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99XJer
October 20th, 2006, 10:53 AM
My XJ has NOTHING. It's totally stock. No Hooks, no hitch, nuttin. :( (pretty much like the pic)

I was hoping you guys could help me with the basics. I don't want to do anything extreme with this rig, just have some low budget fun and keep it a daily driver. I do run up to Atlanta, (MI) to hunt with my dad during deer season, which is about 4.5 hours so distance could be an issue?

I know I need recovery stuff right away. Front hooks, rear hitch/bumper?, full size spare looks appealing, I have a Cobra CB but not installed at this time.
Already have a 4" 25' strap, but was wondering about wrenches and other misc. stuff.
Stuff that you guys feel you wouldn't go into the woods without.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :D

Thanks
Jerry
joe_jeep
October 20th, 2006, 11:26 AM
good set of tools, first aid kit, water, small shovel, gloves, high lift jack(can be used as a winch),cell phone, all terrain tires(big as can fit), spare set of plugs, cap, rotor, wires, wd40, cb radio, a good friend, tire plug kit, fix a flat(or an air compressor),
and last but not least experience(go wheeling with friends that can bail you out of a jam)
the more you wheel that rig, the better you wil be at wheeling that rig!! have fun!!!
Jarhead
October 20th, 2006, 02:48 PM
Christmas is coming so put tools and a bag on your Christmas Wish List. Sears has a number of great sets: Wrenches, Sockets, Universals, Extensions, Ball Peen Hammer, Screwdrivers, A couple of small Pry Bars. Throw them in a bag and have a blanket or rug is also nice if you have to get underneath (you will sooner or later). Motor Oil, Trans/Transfer Case/Diff and Power Steering fluids. Tire Repair Kit. Some type of onboard Air (Ultimate Air). Spare U-Joints. Ideas are just starting points
99XJer
October 20th, 2006, 03:25 PM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joe_jeep &#064; Oct 20 2006, 01&#58;26 PM) 19184</div>

...cb radio, a good friend, tire plug kit, ...[/b]

Not sure where to find the friend... does a girlfriend count? :blink:

Didn&#39;t think to ask, but is there any big no-no&#39;s to watch out for. I don&#39;t mind making a few newbie mistakes, but I don&#39;t want to get stranded, break or blow something just because I didn&#39;t know better.

Thanks guys...

Jerry
joe_jeep
October 20th, 2006, 07:31 PM
dont go blasting into anything, slow and steady. staw away from deep water. there are some upgrades to the truck you can do fairly cheaply and still be daily driven also.
small lift (3inch) 245.00 (4.5inch) 495.00. cheap winch 399.00
cheap off road tire (buckshot mudders)108.00 per tire.
cheap lockers (lock rite, detroit e-z locker) 250 to 300 per axle. all these can be done pretty cheap. none of these will make you stop daily driving. all of these could be done in your drive way. you can do one at a time so its easier on the wallet. tires are most important the part about finding the friend, you just did, here on this website. some of the friendliest people ive met, fun to wheel with, always willing to help you out. go to the mounds and play around, see another cheokee, stop and say hi, play follow the leader.
you can learn alot from following another driver,see how he picks his line, see what he can go over, see what he avoids,
see how much throttle he uses on different obsticles.
biggest newbie mistake too much throttle&#33; and yes girlfriends count if they like getting dirty once in a while. good luck
99XJer
October 20th, 2006, 08:07 PM
Hey THANKS for all the advice.

Looks like the wish list is gonna get BIG this year.

Looking forward to meeting some of you folks sometime soon. I&#39;m a Field Service Engineer, do a lot of traveling around lower MI, Ohio, Indiana and I work out of my house and don&#39;t meet a lot of new people where I live so it would be nice to make a few friends close to home.

I&#39;ll post more as the questions continue....

Jerry

PS. the girlfriend DOES like the the mud&#33;
joe_jeep
October 20th, 2006, 09:19 PM
if she likes mud check out the mounds for a day. its just north of flint(ext 126) i think its about 8 or 10 bucks to enter the park. lots of mud, some nice trails. carefull some of the mud holes are very deep. you might look into a club called trailgunners, its and xj only off road club, they have some very nice cherokees. not sure if they have a website? ill check it out.
99XJer
October 20th, 2006, 09:30 PM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joe_jeep &#064; Oct 20 2006, 11&#58;19 PM) 19204</div>

if she likes mud check out the mounds for a day. its just north of flint(ext 126) i think its about 8 or 10 bucks to enter the park. lots of mud, some nice trails. carefull some of the mud holes are very deep. you might look into a club called trailgunners, its and xj only off road club, they have some very nice cherokees. not sure if they have a website? ill check it out.
[/b]

LOL.. just PM&#39;d someone for directions to &#39;the Mounds&#39; since I am a clueless newb and you come out and tell me. Go figure.
I just had a quick search and found nothing about the Trailgunners.

