# 6.5' or 7' plow for a1995 Wrangler



## jeep2001

Looking for a plow for my 1995 wrangler with a 4.0 and a 5 speed. I have a 3'' lift and 33'' super swampers on it. I am only doing my own drive way and it is about 300' long. I am not sure that a 6.5' blade will be wide enough when angled to clear my tire tracks? Are these super swampers tires bad for snow plowing? Any help will be great.
Thanks
Jeep2001


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## Mems

Your tires should be good to go. If your having any troubles, air them down a little and put some weight in the back. That'll increase the footprint while increasing the psi on the tires.

Plow wise, Im running a 7' Meyer on Wrangler and it just barely covers my tracks when angled. I think 6.5 would be to short. I plow some driveways and a private road so i went ahead and picked up some pro wings to increase my width even more. The Jeep will have no issues pushing it, just take it slow and steady. Do you know what kind of plow your looking to get into?


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## jeep2001

I am looking at a meyers plow set up, will the lift kit and taller tires be a problem with the plow not being level? Any other advise would be great? Will I need a bigger alternator and battery?
Thanks
jeep2001


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## theplowmeister

Yes supper swampers are terable for plowing (I had a set)

I use 7 1/2 wide plows on my jeeps (i have 3 rite now) I have been plowing for 26 years, using jeep wranglers and always used 7 1/2 blades

If you want to drive out to MA I am selling a COMPLETE setup for 1987 to 1995 wrangler

http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/pts/3402849650.html


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## jeep2001

To far to drive out I am in il. 
Thanks
jeep2001


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## Mems

jeep2001;1513407 said:


> I am looking at a meyers plow set up, will the lift kit and taller tires be a problem with the plow not being level? Any other advise would be great? Will I need a bigger alternator and battery?
> Thanks
> jeep2001


With the lift kit, your plow is going to need some modification to the mounts as the leading cutting edge/trip edge will be cantered to far forward and you could ruin your edge. Plus the plow needs to stay level to ensure that if you hit something then the force gets reverberated back through the plow and into the frame dispersing it instead of just taking the brunt of the force on the cutting edge and plow. Having it set up properly will allow it to run for much longer without stressing the weak points. I have a 4" lift with 33's and I had to custom make my mount.

Unless your running dual batteries or a very high output alternator its almost inevitable at idle that your going to have dimming lights when you activate the plow. Nature of the beast. I upgraded to a AGM Platinum battery from Sears and havent looked back. I have very minimal/non existant draw on the lights now and Im confident that ill never get stuck again with a battery issue. Add additional spot lights/strobes and you'll be happy you upgraded. It's the best $200 Ive spent.

One other tip is the tranny likes to get hot real quick. I plow driveways for 12 people during the winter so I use mine a little more than you would but its best to run the vehicle transfer case in 4 low and run the transmission in a higher gear. On my larger stretches of a private road I do its not unheard of to be running in 3 or 4th gear to keep the RPMs high but also keep the transmission from working to hard. My TC and gearing is a little different than yours dependent on whether yours is stock but it should still work out much better for you in the lower TC range. Also, I run my heater on as close to high as i can stand and keep the windows down. This allows the coolant to stay moving over the top of the motor and dissipate the heat produced from the increased load on the engine a lot better. One other tip to keep temps at bay is to swap the drive train fluids over to synthetic. It helps a lot and nets a better running engine as well.


