gotta convince the lady to let me get the WINCH! YOU NEED A WINCH!! It'll pay for itself the first time you use it...unless you like tow trucks/haulers to charge you too much to come find you and pull you out! a few of my buddies have had to leave their rigs behind becuz the tow truck couldnt get back to area we were and we had to get re-enforcements (friends f-350) the next day to yank him out

 

Biggest thing is never wheel alone....trust me, you don't want that feeling once you've done that and got yourself stuck with nobody to get you out...it's not good!

Best thing to do is start now with it stock, and get a feel for how it does offroad stock, by starting with some light stuff (small rocks, small mud puddles...etc) and slowly work your way up from there. You'll be quite surprised how well it does stock with a good set of tires.

Always have another guy to get you out, and always have something for him to get you out with (like a good tow strap).

 

Never litter or dump trash

Never tear up land or forge your own trails

never go too far away from home/or buddys alone

Never wheel past you or your vehicles capabilities

Always have fun

 

Always top off your tank at the closest gas station possible, try to bring some extra fuel too.

 

One thing i don't think was mentioned but may have been overlooked is don't go wheeling....without tow hooks The cherokee has no tow points (most of them don't) and no frame so there's no where to put the strap to pull yourself out if you happen to get stuck. Of course with tow hooks, that means you can't wheel alone if someone has to pull you out..so, don't wheel alone either

The rule of thumb is don't go in water over the hubs but you can still do it if you know how to tread water properly.

What the cherokee can and cannot do is more of what the driver can and cannot do. the vehicle is only as good as the driver is Go out with your club, get some experience and see what the cherokee's capabilities are. That's the only way to learn what it can and cannot do.

 

Not to say anyones wrong but I've heard alot of tails about "Tow" straps and how their not rated for the tension. Even though they are rated and certain poundage they just DONT have the elasticity to handle big pulls. So for actual no &$% stuck I'd recommend a "Recovery Strap" and as for hooks, I would stay away from those also because thats just another danger (projectile) if your "Tow" strap breaks. And I know this only applys for the rear unless you have a custom front bumper but you can always get a D-Ring attachment that goes into your 2'' hitch reciever in back.

 

I 2nd that. A high quality RECOVERY strap is an excellent investment. Don't bother with cheap "emergency straps," they won't last. I have a strap rated at 30,000lbs for my full size dodge, but I would reccomend the 20,000 or 22,500lb strap for a xj so it would stretch more. If you've ever seen someone try to jerk with a log chain, you know why recovery straps were invented.....

Heres where I got mine:

http://www.truckaddons.com/Catalog/E..._towstraps.htm

 

TOW straps are for pulling that civic out of the snow

RECOVERY straps pull jeeps out of waist-deep mud.

 

^5 to that!

I'd also like to add that tow chains are good for nothing more than yanking stumps, roots, and fence posts out of the ground. That, or if you wanna chain your axle to a tree as an anti-theft device.

 

I knew a guy who owned a Porsche and used to chain it via bumper to a lamp post. My neighbor (rough neighborhood) was an ex-con and a bodybuilder to boot. He picked the lock, and then proceeded to pick the car up (I'm guessing he and his buddy, heard the story secondhand) and turn it around, re-chaining the front bumper to the lamp post. They left a note in the front window that said something like this, "If I wanted it, I would have taken it."

More do's and do not's:
-DO tell several people where you are going, give them trail info as well as what nat'l park/region it is in (preferably closest town too)
-DO tell people when to expect you back by, and when to start worrying
-DO bring a buddy, even if you're only taking one car.
-DO bring recovery equipment.
-DO have working spares, a spare tire at the very 'least'
-DO bring clothing, other essentials fitting for the WORST POSSIBLE weather in that region (especially true in mountains).
-DO Yield to traffic going uphill (when coming back down)
-DO NOT get out while in neutral or on a slope more than 20 deg; preferably even less than 10 deg.
-DO NOT use excessive speed on a trail (stay below 15mph, general rule)

 

 

Oh, if you store any extra fluids in the passenger compartment, keep the area well venitlated (as in windows down the entire time)

Don't litter
Do put out any camp fires, etc.

Take only pictures, leave only tireprints.

 

Kinda seems dumb, but it's overlooked...

If you have anything inside the Jeep, cargo net it down. Or, for a simple cost effective solution, store it in a little cooler, and cargo strap that down with the factory cargo hold downs in place in the cargo compartment.

 

WAY overlooked, I didn't even think about that.

Keeps everything quieter and safer in case of a roll, prevents damage to other components, other fun stuff.

 

Great info guys.. Im new to 4wheeling but have been riding ATV and Motox for a while and what I want to second is

* Not to liter

I see it over and over again in the trail people just ditching their garbage in the woods !

In the front of my jeep there are 2 huge bracket set up on the front bumber. ( beefy solid metal brackets). They seem to be very solid. Not too sure how they are bolted there. I beleive the previous owner was towning the vehicule behing an RV. I know it's not much info but do you think that would be strong enough for recovery ?