Installing OR-Fab's HD Bumper For Jeep Cherokee XJ's

Upgrading the factory bumper on your Jeep Cherokee XJ is a great way to increase the vehicle's departure angles on rough terrain while also improving its overall appearance. OR-Fab's HD bumper, PN 83250, fits 1981 to 2004 model Jeep XJ Cherokees and is manufactured in the U.S.A. from 3/16-inch steel plate.

The bumper is designed to withstand hard bumps and scrapes while also protecting the bottom rear quarter panels of the vehicle. OR-Fab includes . The bumper includes 1/2-inch thick mounting brackets, high-grade hardware, and is easy to install as it replaces the factory bumper with minor modifications.

OR-Fab PN 83250 Rear HD Bumper For Jeep XJ's 

Installation begins by unbolting the factory bumper and removing the mounting brackets that attach it to the vehicle's body. The new OR-Fab HD bumper, PN-83250, can be used with or without an aftermarket hitch, but in this case, we removed the hitch as it was not going to be used by the owner.

Because OR-Fab uses heavy-duty brackets to secure the new bumper, a small notch on the rear sheet metal has to be made to accommodate the thicker bracket frame. The instructions indicate where the cut needs to be made.

The brackets are installed with the bumper mounting nuts and hardware supplied in the kit. The bumper is heavy-duty, but it can be lifted into place by a single individual and bolted into position.

Once installed, it's easy to see how the bumper is designed to easily slide off rocks and ledges while protecting the rear quarter panel of the vehicle. A small hitch-mount is also built into the center of the bumper, to allow for an anchor strap to be attached to it.

The bumper also features a heavy-duty wrinkle black powder coat finish and comes with two heavy-duty D-ring mounts and two D-rings in the kit. The accompanying photos below, demonstrate the installation step-by-step. For more information on this and other OR-Fab products for Jeep XJ Cherokees and Jeep JK Wranglers, visit their website at www.orfab.com.

Begin the upgrade by removing the factory bolts that secure the OE bumper to the vehicle.

Remove the factory bumper to access the bumper brackets.

The thin factory bumper brackets won't hold up to serious abuse, so they too must be removed.

The bumper works with or without a factory hitch, but the outermost bolt must be removed.

Because the OR-Fab uses 1/2-inch thick steel plate bumper mounts,
a small notch must be cut from the sheet metal.

With the hitch removed in this application, you can see the notch that was cut
to make room for the larger bumper bracket.

The heavy-duty bumper bracket is designed to take hard hits and hold the bumper in place
without bending the factory sheet metal around it.

The new OR-Fab brackets are installed with the
lower bumper mounting nut brace and spacers.

The OR-Fab HD bumper is then lifted into position
 over the mounting brackets.

Heavy-duty hardware is included and attaches the bumper to the mounting brackets.

The brace is also bolted to the frame, providing greater mounting strength. 

The finished installation with the supplied D-rings provides greater tire clearance and departure angles for this Jeep.

How To Install An OR-Fab Jeep XJ Cherokee Front Winch Bumper And Warn M8000S Winch

Jeep XJ Cherokee owners who want to upgrade their vehicle with a recovery winch, have to consider using a bumper that won't allow the winch to block airflow to the engine.  But they also want one that can withstand abuse on the trail and clear larger tires. So OR-Fab came up with a front winch-mount bumper that not only has an integral winch-mount, but also features a tapered "V" shaped design that easily slides off rocks and ledges.

The OR-Fab front bumper for 1984 thru 2001model Jeep Cherokee, PN-83241 is manufactured from 3/16-inch thick steel plate, that has been laser cut, CNC press brake bent to precise angles, hand welded, and hand ground to a smooth and perfectly angled finish and quality. The ends of the bumper are tapered to provide clearance for up to 37-inch diameter tires, and the integrated winch-mount works with any remote-style winch. The bumper is then finished in a gloss or wrinkled heavy-duty black powder coat finish.

