Plowing XJ

[Ray H]

Those Snowbear plows are for nothing more than personal use. Im sure they work fine for that but for anything more, I wouldnt consider them an option. I was thinking about getting one to use for as a one time backup if my big plow went out of commission for some reason. I decided against it when I read on their site that the frame isnt even made for transporting the plow any distance. But if you just ant to clean your drive and a couple of your neighbors, its probably fine.

 

[Ray H]

You could plow a driveway with an XJ, and they do an okay job on sidewalks, but it isn't a plow truck. When you are pushing snow you want to be rolling right along and moving the snow somewhere it ain't. You are throwing and pushing it, and you need to get up a head of steam to do it. A big, stout truck with a load of salt, sand or snow is the best, an XJ is too light and lightly put together to do the job for more than just to show that you sure as hell CAN plow with your jeep. The stresses you'll put on the jeep are nothing like you'll put on it wheeling, you are trying to push big, heavy loads of snow, not just move your truck through manky terrain.

Hell, it's your truck, you can do whatever you want with it! Have a good time!

I dont think anyone is advocating plowing the Walmart parking lot with it. It does have limitations. That doesnt mean its not a "plow truck", all it means is that it should be used for a different purpose than a big truck. It doesnt have as much power or weight as a big truck but it can get into more places. There will be increase wear and required maintenance but thats the case with any truck. The good thing about the Jeep is its alot less expensive and easier to maintain than a 3/4 or 1 ton.

Hey wait, "different purpose, power, weight, size, tight places.... hmmm, sounds alot like the "Hummer vs Jeep, which one is better" threads that always seem to pop up and the answer is always the same, depends on how its used.
Would you consider a Willys, CJ, TJ or YJ bad choices for plowing? they are all roughly the same weight as an XJ, they have the same steering and front axle strength, roughly the same drivetrain strength. Is it just the unibody construction that bothers you? That bothers me a little also but the fact is, as far as side or twisting loads go, its probably stronger than the frame of an early CJ before they boxed the frame.

 

[Fish'nCarz]

I dont think anyone is advocating plowing the Walmart parking lot with it. It does have limitations. That doesnt mean its not a "plow truck", all it means is that it should be used for a different purpose than a big truck. It doesnt have as much power or weight as a big truck but it can get into more places. There will be increase wear and required maintenance but thats the case with any truck. The good thing about the Jeep is its alot less expensive and easier to maintain than a 3/4 or 1 ton.

Hey wait, "different purpose, power, weight, size, tight places.... hmmm, sounds alot like the "Hummer vs Jeep, which one is better" threads that always seem to pop up and the answer is always the same, depends on how its used.
Would you consider a Willys, CJ, TJ or YJ bad choices for plowing? they are all roughly the same weight as an XJ, they have the same steering and front axle strength, roughly the same drivetrain strength. Is it just the unibody construction that bothers you? That bothers me a little also but the fact is, as far as side or twisting loads go, its probably stronger than the frame of an early CJ before they boxed the frame.

No, it's not the unibody, it's just too little. I've seen plows on wranglers for college sidewalks, and they sure look cute, but they aren't for serious plowing, you'll tear up an otherwise great truck that would do the job it was built to do for years beyond when it will die if you abuse it. It's like all the older guys that have heart attcks shovelling snow every winter, they shouldn't be doing it. Yeah, maybe they can get by several times, but eventually they'll blow a valve.

But like I said above, it's your junk, treat it anyway you want, that's really what they are for. Have fun and fix it when it breaks, if that's what you want to do.

 

[Ray H]

I've seen plows on wranglers for college sidewalks,
.

Thats my point. They arent plowing the whole campus with it. There are several jobs that small vehicles excel at. Sidewalks and driveways I think we agree on. I will go as far as say small parking lots and even small roads, maybe thats where we disagree. I also believe there will be an increased level of wear and tear, I think we agree on that also. Where we dont agree is the fact there is an increase amount of wear and tear on ANY vehicle from plowing. You seem to think the bigger trucks arent effected by plowing. Im here to tell you that they do have problems. Steering components, suspension, shocks, ujoints, they all feel the pain. The thing is, its three times as expensive to fix the heavy trucks as it is a Jeep.
I think you suffer from "bigger is better syndrome". Why is plowing a sidewalk, driveway or drivethrough not "serious"? Its got to be done and if youve ever plowed, you know thats the hardest and most time consuming part of a job. If you are plowing for money, time is money, and it takes alot more time to do these "not serious" jobs than it does the "serious" ones. thats what makes you or breaks you and the right tool is a small truck.

