# 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport, Plow?



## Cfdff85 (Jan 10, 2005)

Hey Everyone,
I recently got my hands on a 1998 Jeep Cherokee sport 4.0(in-line six) 4 door, 4x4. A buddy of mine is a mechanic and he checked the car out and said that the person indeed kept it garaged. Nothing showing abuse. I am thinking on putting a plow on it.
What are your opinions on this, what plow do you think? 
Positive or Negative info?


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## SnowyPennsylvan (Jan 19, 2005)

I actually did some research on this last week. I own a cherokee, and I was hoping to step up my snowblowing/shovelling business to actual snow plowing.

It turns out that a plow was a little out of my price range for the time being.

But anyway, it depends on what you want to do.

If you're doing just your driveway (assuming it is not too big) then a Snowbear plow should work.

If you're looking to start a small, residential plowing business you might want to look at Sno-Ways.

I think several of the other major companies make mounts for the plows, but I'm not sure.

If you go with the Sno-Way, you'll almost definately need timbrens to help stabilize the Jeep from the heavy weight of the plow.

Either way, you'll want to be careful. The cherokee is unibody, meaning that the frame and the body itself are one piece, most pickups and larger SUVs are two pieces.

You shouldn't try and plow to much snow at a time, probably no more than three inches, and you really shouldn't try to ram any snow banks. If you do, you risk seriously screwing up your frame. So the whole thing would be to take it slow, and don't try and overburden your vehicle.

Also, another thing that I've determined from research and asking around is that if you plan on using your cherokee as a plow, you really shouldn't plan on using it as a daily driver also. The bigger trucks can take the stress, but from what I understand, with the cherokee, you'll see some serious change driving it in the off-season after having a plow installed.


Anyway, like I said, most of this is just research and second hand knowledge. Anything I say regarding plows should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

Hopefully, I've given you some useful information.


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## Luppy (Oct 6, 2003)

cja1987 has a late 90's cherokee but I don't recall exactly what year it is. He's got a Curtis plow on it I think. If he doesn't show up here on his own you should pm him for details.


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

SnowyPennsylvan said:


> I actually did some research on this last week. I own a cherokee, and I was hoping to step up my snowblowing/shovelling business to actual snow plowing.
> 
> It turns out that a plow was a little out of my price range for the time being.
> 
> ...


I have the same truck. You do have take it easy and not beat on it but otherwise, set it up right and your fine. My brother drives the truck everyday and its no problem. The last thing i/my bro did was go easy on it these past few days. We had the Cherokee pushing 34" of powder and huge drifts down 100' drives. This was the first real test for the Jeep and it did great. Plow is heavier then what normally goes on a Cherokee, 460 LBS actually pushing 500 LBS with the cutting edge i have on it and the mount weight included. You will need at the minimum and auxillary transmission cooler and timbrens. With the timbrens, mine drops about 1" or so. You can use it for plowing and still drive it everyday, its not an issue, as long as you don't hit anything with the same force that you would collide with a car with then your all set. If you plow faster then 30 MPH or ram piles, your pretty stupid to begin with and no vehicle you drive will be with out problems. All any plow vehicle needs to stay in good shape and even a daily driver is a good driver who knows what he/she is doing when it comes to plowing.


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## winterangel (Aug 10, 2004)

I've got a Jeep Cherokee, w/ western 61/2 ft. plow on it and plowed with it for two years, including the storm during december. Has done great, still running strong but you must be careful, no hard ramming, and take the plow off when not in use. Of Coarse! Have the radiator changed to a heavier dutie one so it could possible handle the travel better.
Its great for residentials, and tight lots. I still use it occasionally.


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## Cfdff85 (Jan 10, 2005)

wow thanks for the feed back you gave me alot to think about and that is what I will be doing, Im also calling a few dealers (sno-way,Blizzard...ect). I will definitely not be ramming this vehicle into snow banks or anything, I will be being as gingerly as possible with it. I was thinking of blizzard for one small reason. Beside the fact that my buddy has a 810, I like how they have the lower center which allows the air to hit the radiator alittle better but it also has the higher sides with found help with the foiling. I will be calling the dealers tomorrow, See what its going to cost me.


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Cfdff85 said:


> wow thanks for the feed back you gave me alot to think about and that is what I will be doing, Im also calling a few dealers (sno-way,Blizzard...ect). I will definitely not be ramming this vehicle into snow banks or anything, I will be being as gingerly as possible with it. I was thinking of blizzard for one small reason. Beside the fact that my buddy has a 810, I like how they have the lower center which allows the air to hit the radiator alittle better but it also has the higher sides with found help with the foiling. I will be calling the dealers tomorrow, See what its going to cost me.


