Finally got the first Jeep...

[Sloth_Fratelli]

i just got a 96 XJ with 60K 4.0HO in a damn done 5 speed, haha i spent 8 months looking for that bastard. i have a million stories i could tell about swiss cheese jeeps and xj's getting totaled the day before i bought em... but long sotry short i found a perfect 5 speed XJ at some place called chuck's car corral and it turned out to be a 2 wheel drive :017: anyway i got talking to the dude who worked there and he ended up finding me his brother's stepdad's jeep that wasnt even for sale at the time. haha and not thats my baby. ill post pics later if i can find a camera to use

[limegreentj]

congrats man! whats the plans for that bitch?

[Sloth_Fratelli]

well after i buy the new power steering pump im gonna be tapped till i find a new job haha. i either wanna get a lift or bumpers with towpoints first. i know i know i allready got the whole try it out first deal and i did. i hit the ground about 15 times wheeling last night for my first time :040: and about twice on back roads going over train tracks and that. but it aint worth nothin if i do end up getting stuck and have no towpoints so shit. idk im still in the wanting everything mode haha

[ridgerunner97]

I'd go tow points first, then tires of some type, I can recommend General Grabber A/T2s for a good blend of off and on road, look similar to a BFG A/T but blow them out of the water, pro rated tread guarantee, wider voids in the tread, and wear a hell of a lot better, I like em 100x better than the BFG's in all conditions. Then I'd go budget boost and wheel it for a while till you get used to how she handles, then let her grow as much as your wallet will allow. :nod:

[cityslicker]

well the more capable you make it the less you should need tow points... as long as you drive smart lines... besides you can always wrap the axel, as long as the guy pulling you out isn't a total jackass.

[Krod]

well the more capable you make it the less you should need tow points... as long as you drive smart lines... besides you can always wrap the axel, as long as the guy pulling you out isn't a total jackass.

You need solid recovery points. The axle is not a recovery point.

Lockers lift and tires will get you into shit you can't drive out of, and then YOU are the jackass for ruining everyone elses day while we figure a way to recover your busted shit. Don't be that guy.

[tjblair]

You need solid recovery points. The axle is not a recovery point.

Lockers lift and tires will get you into shit you can't drive out of, and then YOU are the jackass for ruining everyone elses day while we figure a way to recover your busted shit. Don't be that guy.

Agreed!

[limegreentj]

truth....and if i dont know you i'd help for a little bit and then say **** that

[muddeprived]

You need solid recovery points. The axle is not a recovery point.

Lockers lift and tires will get you into shit you can't drive out of, and then YOU are the jackass for ruining everyone elses day while we figure a way to recover your busted shit. Don't be that guy.

I agree. I been on many trail rides where some unprepared jeeper didn't have any recovery points. Results: broken control arm from yanking axle, busted and crunched rear bumper, $300 tow bill.

Get one of these:

http://www.detoursusa.com/xjbackbone.php

Slap on a winch and some d-rigns and you are good to go. You can get a rear hitch from JCwhitney (free 2" drop ball) for $130 shipped. Get a d-ring hitch adapter for the rear. Simple and cheap, but goes a long way.

[mxg342]

Get one of these:

http://www.detoursusa.com/xjbackbone.php




While I like the idea, there's a hell of a lot to improve on there. How does the winch plate combat verticle forces? Side to side.... not a problem. Get the winch point a little higher or lower than horizontal, it's going to bend like hell.

[muddeprived]

While I like the idea, there's a hell of a lot to improve on there. How does the winch plate combat verticle forces? Side to side.... not a problem. Get the winch point a little higher or lower than horizontal, it's going to bend like hell.

This is what a friend told me when I went to show him the newly installed winch holder so I hooked it up to the nearest tree, about 16-17 feet up and winched the front end off the ground. From what I could see, it moved up maybe 1/8" but that's about it. It's alot stronger than it looks. This doesn't factor in the forces of being stuck in goo, but i've never had to winch up or down in my 8 years of wheeling with a winch. (not saying it will never occur, but highly unlikely).

You can always add reinforcement brackets if you wish and Mark at detour's will do this for ya if you ask him to.

[mxg342]

This is what a friend told me when I went to show him the newly installed winch holder so I hooked it up to the nearest tree, about 16-17 feet up and winched the front end off the ground. From what I could see, it moved up maybe 1/8" but that's about it. It's alot stronger than it looks. This doesn't factor in the forces of being stuck in goo, but i've never had to winch up or down in my 8 years of wheeling with a winch. (not saying it will never occur, but highly unlikely).

You can always add reinforcement brackets if you wish and Mark at detour's will do this for ya if you ask him to.