 

[MN-Cherokee]

Be warned, plowing is [highlight]Extremely Hard[/highlight] on ANY vehicle, doesnt matter is its a 1 ton or an XJ. Its hard on frontend parts, steering and suspension, transmissions, frames, tires, etc. Expect to do more maintenance on your Jeep and be replacing worn parts more often.

This is True.

Finally, dont listen to the people that say an XJ cant do it without falling apart. The people that are telling you this are the same people that feel its ok to twist it up through a boulder field on 33" or 35" tires or winch through a mud hole. While the setup of a plow vehicle and an offroad vehicle are different, the stresses placed on the vehicle are similar. As mentioned, dont expect to go blasting through snow drifts with it and dont hit them going 20mph and it should be fine.

This is not. I'm not depending on my Cherokee to make money. If it breaks, I have a trailer.

And the comments about the XJ being too weak are BS, Dont knock it till youve tried it.

I dont want to try it. I know what it will do. I have seen it. I've seen it on F-150's and other half tons too. Their bigger than the XJ. But still not strong enough. As much as I love them, real plowing (doing it for a profit) requires a truck that is much more reliable and stronger than an XJ.

So the answer to the question is... Yes, you can plow with your XJ. Has it been done? Yes. Will it continue to be done? Yes. Is it Logical? No.


Also, I figured I would add this. It is pretty common (although not as much these days) for trucks to overheat while plowing. It seems unlikely in the winter. But these trucks are doing lots of hard work. Pushing hard in low range at high RPM's. And you usually dont move very fast, this makes it hard for the truck to get cool air under the hood. Just another little tid bit, especially since Cherokees are prone to overheating, but it goes for all vehicles.

Hope this helps.
Brian

 

[ipkyss]

a lot of people beat on the front bumper wheeling worse than most poeple with plowing with a xj. I see a lot of poeple in my area with plows on xjs. They are great for driveways and you can even fit a small snow blower in the back. I would stay away from parking lots bigger than maybe 50x50. You can really do anything if you want and have the time. Shoft passes to the sides of that parking lots is all it takes. Same thing you need to do with a 1 ton truck in the deep stuff. I plow with my f-350 and i am thinking of picking up a 3-400 dollar beater to put a plow on. Then i could send another guy off to do driveways.

 

[VinceYJ]

Leave the plowing to 3/4 ton and up trucks. It beats the hell out of those quite well, imagine what it will do to your little XJ.

 

[chelms27]

I had a wagoneer with a plow, it worked great but fell apart quickly. Buy an old beater truck and throw an old plow on it to save the cherokee. IMO a cherokee is too light to plow any amount of heavy snow(midwest snow).

 

[ipkyss]

So you guys are saying that you would rather plow a driveway or small lot with a 1 ton truck rather than a small xj or tj. If this is what you are saying, your must not have ever tried it before. I am a very fast plower, But i can still do double time doing driveways with our little ranger. The ranger takes a good beating, and i think the "frame" on a xj is stronger than the real frame on that. Don't go smashing into curbs at 30mph and you'll be fine.

 

[VinceYJ]

Ok use your XJ. Then when the stress of plowing a butt-load of snow (which does get heavy) the stress of hanging a plow off the front, the stress on the front axle of having to push the snow while in 4x4 while turning, the salt, sand, snow that gets packed in everywhere while plowing, the overheating of the tranny because of all the stress on it, starts to break and fatigure parts to the point where every couple weeks you need to replace something on it, dont come back and say we didnt tell you so.
As a Dodge Truck mechanic for two years I saw plenty of 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton truck beat to shit because of plowing...and they were built for the stresses.

 

[Ray H]

No one is saying that plowing is not hard on vehicles. The thing is there are some people who seem to think that its only hard on small vehicles. The point Ive been trying to make is thats just not true. ALL vehicles take a beating. Anyone who has been around plow trucks knows that, its a fact of plowing, no matter what your vehicle choice. Youre statement confirms that. Its all relative. I had a Boss 9'2" V plow on my F350. Thats a big heavy plow (over 1100lbs) It was hard on a one ton truck, no different than a 6'6" 400lbs plow on a Jeep would be.
That F350 with Boss V was a PITA for small areas. Definately not the right tool for the job.