The Mounds sounds like fun. Its about 1:45 from my house. When is there gonna be someone there again? (gotta get those hooks and hitch before I go or risk gettin my bumpers pulled off&#33; :ahhh: )
MuddyPaws
October 20th, 2006, 09:56 PM
Gummy worms,
lgottler
October 20th, 2006, 10:28 PM
Don&#39;t laugh&#33;&#33; Thats what I would bring too&#33; Learned my lesson about snacks&#33; I try to bring a few candy bars just in case another Canadian 3 night adventure comes my way&#33;&#33; Spare socks&#33;

Besides the standard tool stuff, try and bring spare parts like a starter and alternator. If you can pick up a junk one, get it rebuild (about 60 bucks by me for both) and have it instead of waiting for a parts store to open&#33;&#33; Same with as many sensors as you can afford&#33;&#33; I&#39;ve had a TPS, IAC, CPS, etc. decide not to work when I&#39;m just starting my wheelin&#39; weekend&#33;

I&#39;d do disconnects right after I got the tow points figured out. Decent tires. CB or Ham. Then armor your underbelly.

Take your stock lug nut wrench and chuck it in the trash, go buy either a 4 way or a dedicated breaker bar with the proper size socket.

Think "get my butt home in once piece".

Nothing is better than preventative maintenance (search for a thread on that one a while back).

Every tool you use to work on your Jeep or friends car, bring it with you&#33;

Good Luck and have fun&#33;

Lucas

P.S. This weekend I&#39;m doing my first "stock" run in over 5 years with my wifes &#39;98 XJ. Its gunna be wierd without dual lockers and swampers&#33;&#33;&#33;
GreyBeard
October 21st, 2006, 01:27 AM
Welcome. You&#39;ll find that this web site and a few others can be great resources.

Remember that what you will find are opinions.
Here are a few items from my personal opinions

Basic Guidelines
1. Do NOT go alone
2. Have recovery points front and rear
3. Straight up and down hills
4. Do not go into water (or mud) if you do not know how deep it is
5. Slower is usually better (You may have a higher chance for stuck, but less chance of breakage)
6. Momentum can be your friend
7. Slow and steady
8. If the engine stops in the water, do not attempt to restart it

Vehicle enhancement priorities
1. basic recovery (tow hooks and yank strap)
2. protection (skid plates)
3. navigation (DeLorme Gazateer, GPS)
4. traction (aggressive tires, limited slip, lockers, sway bar disconnect)
5. enhanced recovery (hi-lift, winch, pull-pal)
6. clearance (lift and big tires)

Short check list for trips
1 - CB Radio
2 - Yank strap
3 - First aid kit
4 - Fire extinguisher
5 - Tie downs
6 - Tire gage
7 - Bug spray
8 - Snacks & beverages

Now a few Cherokee specific things
Your vehicle will share many things with any &#39;97 or later Cherokee. Somewhat less with &#39;96 and earlier.
You can not just bolt tow hooks on a Cherokee because of the unibody construction. If you try it, they will rip right off and may injure someone. There were factory tow hooks available including all the mounting hardware and reinforcements. Aftermarket ones are available from Rusty&#39;s and from C4x4 (Custom 4 by 4).
Other factory parts from the Up Country package include front skid plate, gas tank skid plate, and transfer case skid plate. Don&#39;t bother with the factory one for the transfer case, get an aftermarket one instead.
If you have a trailer tow package, just use the receiver as your rear recovery point. Never hook to a hitch ball.

Now, get that CB installed, start looking for those tow hooks, and have fun.
Zookeeper
October 21st, 2006, 09:26 AM
I&#39;ll chime in with everyone else and tell you to wheel and wheel often - with friends like those you&#39;ll find on this board. Just get out and have some fun; don&#39;t worry about having to build it up too fast. If you learn to wheel it stock, you&#39;ll be better at wheeling it when it&#39;s built. Of course, you need to think about some armor and not doing stuff your vehicle isn&#39;t ready to tackle.