I understand but the bending forces of 5/16" plate are the bending forces of 5/16" plate. I would definately opt for the reinforcing brackets.

[2002wranglerX]

my buddy has a full bumper (i think hanson but i'm not 100% sure so don't quote me on that) and when he winches out of something you hear "tap tap tap tap". i asked him wtf that was and he said it was the fan hitting the rad when he ran the winch....

that's with a big ass bumper all tied in. i can only imagine what that would be like... although maybe the metal would bend rather than the whole front clip lol.

[muddeprived]

my buddy has a full bumper (i think hanson but i'm not 100% sure so don't quote me on that) and when he winches out of something you hear "tap tap tap tap". i asked him wtf that was and he said it was the fan hitting the rad when he ran the winch....

that's with a big ass bumper all tied in. i can only imagine what that would be like... although maybe the metal would bend rather than the whole front clip lol.

I wouldn't' know if mine did make that noise when I pulled it up the tree cuz i can't hear anything LOL. My ears are broke. :) The bumper ties into the frame pretty well, like most bumpers out there. I guess that's one of the quirks of having a uni-body.

[Super Scout]

Go with tow points first. and get good tires I would reccomend Wild Spirit txr for a on road offroad tire on a budget. I run them on my truck and they are great. They are more aggressive than the general AT or BFG and wear pretty decent. Just my 2 cents

[Sloth_Fratelli]

yeah i planned on getting tow points first is kinda what i ment to say. but when you say tow points do you mean a bumper with d-rings or just something welded to the frame? im looking at a couple on 4WD. and i just mentioned the lift cause from my first time wheeling it it was hella obvious that im gonna need one, i scraped bottom everywhere. but yeah i understand the towpoints and i dont plan on wheeling it hard till at least spring when ill have some more stuff done to it. where i went was only like a mile long access road and not really anything to get stuck on. also i got destination a/t's for now till i can afford some good mud tires but for a/t's theyre pretty knobby

[muddeprived]

yeah i planned on getting tow points first is kinda what i ment to say. but when you say tow points do you mean a bumper with d-rings or just something welded to the frame? im looking at a couple on 4WD. and i just mentioned the lift cause from my first time wheeling it it was hella obvious that im gonna need one, i scraped bottom everywhere. but yeah i understand the towpoints and i dont plan on wheeling it hard till at least spring when ill have some more stuff done to it. where i went was only like a mile long access road and not really anything to get stuck on. also i got destination a/t's for now till i can afford some good mud tires but for a/t's theyre pretty knobby

Xj's don't have a frame, they have a unibody. It's pretty thin metal and just a regular bolt on tow hook won't hold up too well. They have tow hook kits specifically for xj's that come with a bracket that spreads the forces along the framerail instead of just two bolts. A bumper that has proper tie in brackets with d-rings on it would work as well or welding on a big plate to spread out the load will do it. The factory front and rear bumpers are too weak to be used as tow points, or have d-ring welded on them.

[Sloth_Fratelli]

yeah i know about the uni-body but i diddnt know if you could weld a hook on like comes standard with alot of cars now, i dont know jack about welding. i was told by someone on here to look for an xj with towpoints but i couldnt find one

[muddeprived]

yeah i know about the uni-body but i diddnt know if you could weld a hook on like comes standard with alot of cars now, i dont know jack about welding. i was told by someone on here to look for an xj with towpoints but i couldnt find one

Alot of my xj buddies got their tow stuff from here:

http://hicountryoffroad.com/Products/Cherokee/Recovery/cher_recovery.htm

For the rear I'd just get a hitch and use a d-ring kit with it.

[Krod]

get front and rear hitches and a clevis for a 2" receiver. It's cheap and effective, but versatile enough to mount a winch, bike rack, bbq grill, toilet, or hell even a TRAILER! :082:

Also gives you two good points for jacking with a hi-lift when you need it.

[muddeprived]

get front and rear hitches and a clevis for a 2" receiver. It's cheap and effective, but versatile enough to mount a winch, bike rack, bbq grill, toilet, or hell even a TRAILER! :082:

Also gives you two good points for jacking with a hi-lift when you need it.

toilet....:046:

[ridgerunner97]

yeah man, the offroad commode! my buddy has one i like it haha beats poppin a squat and losin ur balance and havin a catastrophe LOL

[Krod]

toilet....:046:

You laugh, but I'll take the toilet hitch for my woods shits any day over squatting over what is probably poison ivy...:icon_toilet:


M-F'ing BUMPER DUMPAAA!!!
http://www.bumperdumper.com/images/turkey1.jpg

[Sloth_Fratelli]

you think the toilet seat is strong enough to use as a tow point? haha

[muddeprived]

bumper dumper.....lol!