 

[tsgtbob]

For all the money that you would spend on modifying an XJ to plow snow, you could go out and buy a used farm tractor witha front loader and do a much better job.
FWIW, most reputable plow dealers will not sell a plow for most anything smaller than 3/4 ton.
I have had several trucks with plows (around here they are status symbols) and for the money I have spent on these for repairs, I could have bought a blower for my Ferguseon farm tractor.
Farm tractors are made for this kind of work, plus they can be used for many other tasks throughout the year, mowing, taking kids on hayrides, and pulling out stuck Samuris!

 

[Littlewhitexj]

most reputable plow dealers will not sell a plow for most anything smaller than 3/4 ton.

Where are you?
Thats def. not the case around here. Small Vehicles are GREAT for plowing driveways.

 

[Ray H]

For all the money that you would spend on modifying an XJ to plow snow, you could go out and buy a used farm tractor witha front loader and do a much better job.
FWIW, most reputable plow dealers will not sell a plow for most anything smaller than 3/4 ton.
I have had several trucks with plows (around here they are status symbols) and for the money I have spent on these for repairs, I could have bought a blower for my Ferguseon farm tractor.
Farm tractors are made for this kind of work, plus they can be used for many other tasks throughout the year, mowing, taking kids on hayrides, and pulling out stuck Samuris!

I have a tractor, not a MF but a Kubota, that I do my driveway with. It does work well but its kinda slow taking it down the road to do other places.

 

[XJMudder]

Up here in Vermont you are bound to see almost anything with a plow ! and yes i have seen my share of xj's with plows on them , i have had a 4cyl. toyota pickup a S-10 blazer ( one of the best i have had ) a 1970 toyota land cruiser and a 1969/70 gmc 3/4 ton truck now believe me or not but all the smaller rigs did a better job at plowing then the big ones , now i have a 2003 2500HD GMC and yes it will push a bigger pile of snow but i still feel and think that the other rigs did just as good a job. now i have had all Fisher plows ( no big reason ) and with them and others you can get a liter weight plow mine all had a nylon cuter / edge wear bar on the front instead of the steel ones this will save on weight but will wear down fast on pavement , just remeber that you can't take as much snow at once , make two swiles instead of one this will help . i know in my owners book (1996 ) it tells you what you rig will and should have to plow know like i said and others have a bigger rig is a little better but if this is all you have and you do want to plow with it just use your head and don't pound on it just take it easy and have fun !

 

[cmotsvt]

Id see if you can find a 80's fullsize bronco for a plow rig, they are short, heavy, and tough plus they have plenty of power.

 

[TheWarWagon]

Snow? What's that? :laugh:

 

[Ray H]

Its what you guys in CA import from South America.

 

[Ray H]

Id see if you can find a 80's fullsize bronco for a plow rig, they are short, heavy, and tough plus they have plenty of power.

Just about every 80s Bronce Ive seen looks all whacked from a sagging TTB front end. I would say a Blazer or Ramcharger would be a better choice than a Bronco if you can find one thats not rotted.

 

[ihscoutlover]

Nobody has mentioned my vehicle of choice for plowing, the good old International Scout. Short like the Jeeps for the small spaces, built with the parts like the 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks, can be picked up for near nothing and usually need nothing, and are geared for torque-hence what plowing and 4-wheeling are about. You don't need HP for plowing, you need to be able to apply spinning force to the wheels. Inline engines produce more torque to my knowledge better than a V-engine. Look at the 300 I-6 from Ford-their best gas engine for stock torque and reliability. How much torque does the 4.0 I-6 from Jeep put out? The Scouts have V-8's that don't have a lot of HP, but they have more torque than their GM and Ford V-8 counterparts. This thread isn't about whose is better or not. The original poster wanted to know if it was recommended or not. If you were doing a few driveways, then I would say yes. If he/she were trying to make any kind of money at it, they would need to really buy a more suited truck, since even those are built well, they just are not really set up for the rigors and stresses that plowing does put on vehicles. Two of my uncles did plowing for a # of years, one had a CJ and one had 1/2, and 3/4 ton trucks. Each of these worked for a specific application, and had their drawbacks. I feel we should make our points and then sit back and let others do as they wish. C'mon, I know we are entitled to our opinions, but several of my fellow posters keep trying to get all of us to agree with their point of view. Both sides of this argument will just continue to argue even though they both have valid points to back up their side of the argument. Just state your side and leave it alone. I have spent over 20 mins. reading the same information about what is right or wrong to use. People, read the entire thred before just blurting out how you feel. You won't waste as much space as I did trying to tell all of you that.

Just my $0.02

Jeff