Installation is simple and begins with selecting the right winch. OR-Fab recommends using a Warn M8000S winch, because it can be operated with a wired remote, and has an 8,000 lbs.-pull capacity. The winch weighs 80-lbs. and it features a 4.8 horsepower motor with a three-stage planetary gear set that provides smooth, fast, and reliable operation. The M8000S also comes with 100-ft of 5/16-inch wire rope, but is also available with Warn's Spydura synthetic rope. The Spydura synthetic rope reduces the winch's weight to 55 lbs, and provides easy handling on the trail for folks with a bit more winching experience.

The installation of the OR-Fab bumper and Warn winch beings with unbolting and removing the factory bumper, bottom air dam, and corner fender cross-braces from the vehicle. Because the OR-Fab bumper is a full-width design, some trimming of the front fenders is required to provide added tire clearance and for proper fitment of the bumper. The instructions give detailed guidelines of where to cut, but essentially, the fender is trimmed following the bottom of the XJ's grille back towards the wheel well. Once al the trimming is done, new OR-Fab mounting brackets are bolted in the factory locations.

Before the bumper can be mounted, the Warn M8000S winch must be assembled and bolted to the OR-Fab bumper. Following Warn's instructions for installing the winch,  the supplied nuts and bolts were used to secure the winch to the winch mount. The mounting bracket for the Warn control box normally sits above the winch motor, but in this application, the bracket was modified slightly (trimmed and an additional hole drilled), allowing the control box to sit slightly above the motor for easy access on top of the bumper. Warn also supplies a fairlead and a winch hook for the end of the cable.

Once the winch was mounted into the OR-Fab bumper, it took two people to lift the assembly and secure the bolts onto the Jeep's frame. Warn also supplies large two-gauge battery wire leads that were routed to the XJ's battery, and once attached, the installation was complete. The next step was to wind the Warn Spydura synthetic line onto the winch drum.

The OR-Fab bumper also features two heavy-duty D-ring mounts and comes with two D-rings. While the Warn winch comes with a winch hook, we upgraded to using a Factor-55 winch thimble. Warn also has winch thimbles and other winch accessories that make it easy to properly and safely hook up a winch-line.
By Dan Sanchez, DS Media

Sources
OR-Fab                           Warn Industries
www.orfab.com                www.warn.com.

Installation Procedure

The OR-Fab HD front winch-mount bumper for the Jeep XJ is precision laser cut, CNC press-brake formed and hand welded and ground for a precise fit and maximum trail appeal. 

The first step is to remove the six bolts from the factory bumper. 

Here you can see the three bolts on each side that secure the bumper to the frame. 

The cross-braces that extend from the bottom of the fenders to the bumper mounts are also unbolted and removed.

Jeep XJ's also have a front air-dam that is unbolted and will  not be reused.

Following the instructions, OR-Fab trimmed the bottom portion of the front fenders, using the bottom edge of the grille as a guide.

With the trimming done, the heavy duty bumper mount plates are installed. 

OR-Fab likes using Warn's M8000S winch. An excellent value, it provides fast winding and when equipped with Warn's Spydura synthetic line, weight is reduced and the line is easier to use in the field. 

Using the provided hardware, the Warn winch was installed into the OR-Fab winch mount inside the bumper.

Warn provides a bracket that mounts the control box onto the top of the winch. In this application, it required some minor trimming to make it work on the OR-Fab bumper.

OR-Fab trimmed the front mount of the bracket and used the trimmed piece as an extension for the rear mount.

Here you can see how the bracket was easily cut, drilled and attached to the winch. 

Following the instructions from Warn, we attached the wiring and prepared the bumper for installation onto the Jeep. 

It takes two people to support the bumper with the winch mounted in it, and set it up against the new mounting brackets. 

The mounting bracket bolts are provided in the OR-Fab kit and secure the bumper to the factory and additional mounting locations on the Jeep's chassis. 

Warn provides heavy two-gauge battery leads that are routed from the bumper and attached to the Jeep's battery.

Once installed, the Jeep XJ not only looks great, but now has recovery capabilities and clearance for up to 37-inch diameter tires. The winch control box is easily accessible and does not hinder airflow to the radiator. The OR-Fab bumper also comes with two D-ring mounts. The Factor-55 winch thimble and OR-Fab fairlead were added as custom options.

