We started preparing our bumper...
We started preparing our bumper with a coat of primer. After the final coat, we bolted it to the XJ and mounted the Ramsey winch up when it arrived. The bumper looks good, has solid construction, and provides good ground clearance. There was a slight clearance problem where the winch shift knob hit the bumper before being fully engaged, but this problem can be quickly remedied with some good ol home-built know-how. We could have shaved the necessary material from the shift knob, but instead we used some scrap metal to relocate the knob about an inch inboard of the tube.
To supply power to the winch...
To supply power to the winch we made a run down to our local marine supply store, where we picked up some marine battery terminals, some connectors, and some marine-grade shrink wrap. This way we can convert our current battery cables to the marine style with wing nuts, as well as securely mount the new winch cables directly to our battery.
For years now, Cherokees have been hitting some serious off-road trails, many without one of the most fundamental recovery tools: a winch. Why? Because few mounting options existed. There were a few integrated winch bumpers, or you could foot the bill for two receivers, some extra wiring, and a sore back. Or you could have an expensive custom winch bumper built to your liking. More recently, several companies have been producing bolt-on winch bumpers for this popular Jeep. We got a hold of a new prerunner style bumper from Truck Farm. The Proto Fabbuilt Pro Farm Bumper will bolt onto any Cherokee and holds a wide array of winches. We opted for a winch from the Ramsey Platinum series line to take care of pulling duties. The Platinum 9000 offers a 4.8hp heavy-duty electric motor and 150 feet of 5/16-inch galvanized aircraft cable.