Blizzard is one of the best choices for the cherokee IMO, they are the cheapest as well in most cases.


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## Cfdff85 (Jan 10, 2005)

CJA1987- How many miles does your jeep have, still plowing strong? Have you put any other accessories on it?(ie. Transmission Cooler...etc)?
Thank You
Joe
Oh yea thanks for your strait forward opinion. Greatly appreciated


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## DJDarknez (Nov 13, 2004)

I have 97 Cherokee and am also interested in getting a plow for it.

My original idea was to get rid of the XJ, get a F250SD and put an 8' Western on there. After about 30 minutes of daydreaming, I snapped out of it, knowing I could never afford that :crying: 

I was thinking about Sno-Way, since with the Lexan they're pretty light. But if some guys are using Blizzards and Westerns, then hmm......

Cheaper helps, too. Maybe I could just save up the payup from plowing with my XJ to get the 250.

I was reading that Timbrens are a good idea (probably a "must"). Would something like the Rancho RS9000 system work as well? That's the system where you can adjust the stiffness of the shock from inside the vehicle. I figure with that, and the timbrens, I would be good to go.

Edit:

Um........just looked at Western's website. No listing for a '97 XJ....

For the Blizzard, I'm guessing I would want to look at the 720LT, yes? 7 footer?


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## Cfdff85 (Jan 10, 2005)

From what i know about suspension systems and things of that nature the Rancho idea you have seems like a pretty good idea, but are you sure you wanna spend the extra money on the rancho system if your going to add timbrens anyways? The timbrens alone will provide enough stiffness and if you add the rancho's you may need to keep them on a more limber setting so it isn't so stiff. but either way you steer its the right way down the road.


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## DJDarknez (Nov 13, 2004)

Cfdff85 - Good point. I guess that would be somewhat overkill.

cja1987 / anyone - The 720LT weights about 370 pounds, not bad. With the timbrens, anyone know how much that'll sag?

I know I would need a tranny cooler......what else?

I have the thought ingrained in my mind......I can prep the vee-hikle during the summer, pick up the plow in the fall, and be good to go for winter!


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## Luppy (Oct 6, 2003)

Guys I have a TJ not a Cherokee, but I tried the Timbrens and hated the ride. Again, it may provide an entirely different feel in a Cherokee but in my TJ it was a kidney beating ride. Used them 2 seasons, then this year I had them removed and went with front air bags by Air Lift. Much better ride and even with the max 50 lbs pumped in them the ride is still A+! A guy out here recommended them to me and I couldn't be more pleased.


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## DJDarknez (Nov 13, 2004)

Luppy - That's something to take into consideration, too. Although, I have to wonder (and wonder is all, I have no idea) if the combo of the timbrens with the BB might be an awkward match?


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## Luppy (Oct 6, 2003)

Negative. The two seasons I had the Timbrens in I didn't have the 2" BB.


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## mikelawtown (Dec 5, 2004)

luppy where did u get your meyer?is it steel?


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Cfdff85 said:


> CJA1987- How many miles does your jeep have, still plowing strong? Have you put any other accessories on it?(ie. Transmission Cooler...etc)?
> Thank You
> Joe
> Oh yea thanks for your strait forward opinion. Greatly appreciated


Hi Joe,
My Jeep has 86,600 miles on it, its a 1998. We got it last august with 80,000 on it. I bought the plow in october so this is its first season plowing. I do have timbrens, and I added an auxillary transmission cooler and a brand new battery. The stock alternator was 120 AMP which is sufficent for the load of the plow. I put 400 LBS in the back but only with the plow attached, then it comes out. Otherwise, it plows great, its great in 4X4 and great in the snow. I don't do anything stupid with it but i do "ask" it to do plenty of work especially during this storm and today working in tight areas in a condo complex.



Luppy said:


> Guys I have a TJ not a Cherokee, but I tried the Timbrens and hated the ride. Again, it may provide an entirely different feel in a Cherokee but in my TJ it was a kidney beating ride. Used them 2 seasons, then this year I had them removed and went with front air bags by Air Lift. Much better ride and even with the max 50 lbs pumped in them the ride is still A+! A guy out here recommended them to me and I couldn't be more pleased.