Jeep Cherokee XJ Essentials Buyer's Guide

Before the Jeep JK four-door Wrangler became available in 2007, Jeep enthusiasts who loved to take on tough trails with family and lots of gear, had no better choice than the Jeep Cherokee. Even though the four-door JK is a very popular model, the XJ Cherokee has seen a resurgence lately, as these vehicles are inexpensive, easy to modify, and offer plenty of off-road capability, especially with the abundance of new components that are now available for this model.

As the popularity for the Jeep XJ increases, off-road enthusiasts are wanting to outfit the vehicles with a variety of components that will increase ride height, improve articulation over obstacles, and provide lots of body protection. Here are some of the essential items that avid Jeep XJ owners are installing on these vehicles to make them more off-road capable.

Increasing Ground Clearance With A Suspension Lift

Trail Master's Jeep XJ lift kit PN J4270SSV

One of the first things is to increase the XJ's ride height for improved articulation, traction, and to install larger diameter tires. There's an abundance of custom lift kits available that can adapt a coil-over system, or longer control arms. But if you're just starting out, it's best to start with something that works without lots of cutting and welding. A suspension system like Trail Master's 4-inch lift kit (J4270SSV) works with the factory suspension and raises the vehicle with new front coil and rear leaf springs. This system also has heavy-duty control arms with Flex-joints, that provide extra strength during extreme articulation, and quick-disconnect sway-bar end links make it easy to switch from the trail to the highway. A system like this also includes a new drop Pitman arm, an adjustable track bar, and a transfer case drop bracket to ensure the drive line and suspension joints won't receive excessive wear.

When Just A Little Lift Will Do

3" Body Lift Kit For '75-'82 early Cherokees

If you want to start off without making major changes to your Cherokee's OEM suspension system,or you don't yet have the budget for a full suspension lift, then consider a three-inch body lift. Body lifts are only available for the early model '75-'82 model Jeep Cherokees. They are very inexpensive and provide enough ride height to add larger diameter tires, without affecting the factory ride. A body lift like one from Performance Accessories, comes with high-grade, nylon-reinforced body mounts, heavy-duty hardware and is easy to install. They are much better and safer than home-made body lift kits that are not nearly as reliable and aren't designed with the 30-years of experience that Performance Accessories has. You can also get urethane wheel well extensions called Gap Guards, that hide the space that becomes visible between the body and the frame. If you're on a budget, this is the way to go to get the ride height and tires you want on the vehicle.

Protection That Can Pull You Out Of A Mess

No self respecting Jeep XJ owner heads off onto the trail without a winch and some front-end protection. Fortunately there are several aftermarket bumpers that protect your Cherokee's front end, and provides a mounting point for a heavy-duty winch. A lightweight bumper, like OR-Fab's three-piece winch bumper, is made from 3/4-inch diameter, .120 wall tube so it's incredibly strong. It's lightweight design can clear up to 37-inch tall tires, and it also provides 16 mounting points for high-stress winch pulls. 

Watch Your Rear
Steep departure angles can destroy your Cherokee's bumper, as well as mess up the tailgate alignment and sheet metal. So XJ owners always toss the factory bumper for a lightweight design like OR-Fab's rear tube bumper. Made from two-inch, .120-wall tubing, the bumper wraps around the body to protect the rear lower quarter panels from damage. It also comes with two heavy-duty D-ring mounts and D-rings.


Save Those Quarters

The bad thing about taking a Cherokee on the trail, is that the rear quarter panel sheet metal can easily get damaged. Because no one likes to drive around with wrinkled sheet metal, manufacturers like OR-Fab make rear quarter armor for these vehicles, that protects the area, as well as the factory rear taillights. The armor is manufactured from 3/16-inch steel plate and is available with a 1.5-inch diameter rail bar. The armor also works with factory or aftermarket fenders.

Of course, there are many more accessories available for the Jeep XJ that allow you to customize it any way you like. These are just several products that serious rock crawlers use to protect and improve the vehicle's off-road capabilities. For more information, visit www.P-A-G.net to see all of the Trail Master, OR-Fab and Performance Accessories products available for the Jeep Cherokee.

By DS Media Relations