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## jasonv

le4life;1513859 said:


> With the lift kit, your plow is going to need some modification to the mounts as the leading cutting edge/trip edge will be cantered to far forward and you could ruin your edge. Plus the plow needs to stay level to ensure that if you hit something then the force gets reverberated back through the plow and into the frame dispersing it instead of just taking the brunt of the force on the cutting edge and plow. Having it set up properly will allow it to run for much longer without stressing the weak points. I have a 4" lift with 33's and I had to custom make my mount.
> 
> Unless your running dual batteries or a very high output alternator its almost inevitable at idle that your going to have dimming lights when you activate the plow. Nature of the beast. I upgraded to a AGM Platinum battery from Sears and havent looked back. I have very minimal/non existant draw on the lights now and Im confident that ill never get stuck again with a battery issue. Add additional spot lights/strobes and you'll be happy you upgraded. It's the best $200 Ive spent.
> 
> One other tip is the tranny likes to get hot real quick. I plow driveways for 12 people during the winter so I use mine a little more than you would but its best to run the vehicle transfer case in 4 low and run the transmission in a higher gear. On my larger stretches of a private road I do its not unheard of to be running in 3 or 4th gear to keep the RPMs high but also keep the transmission from working to hard. My TC and gearing is a little different than yours dependent on whether yours is stock but it should still work out much better for you in the lower TC range. Also, I run my heater on as close to high as i can stand and keep the windows down. This allows the coolant to stay moving over the top of the motor and dissipate the heat produced from the increased load on the engine a lot better. One other tip to keep temps at bay is to swap the drive train fluids over to synthetic. It helps a lot and nets a better running engine as well.


He's a 5-speed... that's a manual transmission (Aisin/Toyota AX-15), no torque converter = no heat issue. I'm not sure why you think it would ruin the trip edge? It will trip just as easily when hitting objects. Having it angled down like that will make it scrape really well. Some times too well, if plowing over something soft, like wet gravel.

OP: If you had factory wheels on it, I would suggest 6.5. With the wider setup, you need 7. NOT MORE. 7.5 is definitely way too wide for it. You simply don't have enough weight to push that big of a plow successfully.


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## jeep2001

Thanks Guys
Is there another alternator like a 90 or 100 amp I can installed that is not too expensive? Will a 100 amp from a 1990 chevy pick-up work? What is the biggest battery that I will fit in the stock tray? 
Thanks
jeep2001


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## Mems

jasonv;1513934 said:


> He's a 5-speed... that's a manual transmission (Aisin/Toyota AX-15), no torque converter = no heat issue. I'm not sure why you think it would ruin the trip edge? It will trip just as easily when hitting objects. Having it angled down like that will make it scrape really well. Some times too well, if plowing over something soft, like wet gravel.


This is simply incorrect information. The transmission heats up during high load situations such as plowing, towing, off roading,etc. I use my Jeep to off road as well and have similar heating symptoms when Im out wheeling, its just the nature of the beast when your using a smaller rig such as a Jeep, to a certain extent. No harm no foul. My transmission got so hot last year that it melted the plastic cup that houses the CPS in the top of the tranny. With the CPS not working, my Jeep would not start and I was stranded after my last driveway of the night. Again, this is at the end of 10 driveways and i was pushing the snow pretty hard. You may not run into this but id rather him be informed that there is the potential rather than throw up a blanket smoke screen that states that with a manual this just wont happen. Not True. Drivetrain components get hot.



jasonv;1513934 said:


> OP: If you had factory wheels on it, I would suggest 6.5. With the wider setup, you need 7. NOT MORE. 7.5 is definitely way too wide for it. You simply don't have enough weight to push that big of a plow successfully.


My statement about the trip edge/cutting edge wearing more has nothing to do with you hitting things with it, although with too high of an attack angle you could conceivably ruin your plow A-frame. Its the attack angle and how the plow performs. This is the reason most plows/a-frames have different mounting holes to choose from so that your attack angle is correct for your plowing needs. Incorrect attack angle can equal more wear and tear on the cutting edge but it can also allow your plow will start to ride up on the snow more than dig into it if its to low. To high? Ive been there, I have the same setup he does and used the plow for two storms with the plow angled to far forward/attack angle to high. I have a full trip blade and it was constantly tripping as I was basically putting more force towards the top end of the blade and pushing over the top of it rather than using a level a frame which basically puts the same amount of force top to bottom to allow for more efficiency in plowing and less needless tripping of the blade/edge. Your cutting edge will thank you by not having so much force placed upon it at such a tough angle and so wont the rest of your plow. I still suggest a 7'. Add some ballast weight in the back to counter act the weight of the plow and help with traction. She'll plow just fine. I havent had any issue and Plowmeister has an even bigger blade both size and weight wise and I havent heard him complain any.


