DeathRanger

Well some may have seen my threads asking for help on my cherokee and I have been getting pretty frustrated with things constantly going wrong (I personally have the PO to thank, they drove it into the ground). So I would like to change pace from fixing **** to improving it haha!

I have 2 snowmobiles and will be looking into getting a 2 place ride on/off trailer. the sleds weigh less than 600#'s each and the trailer i'm assuming not much more than one of the sleds. My cherokee has the factory tow package, and i'm hoping the lights and such work. I have a 4.5in lift and 33's but probably going to 32's to gain a little more power back.

The brakes suck, so I guess that is the first thing to address, recomendations? I know about upgrading the master, and even though I JUST did it, I know i'll have to upgrade to the newer booster/master combo haha

Gears...worth changing?

Rear End...will the stock rear end hold up pretty well for towing?

FYI most of my towing for the sleds will be close to home since i live in the mountains and the trail heads are all within about 30min of me, but I would like to be able to get over the pass from time to time for a longer haul..

rustcollector

I have a UK spec Cherokee XJ with the 2.5 litre Turbo Diesel. It has standard Dana 30 and 35 axles. The rear has an optional locker in it though. It is lifted 5 inches with uprated rear leaf packs. It sits on 29 inch tyres at the moment and is soon to have 31 inchers.
All my engine, trans and axles are standard and the truck has done just over 115,000 miles!
I regularly tow a caravan (camping trailer I guess you call it) that weighs 2000kg (4400 lbs). It is 26 feet long and 8 feet wide.
I have no problems whatsoever. I could do with a bit more power (who couldn't!) but otherwise it is rock solid.
Just make sure your tyre pressures are at the recommended towing pressure and away you go.
Make sure you check the oil and coolant before you tow and top up if you need to. Keep an eye on the engine temp.
We live a fairly hilly area and on a 2 or 3 mile climb the temp can go nearly to 110 degrees. Just throttle back a bit and don't be a hero. Better to get there 15 mins later than planned than not at all with a cooked motor!
Hope that helps.
If you want to ask me anything else then please do.

CAEMI

That's not much weight. I would not bother upgrading anything or changing anything. Just make sure what you've got is in proper working order.

Gear change? No way. Stock is fine.
Rear end? Yes, yours will be fine.

Concentrate your money and effort on the routine XJ weaknesses and square them away.

Don't drive 70 MPH towing 2500 pounds...be realistic.

Finally, make sure you load correctly so that 15% of the total weight is on the tongue. This is more important than anything you mentioned.

95THORxj

i tow a tryton enclosed 2place trailer with 2 500# sleds and have no problems at all. unless theres a strong head wind. then i just take out of overdrive.

rustcollector

Yeah, I try to keep my 4400 lb caravan just under 80................
Much more realistic!
Ha ha ha.

rustcollector

This is a pic of my caravan. Not my actual van (because i don't have a pic of it yet) but basically the same van.

DeathRanger

The main reason I ask about the gearing is because coming over the pass (3000ft) the thing is a complete dog. It will get up ok, but it is definitely pushing to go anything over about 55-60, although i'm hoping the little bit smaller tire will help this (33's going to 32's). Gives me a bit of confidence knowing the people tow a lot more weight regularly with these though.

Is there a good cheap-ish way to upgrade the brakes or is that mostly in the master cylinder swap? Right now it stops, but the pedal travel is insane and it definitely doesn't stop in a straight line, so I think getting that sorted is issue #1.

How about a trans cooler? Neccessary or overkill?

Oh and the truck came with steel lift blocks in the rear...I havn't taken it out wheeling all that much because those things make me nervous, but is it much of an issue with normal street driving and some light-ish towing?

cherokeeaddiction23

32s should help a little, just make sure they are narrower too, thats the real reason why bigger tires slow you down cause they are really wide and have a lot of rolling resistance, as for the tranny cooler, id go with one, they are cheap insurance on your transmission, i have one and i dont even tow that much, the trannys we have dont like heat one bit haha

rustcollector

My Jeep is a manual gearbox so I have not bothered with a trans cooler. An auto box would really benefit from a trans cooler though.
As for the brakes, my Cherokee XJ stops no problem with 4400 lbs on the back. Maybe you could just do with a good service.
New discs (rotors i think you guys call them) and brake pads. Buy good quality, not the cheapest rubbish that is out there.
If your Cherokee is a bit older, then the flexi brake lines could be bulging. Fit a set of uprated braided lines and replace all the fluid with new good quality fluid. Bleed the system properly and the thing will stop like a mountain goat with running spikes on!

rich

Try some EBC brakes they make a big differance,also a set of 31's would give you abigger increase in power to get over those hills.