Two of the best pieces of advice I&#39;ve ever heard about taking obstacles:

1. Go as slow as possible and as fast as necessary; :SoFo2:

2. Never enter a water or mud hole if you don&#39;t see tracks coming out the other side&#33; :blink: :lmao:
99XJer
October 21st, 2006, 11:27 AM
Alrighty then&#33;

You are ALL a wealth of information. Glad I don&#39;t have to discover some of these things the hard way&#33;

Lets see... checked with my frieldly neighborhood Ply-Dodge-Chry dealer and was told they no longer carry the tow hooks or ANY accessories anymore for that body style. Nice. Oh well, looks like it after market time.

Found a Hi-lift 48" jack at Tractor Supply Co. for &#036;27.
I assume that what you ment Greybeard? (5. enhanced recovery (hi-lift, winch, pull-pal))?

Disconnects? Sway bar disconnect? Got a GPS and a &#39;crome&#39; 4 way... does that count? Looks like I gotta do some more homework. :confused:

Oh yeah... hitch.. class 3 or ?

Thanks guys&#33;&#33;&#33;

(Lets see.. dive in the puddle if theres no tracks comming out so everyone else will know how deep it is... got it...start engine when it stalls, then immediatly hand over wallet to nearest 4x4 repair dude... check... drive station wagon next trip and become designated camp cook... ? wait...something doesnt sound right here...) :monkeydance:
Zookeeper
October 21st, 2006, 11:32 AM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(99Cherokee &#064; Oct 21 2006, 07&#58;27 AM) 19221</div>



Oh yeah... hitch.. class 3 or ?

[/b]

Definitely nothing less than a Class 3 if you plan on using it as a recovery point.
joe_jeep
October 21st, 2006, 04:13 PM
check out naxja.org, its the xj owners club website a very informative website. ask around for where to buy things, what upgrades cost, and who can do them. also ask around about michigan xj owners to wheel with. any trail run you hear about on here your pretty much welcome to go on. stockers are welcome and newbies are encouraged.
MuddyPaws
October 21st, 2006, 08:59 PM
Nutter Butter cookies.
99XJer
October 21st, 2006, 09:18 PM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MuddyPaws &#064; Oct 21 2006, 10&#58;59 PM) 19227</div>

Nutter Butter cookies.
[/b]

NOW your talkin&#33;

with milk... of course. :P
99XJer
October 22nd, 2006, 10:07 AM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joe_jeep &#064; Oct 20 2006, 01&#58;26 PM) 19184</div>

....all terrain tires(big as can fit)....[/b]

Any idea of size? 225/75R15 now. I suppose I could go 235 or 245? :confused:

RIMS? The local tire guys says 15" tires are getting harder to come by. Is he feeding me a line of B.S. or what?
What about 16" or 17" rims. Is there any advantage to a bigger rim size?
lgottler
October 22nd, 2006, 06:21 PM
Well, I stuffed some 30&#39;s under my wifes XJ&#39;s fenders, they fit, only very slight rubbing when stuffed and turned all the way.

The most important thing I ever learned, goes against what many say&#33;, but Momentum is your friend&#33; Don&#39;t be afraid of it&#33; Also, air down your tires&#33;

Lucas
Jarhead
October 23rd, 2006, 07:16 AM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MuddyPaws &#064; Oct 21 2006, 08&#58;59 PM) 19227</div>

Nutter Butter cookies.
[/b]
I don&#39;t think I have ever seen you without a cup of coffee?
SKIP
October 23rd, 2006, 11:46 AM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lgottler &#064; Oct 22 2006, 06&#58;21 PM) 19244</div>

Well, I stuffed some 30&#39;s under my wifes XJ&#39;s fenders, they fit, only very slight rubbing when stuffed and turned all the way.

The most important thing I ever learned, goes against what many say&#33;, but Momentum is your friend&#33; Don&#39;t be afraid of it&#33; Also, air down your tires&#33;

Lucas
[/b]


Ditto what Lucas said. Running 30&#39;s on the wife&#39;s 99 XJ right now.
99XJer
October 23rd, 2006, 05:20 PM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SKIP &#064; Oct 23 2006, 01&#58;46 PM) 19289</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lgottler &#064; Oct 22 2006, 06&#58;21 PM) 19244

Well, I stuffed some 30&#39;s under my wifes XJ&#39;s fenders, they fit, only very slight rubbing when stuffed and turned all the way.