With the cherokee, the ride is slightly stiffer with the timbrens. I also have timbrens on my F-150 and its not as noticeable as it is with the cherokee. For the jeep, iam thinking of either pulling the timbrens in April and reinstalling come october or more likely i will go with airbags, thats what the curtis dealer recommended for the Jeep but i had alredy installed the timbrens before it went in for the install. Curtis dealer said that the ride is changed most by timbrens in Jeeps, he is right about that.


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## Luppy (Oct 6, 2003)

Mike I bought the Meyer brand new in 1999 from Lacey Truck equipment in Medford. Yes it's steel, 6 1/2 foot. Think the owners manual says it weighs 450lbs in case you were going to ask. The air bags do a wonderful job of keeping the front end from sagging. Link shows air bags loaded with 40lbs and plow raised.


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## Cfdff85 (Jan 10, 2005)

cja1987 said:


> Hi Joe,
> My Jeep has 86,600 miles on it, its a 1998. We got it last august with 80,000 on it. I bought the plow in october so this is its first season plowing. I do have timbrens, and I added an auxillary transmission cooler and a brand new battery. The stock alternator was 120 AMP which is sufficent for the load of the plow. I put 400 LBS in the back but only with the plow attached, then it comes out. Otherwise, it plows great, its great in 4X4 and great in the snow. I don't do anything stupid with it but i do "ask" it to do plenty of work especially during this storm and today working in tight areas in a condo complex
> 
> 
> ...


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Cfdff85 said:


> cja1987 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Joe,
> ...


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## penberth (Feb 16, 2003)

*2000 Cherokee with 6.5' Meyer Max*

I had a 6.5' Meyer Max plow on my 2000 Jeep Cherokee and it plowed fine. This past summer I picked up a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, so I moved the plow over to that as my wife is driving the Cherokee. I didn't run any Timbrens or anything in the front as I had heavy duty coils from the lift kit. They carried the plow extremely well. I also had the Jeep factory towing package, so I already had a tranny cooler. Here is a link to my site, I have a bunch of info on my setup.
www.niagara4x4.com/meyerplow.php

Here is a picture.


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## Plowlikehell (Nov 29, 2004)

I have a 1991 XJ with 198K on the drivetrain. Yeah its not a pretty rig, but it plows snow just fine. I went the real cheap route because im only using it for a couple of drives, and my buddies two shop lots. I bought a Meyers ST-78 setup for a Yj, and made my own brackets to mount it on a XJ. As for the front springs, I used new stock ZJ (Grand Cherokee) 5.2L front springs. They are variable rate springs (not like stock XJ) and work very well. Best part Murrays Discount Auto parts sells them for 37 bucks with a life time warranty. They will raise your stock hieght in the front about an inch. Ride quality with the plow is the same as stock. Ride is a little more firm without the plow, but nothing that anyone would really notice.










The rear has air shocks, and they are aired up.










Both pics are after a fresh coat of paint










Best little plow painters I ever raised LOL.


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## Cfdff85 (Jan 10, 2005)

the plow looks brand new. I was wondering though did u hit the rust spots with a steel brush or anything to remove the particles?


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## Cfdff85 (Jan 10, 2005)

I had another question for anyone. Should I plow with the shoes on always or only gravel? Do the shoes cut down on the surface finish of the drive way if it is paved?


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## Plowlikehell (Nov 29, 2004)

Cfdff85 said:


> the plow looks brand new. I was wondering though did u hit the rust spots with a steel brush or anything to remove the particles?


All I did was power wash it real good. That got rid of alot of the flakes. 3 coats of rustoleom sun burst yellow and its all good. First caost looked like hell, and I was almost ready to paint it a different color. But coat after coat it looked better and better. BTW one quart of paint was used.


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## Cfdff85 (Jan 10, 2005)

Should I plow with the shoes on always or only gravel? Do the shoes cut down on the surface finish of the drive way if it is paved?


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## penberth (Feb 16, 2003)

If the driveway is paved / concrete, etc...I would remove the shoes. The shoes are good for gravel / stone driveways where you need to raise the blade up an inch or so so you don't remove all of the stones, etc. I think others will agree.

I removed the shoes on my plow, and it scrapes nicely right down to the surface .


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## martyman (Nov 11, 2000)

That meyers must be a heavy strong plow. I have 2" BB and Timbrens and it doesn't sink down at all...I found out from Snoway that my Rubicon isn't recommended because it came with 31" tires that I have taken of any way...


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