scott00tj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Medina, OH
I'm planning on adding a 2" receiver hitch to the rear of my '99XJ. Are all hitches created equal for the most part or are their brands or features you recommend I look for or stay away from?
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Rear Hitches
- Thread starter scott00tj
- Start date
jeepman121
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Ohio
To keep better ground clearance, I'd go with something like this http://www.quadratec.com/products/72013_803.htm
scott00tj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Medina, OH
That's a little higher then I was hoping to spend, plus this is mostly a daily driver so I'm not too concerned with ground clearance.
Al S
NAXJA Member #451
- Location
- North Olmsted, OH
I have a Hidden Hitch on both of my XJ's, only the receiver section sits below the bumper. Not sure what they are going for new nowadays, but you might be able to find one used.
scott00tj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Medina, OH
The real kicker there is I actually had one and sold a few months back when I thought I would be selling the Cherokee as a whole.
PhotographerMike
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Whittier, CA 10 Mi. east of L.A.
I think all the factory hitches interchange. I installed one off a '99 on my '89 without problem.
tdicola
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Seattle, WA
I just mounted Rusty's hitch on my '99 and it's pretty nice--it looks similar to the hidden hitch. Not super cheap but good quality and has all the hardware for mounting. http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/mercha...Product_Code=RR-RH10-XJ&Category_Code=rec_hit
When mounting it you'll see the passenger side frame has a nut strip that hold the exhaust hanger--I took the advice from here and used a metric M12-1.75 tap to clean out the unused bolt holes. They were loaded with rust and would have surely stripped the bolts, but once cleaned it was a painless install. Driver side had no nut strip so I pulled bolts through the frame like the instructions say. Watch this video for a good overview of the install: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79dNP8ZISuU You will definitely appreciate a friend's help to mount it too.
When mounting it you'll see the passenger side frame has a nut strip that hold the exhaust hanger--I took the advice from here and used a metric M12-1.75 tap to clean out the unused bolt holes. They were loaded with rust and would have surely stripped the bolts, but once cleaned it was a painless install. Driver side had no nut strip so I pulled bolts through the frame like the instructions say. Watch this video for a good overview of the install: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79dNP8ZISuU You will definitely appreciate a friend's help to mount it too.
heyhar
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- PA (near Poconos)
I did a U-Haul hitch last year, real nice kit. It truly helps if you take the rear bumper off!
scott00tj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Medina, OH
Thanks for the tips.
Matthew Currie
NAXJA Member #760
- Location
- Vermont, land of big clay
Any XJ hitch will fit. I have moved the same Mopar hitch, originally off a junkyard 92, from my 87 to my 95 to my 99.
If you have rusted nut strips, and don't want to hunt down the rather unusual pitch metric fasteners (or tap) that they require, you can tap them out with a coarse US tap, I believe it's 7/16, but I may be misremembering and it may be 1/2. If you have a set of taps it's easy enough to figure out. The US size is just a hair bigger and the pitch so close that it takes only a little more effort than it would to chase the correct thread, and the bolts are easier to find.
If you have rusted nut strips, and don't want to hunt down the rather unusual pitch metric fasteners (or tap) that they require, you can tap them out with a coarse US tap, I believe it's 7/16, but I may be misremembering and it may be 1/2. If you have a set of taps it's easy enough to figure out. The US size is just a hair bigger and the pitch so close that it takes only a little more effort than it would to chase the correct thread, and the bolts are easier to find.
scott00tj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Medina, OH
Thanks. This should make things easier. Also, is the only way to wire a hitch for the Cherokee is splice it in with a kit or is there an actual plug somewhere that accepts a pigtail of some kind? I was hoping to wire it with a full 7 way plug.
winkosmosis
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Maui, Hawaii
The OEM hitch is better than others because the arms are longer. They extend all the way to the frontmost bolt holes. The aftermarket ones don't.
scott00tj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Medina, OH
Never thought of that. Thanks for the tip.
- Location
- Southern Maryland
by the time you get to a weight where that matters, you are way way beyond the safe towing capacity for an XJ
Matthew Currie
NAXJA Member #760
- Location
- Vermont, land of big clay
I 'm not sure how it varies by year, but I think most XJ's have a plug behind the trim behind the spare tire, to which an adapter can be attached. All three of mine have come with the wiring already in, so I never had to dig too deep.
jeep ride
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- West Virginia 25064
I have drawtite front and rear hitches on my 98xj. I got a trailer wireing harness at napa that plugs into the factory wireing harness.
scott00tj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Medina, OH
Cool. Thanks.