The most important thing I ever learned, goes against what many say&#33;, but Momentum is your friend&#33; Don&#39;t be afraid of it&#33; Also, air down your tires&#33;

Lucas
[/b]


Ditto what Lucas said. Running 30&#39;s on the wife&#39;s 99 XJ right now.
[/b][/quote]

Sweet... gotta start somewhere. 30&#39;s?
9.5 - 10.5?
Brand?

You guys are great, thanks for all the info and keep it comin. I may never run out of questions&#33;

What do you guys think of this?
http://www.jcroffroad.com/Merchant2/mercha...tegory_Code=XJB (http://www.jcroffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=2XJRST2&Category_Code=XJB)

Might go throw some money at it if I get the thumbs up from y&#39;all.
lgottler
October 23rd, 2006, 06:50 PM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(99Cherokee &#064; Oct 23 2006, 05&#58;20 PM) 19293</div>

Sweet... gotta start somewhere. 30&#39;s?
9.5 - 10.5?
Brand?

You guys are great, thanks for all the info and keep it comin. I may never run out of questions&#33;

What do you guys think of this?
http://www.jcroffroad.com/Merchant2/mercha...tegory_Code=XJB (http://www.jcroffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=2XJRST2&Category_Code=XJB)

Might go throw some money at it if I get the thumbs up from y&#39;all.
[/b]

Mine just happened to be 9.5&#39;s...used Firestones. I&#39;d think you might rub a bit more with 10.5&#39;s.

The bumper looks nice, reminds me of the one I built for my &#39;91 many years ago&#33; Just make sure the 2" reciever is a 2" reciever&#33; Who was it that bought a bumper that had a piece of 2.5" 1/4 wall?? Anyways, he had to grind down all his hitches to fit into the reciever&#33;&#33;

Good Luck&#33;

Lucas
joe_jeep
October 23rd, 2006, 07:10 PM
no advantage of 16 or 17 in wheels with tires that small.
use the stock rims for 9.5x30x15 most tire companys sell that size. momentum is good, but you gotta know whee your going first&#33; buy that hi lift you saw thats pretty cheap. the nextr run i can think of is the snofari? perhaps someone else knows of a good run coming up to get your feet wet. there is also a club run around every quarterly meeting. and for a snack personally id vote for fudge coverd oreos, also pull and peel twizzlers.
GreyBeard
October 23rd, 2006, 09:17 PM
I&#39;m running 31x10.50 Goodyear MT/Rs on my &#39;95 XJ with no lift.
But they rub a little even after a few modifications. I trimmed the fender sheet metal, and I run different backspacing on the front from the rear. Rear is narrower to tuck inside the sheet metal and front is wider to minimize hitting on the inside while turned.

Something a bit narrower than the 10.50&#39;s could potentially work without a problem.
joe_jeep
October 24th, 2006, 02:50 PM
the bumper looks nice, but at some point your gonna want a spare tire carrier. might look for a bumper with one on it&#33; ask ironman on here he does totally custom bumpers and they are sweet&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; ironmanoffroad, he has lifts, gears lockers, custom bumpers cages and sliders, and he does installation. real good guy. whenever you can do buisness with a clubmember. i gotta call him about a set of timbrens soon.
99XJer
October 24th, 2006, 07:16 PM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joe_jeep &#064; Oct 24 2006, 04&#58;50 PM) 19321</div>

the bumper looks nice, but at some point your gonna want a spare tire carrier. might look for a bumper with one on it&#33; ask ironman on here he does totally custom bumpers and they are sweet&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; ironmanoffroad, he has lifts, gears lockers, custom bumpers cages and sliders, and he does installation. real good guy. whenever you can do buisness with a clubmember. i gotta call him about a set of timbrens soon.
[/b]

Thanks&#33;

I&#39;ll give him a shout and see what he can do.
MuddyPaws
October 26th, 2006, 01:12 AM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jarhead &#064; Oct 23 2006, 07&#58;16 AM) 19275</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MuddyPaws &#064; Oct 21 2006, 08&#58;59 PM) 19227

Nutter Butter cookies.
[/b]
I don&#39;t think I have ever seen you without a cup of coffee?
[/b][/quote]


:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
And a coffee maker.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(99Cherokee &#064; Oct 24 2006, 07&#58;16 PM) 19337</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joe_jeep &#064; Oct 24 2006, 04&#58;50 PM) 19321

the bumper looks nice, but at some point your gonna want a spare tire carrier. might look for a bumper with one on it&#33; ask ironman on here he does totally custom bumpers and they are sweet&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; ironmanoffroad, he has lifts, gears lockers, custom bumpers cages and sliders, and he does installation. real good guy. whenever you can do buisness with a clubmember. i gotta call him about a set of timbrens soon.
[/b]

Thanks&#33;

I&#39;ll give him a shout and see what he can do.
[/b][/quote]

Ironman-Offroad Website (http://www.ironmanoffroad.com)

The owner is a little :stupid: but his stuff is cool. He&#39;s not too bad for a :troll:
Creative Fab
October 26th, 2006, 08:02 AM
To use this :troll: as a sample for me you will have to remove the hair.

We need a bald troll emoticon :lmao:
99XJer
November 3rd, 2006, 03:33 PM
Time for more newb questions...

Say I break a rear U-joint. Can I pull the shaft and drive the vehicle with the front end?
lgottler
November 3rd, 2006, 09:24 PM
carry some duct-tape and a 20oz plastic bottle to cover up the hole in the T-case once you remove your DS and you would be fine to limp home.
99XJer
November 4th, 2006, 12:40 PM
Has anyone actually done this? :blink:

Not that its a bad idea or anything, I would definatly try it myself, but the creative ways to get something done can sometimes be along the lines of &#39;old wives tales&#39; so I was just wondering in the spirit of &#39;Myth Busters&#39;, has anyone you know first hand actually done this?

:comp26:
Jer
lgottler
November 5th, 2006, 07:32 PM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(99XJer &#064; Nov 4 2006, 12&#58;40 PM) 19773</div>

Has anyone actually done this? :blink:

Not that its a bad idea or anything, I would definatly try it myself, but the creative ways to get something done can sometimes be along the lines of &#39;old wives tales&#39; so I was just wondering in the spirit of &#39;Myth Busters&#39;, has anyone you know first hand actually done this?

:comp26:
Jer
[/b]

Yeah, I don&#39;t know about the new t-cases with the harmonic balancer thingy on there. My old &#39;91 was like that, big &#39;Ol cone on the end of the t-case. I&#39;d just carry duct tape, bailing wire, big Zip ties, JB Weld, and a few ratchet straps and call it good.

Lucas
MuddyPaws
November 6th, 2006, 01:42 PM
I did it with my 90 XJ several times, did it with my 93 XJ once.

Never had to do it with the YJ yet.
99XJer
November 6th, 2006, 06:45 PM
Is there a book of &#39;get me home fixes&#39; or a &#39;4x4 field fix&#39; book someone has come up with?
If there is I&#39;ll buy it. If not, we (meaning you expirenced guys) need to make one. A &#39;4x4 bible&#39; so to speak to have whenever you go off-road so you can solve almost any problem that might happen at least good enough to get you out of wherever you are.
I&#39;ve seen tool kits and such, but it doesn&#39;t cover what to do when something happens, like the drive shaft question.
Any thoughts?
MuddyPaws
November 7th, 2006, 12:39 AM
Not really...it&#39;s mostly a bunch of people sitting there going...crap, what we gonna do now and they come up with stuff like this to get a vehicle out of the woods.

http://eup.k12.mi.us/~tstrader/temp/broke.jpg
joe_jeep
November 7th, 2006, 01:52 PM
aahhhh, the dana 35 axle shaft retainer fix&#33; i always wondered, ive heard it could be done but never seen it.
a trick i should know since im still running one&#33; for now anyway.
99XJer
November 7th, 2006, 09:41 PM
HEY&#33; I found something that could be useful. Lots of really creative ideas and pics.

http://www.azbackcountry.com/store/Trail%20Fixes0403.pdf

I think I&#39;m gonna print this out and put it in my glove box. :D
Jarhead
November 8th, 2006, 05:08 AM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(99XJer &#064; Nov 7 2006, 09&#58;41 PM) 19848</div>

HEY&#33; I found something that could be useful. Lots of really creative ideas and pics.

http://www.azbackcountry.com/store/Trail%20Fixes0403.pdf

I think I&#39;m gonna print this out and put it in my glove box. :D
[/b]
You have got to love the wealth of information available on the internet. :monkeydance: