moonsandals

I'm looking for some suggestions on what recovery or safety gear I should have in my XJ - keeping in mind what we use it for.

Why I'm looking for some advise:
This weekend was first time we took the XJ out in snow. We have M&S tires on it (same ones that were on it when we bought it). It held up pretty great; the highways are all clean and dry by now. We drove to a trail head at a local park (which was not plowed or maintained) and got ourselves up into the parking spot pretty easily. Had to put in 4WD for the snow but it got through easily. On our way out though, the wife was driving down hill and hit an icy patch and slid off the road a bit. She couldn't get traction or rock it out. I had to use our rugged ridge floor mats for traction. We got out with no problem but I got to thinking that we should be a little more prepared for trips that are not as accessible.

What we use the XJ for
We don't wheel, we just use the XJ for taking us to/ from trailheads for hiking or snowshoeing. What we use the XJ for:

• 80% of the distance is on highway or well maintained local roads
• 20% of the distance is driving on access roads
• Access roads we tend to go on are mostly fairly well maintained logging roads in our neck of the woods. Logging roads are usually narrow and can have loose or packed gravel. I live in BC so lots of mountains; roads often drop off.
• Access to/ from trails in all seasons. We snowshoe in winter and backpack/ hike in the summer.
• We do NOT go wheeling or off road. That's just not our scene. So we'll be sticking to roads, and likely won't be traversing water.
• When we get to our destination, we generally leave the XJ sitting at the trailhead for hours or days while we hike and camp.
• Long term, the goal is to do longer trips and use the XJ as sort of a light overlanding rig. Long road trips, roof top tent, basecamp for hiking trips.

Where we are at now
We have M&S tires, and were going to get dedicated snow tires if we had a big snow year this year. It barely snowed, so we are holding off until next year. We carry a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, tool kit (with breaker bar/ full size wrenches), emergency radio, full size spare, water, coolant, oil, usually our backpacking gear (first aid, clothes, shelter, sleeping bag), tealight candles, car booster pack, jumper cables.

I'm not opposed to getting a tow. I'm not trained in using a winch or using recovery gear, and I'm not into having one just for show. But I'll learn if I need to. My main concern is being able to get us unstuck when I can avoid a tow. A lot of the logging roads these trails are on are quite a long ride, so tows can be difficult to get and certainly not quick.

I'm looking into traction devices. Not really sure what to get so if anyone has any suggestions for traction devices (without braking the bank)

Does anyone have any recommendations for gear to carry, considering the terrain and use case I describe above? Am I missing anything? Any recommended brands? I don't want to spend more money than I have to but I want it to work.

Martlor13

first off, m&s tire designations are very vague and easilyacquired. Most tires, even highway tires have m&s designations nowadays. Do you have all terrains? highways? I recommend good all terrains for your usage. Quality tires are an underrated traction device.

as far as your main question, it seems you just use your xj to get you to easily accessed hiking areas. So imo, you wouldnt or dont need a locker at all. You already have traction mats. A winch seems like all thats really left. The logging roads i use all have trees, big rocks, stumps, etc that i could use a winch on. I never have needed it, but i have one just in case. You dont have to spend big on one either, and they are super simple to use. Do you have a front receiever? If so you could just use a winch cradle and have the abilityto use it front or back.

andrewmp6

Like said most street tires are snow rated and real world once you hit snow deeper then the tread depth your gonna get stuck.For snow i use sumper swampers and a set of chains,That combo has worked for me for years.I even have a set of v bar chains for ice and have yet to use them knock on wood.A good AT tire will work for you maybe a light mud tire.I maybe put in a lunch box locker in the rear that can help a lot but driving on road in the rain the rear end will want to fish tail a little tell your use to it.Like said a rear hitch and either tow hooks in the front or shackle mounts will give you a pulling point.If you want to learn how to much a winch theres many how to on youtube about it.And getting towed out well keep in mind most tow trucks won't leave the pavement and more then 100 yards from pavement your sol unless a friend with a truck drags you out with a tow strap.

moonsandals

Thanks for the response!

I should have added more information on the tires. It's a really good point. We have Motomaster All Terrain tires (LT235/75R15). They came on the XJ when we bought it. They are a little feathered (according to the shop) and they don't seem to be super great. In the summer they do well enough but honestly there was a reason I wanted winter tires.

Sounds like I should focus on a good set of tires then - even if I get a good all terrain set that's not amazing in snow they will probably be better than I have. Then maybe I'll look for winter tires or a set of chains depending on how those do next winter. Any suggestions for tires suitable for the spring/ summer/ fall that'll be good in gravel roads, pavement and rain? I've seen KO2s around locally so those are accessible to me and sometimes on sale. I'll look at the super swampers - they seem like a sure thing for winter but possibly overkill?

I'm in the PNW so rain and pavement (highway) is a pretty big use case for us. I'll probably avoid the lunch box locker then.

I'll look into the winch. We have a rear hitch receiver but no front receiver. I like the idea of a hitch mount winch to swap on front/ back. We have stock bumpers right now so there's some room to change to something with a receiver on it. If I get a new front bumper it'll have recovery points on it.

Are the Rugged Ridge floor mats good enough as traction mats, or should I look into a separate set of mats? I can see a set of Maxsa Innovations 20333 Escaper Buddy on sale for about 50% off right now. Is there a benefit to getting something like that or is that too overkill for access roads?

EZEARL

Some good choices for tires IMHO are the General Grabber AT2's,Cooper Discoverer AT3's,or Khumo Road Venture AT51's.

Tbone289

^ Agree with Earl and would add Hankook Dynapro ATm as well.

investinwaffles

It depends on what kind of "stuck". If you high center it on the axles, only a winch is going to get you unstuck without assistance.

Those traction mats are also fantastic, I used my friends once just to see how they worked and I was pretty impressed.

You need good tires, but aside from that a winch is your best bet. Second best is a hi-lift which is more dangerous (just IMO) and you shouldn't use it for heavy recovery.

​​​​​​Traction mats, tow straps, a compact but durable shovel, heavy duty work gloves, and basic tools would be a great start though.

You can also use branches to aid in traction but it doesnt really work that well in my experience. Maybe if you could find branches with alot of pinecones, lol

moonsandals

Thanks! I forgot about the shovel! Been looking at tow straps as well.

I'll probably get the Maxsa traction mat.
Definitely looking at the tires now - thanks for all the input! These are tires I've seen around on the forums before, so this is good confirmation that my list is still OK.

I definitely have good gloves and my tool kit in the back.

andrewmp6

A hitch mount winch is not a good idea at all.If you leave it in the front you have a huge over hang that kills your approach angle,Or you put it on when your stuck.Well if you bury the front end you have to dig it out to get the winch in.And in the rear is not needed at all in the real world.Even if you have to winch it backwards you can do it with a front mounted winch with 2 or 3 tree savers and maybe a tow strap if you need more reach.The only place for a winch is on a winch bumper up out of the way.
Watch this

Martlor13

i dont agree at all haha.

based on his use, i dont think he cares much about how it will affect his approach angles haha. If he keeps it up front on a cradle, it will be no different then a winch bumper and i think it would be perfect for his uses. Put it on when headed out on a trip and remove when daily driving. Simple. He doesnt need a bumper for his uses.

andrewmp6

Have you ever buried a 4x4 up the axles or bumpers in mud or snow before ?

Martlor13

sure have...basically buried my friends tacoma last winter in the snow. He also gets stuck in mud holes once in awhilr...and let me tell you, his winch on a cradle was in the exact spot as it would have been on a bumper....if your not crawling, which most people are not, a winch cradle is perfectly acceptable.

and its pretty funny you say if your buried to the axles and even posted a video about winching backwards in a post above. That works sometimes but Let me ask a question with a scenerio. Your buried to the axles in whatever and the only winch option is to go backwards. Whats easier: removing the cradle from the front and digging out the rear receiver, or digging out underneath the whole vehicle and fishing the winch line to the rear? The answer seems obvious to me haha

esteem

I agree. I have a removable winch that I keep stored inside the jeep until I'm stuck. I mostly wheel in the snow and over some rocks (Rubicon at the toughest) and I have not regretted doing it this way. The only time I can see this being an issue for me is when I am muuuuch older and it's too heavy for me to move around...not going to be a problem for many more years. Just my two cents.

moonsandals

This is really interesting discussion! I'll keep looking but it's clear a lot of people have different experiences.

This is kind of how I was imagining this would work with a hitch mount cradle. I'd probably not have the winch when we are heading on paved roads, but then I could toss it in the back for longer trips or trips where I know I'll be on an more remote access road.

This would also allow me to save a bit of money - I'd only have to get a front hitch mount and I could upgrade bumpers as needed.

Also having the winch stashed in the back while we leave the XJ for days at a trailhead make it less desirable for people to break into. Some trailheads are easy to access and are hot spots for vehicles being broken into or parts being stolen off of them. While I know it's easier to steal a winch when it's not bolted to the vehicle, not having a winch mounted to the bumper makes it look a little less flashy and hopefully less likely for someone to break into the cargo area to begin with. From what I have seen, the vehicles targeted around here are usually nice looking trucks or beat up Hondas.