and axle ujoints I go through on my yj and girlfriends XJ is unreal. I am al for my solid front for offroading but there is no comparison in ride quality to my chevy 2500 which I got 150K out of with all stock components, just this year I had to do the pitman and idler arms which wasnt bad at all.
> 
> And when it comes to lots where you need to stack, the xj just doesnt have the power or weight to stack without beating the **** out of it. I have plowed with all types of vehicles in the last 15 years, for lots Ill take a standard cab 3/4 ton with good ballast over anything else, for drives give me a wrangler with a hardtop all day long, XJ would take second on drives and smaller lots, even then id rather have a small pickup (ranger or commanchee) over an xj for the use of the bed for snowblowers and salt, just too many blind spots with an XJ.
> 
> XJs are cheap to buy, maintain, and very reliable so they have their place plowing, just dont try saying they are the best thing out there. As for the unibody, I dont see any issue really just speculation from old schoolers, just like solid vs ifs front suspension. it is 2012, there are more advancements and technology in vehicles now than those based on designs from 30 years ago (with the exception of 1/2 ton pickups, the new ones are just not built for plowing)


Don't know of any XJs that are cheap to buy! I find them holding their value and sell fast!


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## pooleo8

I have seen reinforcment plates that bolt/weld up to the "frame" Those would be slick to put on. I like the option of a straight axle also.


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## gunsworth

SIPLOWGUY;1415280 said:


> Don't know of any XJs that are cheap to buy! I find them holding their value and sell fast!


Compared to a similar year wrangler they are lol. around here it seems most go for 3-5k in decent shape for 98-01 with between 100 and 200k miles.

Got my woman a 2000 classic last year for 3500$ with zero rust 140k which I think is pretty cheap. a 2000 wrangler wouldnt go for less than 5k rusted out with a 4banger around here

Seems like decent mid 90s xjs go for a couple grand, but I cant stand the interiors of those


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## gunsworth

pooleo8;1415292 said:


> I have seen reinforcment plates that bolt/weld up to the "frame" Those would be slick to put on. I like the option of a straight axle also.












JCRoffroad makes some, i used them on the bumper we put on ours they were the old style though that didnt wrap under


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## Hubjeep

gunsworth;1425387 said:


>


That's modded my Suburbanite TJ plow mount to fit the XJ and used side plates like that, including steering box and sway bar mount bolts.


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## pooleo8

gunsworth;1425387 said:


> JCRoffroad makes some, i used them on the bumper we put on ours they were the old style though that didnt wrap under


yup, those are the ones. I thought I have also seen ones that went full frame. Possible cutom built at that point.


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