Hi All. Looking for some advice....I purchased a 1995 Cherokee Country and mounted a 6.5' Meyer plow to the truck. Plow works great! Working on getting some heavy duty springs installed at a local spring shop this week too. The only problem I'm having is that it ran very hot when I drove it home from my buddy's house where we installed the plow. Even with the plow very low & cut, it wasn't getting any air into the radiator. I'm hoping that the heavy duty springs are going to help raise the nose an inch or 2 but I've also been reading up some on electric Fans with relays/fan control switches. Just want to see if anyone on here has a good recommendation for a product to go with. I'm on a budget as the springs after installation are going to cost me about $300. Can anyone point me in the right direction for a cheap fix to keep my Jeep cool while plowing? Looking for an upgrade that is an affordable, easy install.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

 

You're using the absolute wrong vehicle to be plowing. Before you sink more money into it, I'd configure another vehicle for plow duty.

 

Welcome to Cherokee Forum. Thank you for the post.


Here in AK alot of people use the Jeep Cherokee xj as a plow truck..
How is your water looking in the radiator.. I would start with a good flush.
YouTube has good vids on flushing the Xj cooling system..

Up here the guys using Jeeps as plows get rid of the AC condenser to open up the air flow to the radiator.

Do you need the AC in a plow Jeep..lol

also good call on the new springs. The Meyer is super heavy..

 

Only using it to plow my driveway & my sisters....not making a living off of running the jeep during the winter. Anyways, cool to hear from someone all the way out in Alaska! The summers here in CT get hot, and the AC actually works very well! The jeep is super clean, bought it from some folks up here who lived in FL most of the time so the jeep is spotless-Zero Rust! I think it recently had a flush done b/c the main larger rubber radiator hose is a newer item......it was deff running hot on my way home a few weeks back though......I was looking at one of these fans at the below website....let me know what you think?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/f...4aAgz9EALw_wcB

 

Best thing you can do, is flush the system, and overhaul the components. I'm not one for firing the parts cannon, but when it comes to the cooling system, I say just do it, especially if it's new to you... Replace it all. Hoses, thermostat, rad, fan clutch, pump, temp sender, everything. It costs around $300 and you KNOW it's all good, and willing to bet all your problems disappear.

 

I plow with my 95 xj with a meyers every winter. They do a fine job. I had to replace my fan clutch. I would do the newspaper test to see if it's weak.

 

My old boss in new jersey has been plowing with his xj for almost 20 years, nothing too big, just his home, his plumbing shop parking lot and a couple friends/family if he has time. Running a pair of big electric fans and no a/c condensor.

 

I second cummens93. Check your fan clutch make sure it's working right. Also, according to THIS page your clutch fan pulls 4k CFM, whereas the one you posted only rates 2k. You would need two of those fans to equal your clutch fan, and if you already have one e-fan, you will need 3 to equal your current setup.

 

As some one that has owned a plow you never put it on anything you care about and 3/4 ton truck is the smallest thing id ever use one on.

 

sounds like a nice jeep to ruin with plowing imo. I would use an old chevy blazer, 1k pounds heavier.

 

My uncle used to plow back in the day with his Gladiator. I miss that truck. Anyhoo, the XJ is unibody construction which is why you really shouldnt be plowing with it. It will work just fine as ive seen it done, but do check the framerails, etc. for any signs of cracking and the like and loose bolts and stuff from time to time. Plowing is hard on any vehicle, whether its a 1/4 ton pickup or a 30 ton dumper.

 

There's a simple solution to plowing snow. Call U-haul, fill the truck, drive south till warm, stop. You're welcome.

If the plow is blocking air flow it might be very difficult to get around that, I've dealt with other air flow issues and cooling. First off, how hot does it get? Does it only get that hot at high speed, cruising, stopped, climbing hills, etc? How hot did it get before the plow at different speeds? Then we can probably help diagnose this.