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## Mems

jeep2001;1513983 said:


> Thanks Guys
> Is there another alternator like a 90 or 100 amp I can installed that is not too expensive? Will a 100 amp from a 1990 chevy pick-up work? What is the biggest battery that I will fit in the stock tray?
> Thanks
> jeep2001


You can upgrade your alternator if you so choose but thats going to be just as expensive if not more so than upgrading your battery. You can do a durango alternator for whatever they go for used up to a Mean Green Alternator to the tune of $405. Im not positive on if the Chevy will fit, Im guessing the mounting points are different.
My battery sits in the stock location and is This one. 880 Cold Cranking Amps and has a 4 year replacement warranty, 8 year pro rated warranty.


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## jeep2001

Is that durango alt. a bolt in replacment and is the wiring the same? I want to get started on my jeep before the snow comes.
Thanks
jeep2001


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## Mems

Yes it is. Here you go.

Click here for tutorial


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## theplowmeister

jasonv;1513934 said:


> He's a 5-speed... that's a manual transmission (Aisin/Toyota AX-15), no torque converter = no heat issue. I'm not sure why you think it would ruin the trip edge? It will trip just as easily when hitting objects. Having it angled down like that will make it scrape really well. Some times too well, if plowing over something soft, like wet gravel.
> 
> OP: If you had factory wheels on it, I would suggest 6.5. With the wider setup, you need 7. NOT MORE. 7.5 is definitely way too wide for it. You simply don't have enough weight to push that big of a plow successfully.


WOW you mean Ive been doing it wrong for 26 years, with 5 Jeeps and my friend too, he has 3 jeeps for 20 years .

Glad you straitened me out, I better go sell my 3 plows and get some narrower ones.


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## jeep2001

Thanks for the information on the durango alternator, I will look into that swap.
jeep2001


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## jasonv

theplowmeister;1514072 said:


> WOW you mean Ive been doing it wrong for 26 years, with 5 Jeeps and my friend too, he has 3 jeeps for 20 years .
> 
> Glad you straitened me out, I better go sell my 3 plows and get some narrower ones.


I'd love to see you try to plow more than 6 inches of snow... It would be really funny to watch.


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## theplowmeister

jasonv;1514525 said:


> I'd love to see you try to plow more than 6 inches of snow... It would be really funny to watch.


Ive been plowing for 26 years in metro west (Boston) with an average of 70 driveways per storm.

I think Ive seen my share of storms over 6".


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## jasonv

That would be when you call for help?


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## Hubjeep

I would go 7' on a YJ, TJ. or XJ.


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## theplowmeister

jasonv;1514725 said:


> That would be when you call for help?


never had to.


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## jeep2001

I removed the front factory sway bar years ago for off roading, should I put it back on? The springs are very stiff and I dont get any sway out of the jeep at all.
Thanks
jeep2001


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## theplowmeister

Why do you have stiff springs for offroading? you want a suspension that is compliant so your wheels stay on the ground.

Dont know try without sway bar.


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## jeep2001

A few years ago I bought a Rough Country 3'' lift kit, I found out later that this is the stiffest lift kit sold. I did not have the money to buy another lift kit so I learn to live with it. I would like to change out the super swampers but that will have to wait till next year. I was thinking about getting some B F Goodrich all terrains.
Jeep2001


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## theplowmeister

I prefer the Dunlop Mudrover over the BFG. airing down for the trail, with the BFG I had to go down to 8 psi to get a good mush factor in the tires. With the Dunlop 11 PSI worked better.


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## Mems

Ok so first and foremost your vehicle sway now is completely different as you dont have a several hundred pound plow hanging off the front. Rough Country has stiff springs as it is. Nature of the beast and its a "get what you pay for" ordeal with them. Stiffer springs or not, running without the sway bar can be quite challenging due to the swinging around of the plow blade out front, especially with the older style Meyer mounting system, as it doesn't provide any lateral support from side to side. I ran all last year without one and to be honest, I put my sway bar back on this year and it was the greatest thing ever. I found a way to make my Meyer mount work with the sway bar. I havent tried it on road as of yet but just the driveway test here at the house showed a noticeable decrease in sway of the plow and body roll at around 15MPH. The major differences between your ride and mine is the longer wheel base which will help. 

Yes the springs make a difference offroading, but with plowing its not really that big of a deal besides the major rake your rig will have once you add the plow. 

Here is what I believe your goals should be given your situation. 
-Find a plow that works for you and find a way to adapt it to your rig keeping the sway bar on.
-Load rear with ballast weight, couple hundred pounds to offset the plow weight and create more PSI on the wheel footprint for better traction.
-Lower the PSI in the Swampers for the season to around 20PSI, maybe even 18. This will flatten out the tire and allow for a little better traction. Try out your rig and adjust the PSI up dependent on how much the vehicle tends to "wander" on the road. I dont have a Cherokee but the principles are roughly the same.
-Pick a plan for your rig. Are you going to be off roading with it still? If your planning on running double duty with it, as I do (plowing and off roading) then you'll want to upgrade some items to better your rig for both situations.
-Find some new tires for next year. BFG's are great tires but expensive. Excellent all around tire, especially in the snow. There are similar tires that have similar all around performance for cheaper cost, you just have to find out where you want to put your money. An all terrain off road will work ok but if you decide to get into any real terrain, you'll wish you went with a full blown Mud Terrain. A damn good driver with all terrains can out wheel almost anyone on most terrain but the greatest thing an off roader can invest in is tires. Just something to think about. Mud terrains will work for plowing but know that its not what they were intended to do so you may lose some traction during icy conditions. A great way to get around this is to run a skinnier Mud Terrain tire. Great for off roading and will work pretty well on a plow rig. 
-Change out your springs and shocks. Rough country components are a little cheaper built which is why the cost is so much lower than a lot of other companies. Your "ride" and its quality are based more on your shocks then it would be on your springs, although not entirely. If you haven't already, upgrading your shocks to a higher quality will smoothen out the ride, allow for better articulation, and might be exactly what your looking for without dumping a ton of money into your rig. Its a lifted rig so comfort isnt going to be number one without throwing a ton of coin at it. OME and Bilstein are pricier but you'll appreciate the ride so much more. Save up for these, they are worth it.
-Next, if your ride isnt any better or isnt what you thought it might turn out to be, look for new springs. Your looking for progressive rate springs instead of the standard springs that came with your RC lift. Progressive rate are a little more, but are a better riding spring and progressively get more stiff as they are compressed. Better all around. Check into BDS, OME, Teraflex as a few cheaper, but better options.


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## Mems

I just posted some of these pics in a different thread but here you can see what a 7' plow covers from the back of the jeep. I put on pro wings so discount those as Im sure you wont need them, but as you can see at full left on my jeep, my 7' plow barely covers the tire tracks behind it. Go with a 7'.


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## jeep2001

Thanks guys for the information I will look for the sway bar this week end. It is some where in the garage. Would you try it first with out the sway bar or should I just put in on? Can I just use sand bags in the rear of the jeep or is there something better? 
Thanks
jeep2001


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## Mems

You can try it without it and see how it goes. Not that big of a deal, I just really like the security of the ride.

Sandbags will work but they make a mess if you split one open. I use bags of pellets which makes things a little easier to clean up with just as much weight. I usually run 8 bags or so.


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## jeep2001

Where do you get the bags of pellets? 
Jeep2001


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## Mems

i bought them at home depot. they are found a lot of difference places. they are used as a heating source for a pellet stovce. about $4 a bag.


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## jeep2001

Thanks I will look for them this week .
Jeo2001


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