31084 2-Inch Front Receiver Hitch, Fits Select Jeep Cherokee, Comanche, Wagoneer

The Curt 31084 fit very well on my 99'XJ, the install was straight forward, but I would do some stretching before attempting to install, as you will have to muscle it around. The receiver tucks up nicely and does not protrude beneath the front air dam, nor past the front bumper. With some trimming you can replace the front dam for more of an OEM look. Some install tips. -I did not remove the front bumper as there are large access holes in the back of the bumper, the access is from the front of the unibody frame. - You do have to drill two holes, I over sized mine a bit as lining these two holes are the biggest pain of the entire install. - once you fish the larger front bolts and retainers, in hindsight, I would get some pushnuts, or fashion a retainer of some sort to keep the bolts from pushing back up into the frame. This will save a lot of frustration. - using a jack and a block helps significantly to keep in place as you match the holes up. - the washers are toothed conical, the teeth go against the bushing brackets. - use a good torque wrench, it will seem like you are going to bust the bolt heads off as you have to tighten them very tight. - The box breaks down and is perfect for woking on your jeep, anyone with a jeep L6 know about the jeep oil puddle. I don't have a winch yet, but had a buddy pull me up an incline, no issues or shifting. This is a solid mount.

Fantastic product, fits 95 Cherokee great! Spent a pleasant afternoon installing a nice quality hitch. No frustration at all. Sure, I had to put it up and down a few times and mock things up until I had everything lined up satisfactorily, but it didn't screw me around with surprises or make me go to the parts store to get bolts or any of that nonsense. Words of wisdom: totally remove swaybar apparatus and fit up the hitch first before you drill the front holes; you don't want to be guessing the location. Because the carriage bolt holder goes inside the frame, it's tight, and you don't want your holes to be all sloppy and wallowed out. Only nice, tight, well-aligned holes thank you very much! Another wisdom nugget is this: If you still have the plastic fascia under the bumper, cut it to fit around the square receiver, and then relief cut on the sides as needed for the reinforcement wings on the receiver--if you do it just so, the plastic fascia will help hold the hitch up during installation. The hitch weighs 26 pounds, and holding it in place can get real tiresome when you're lying on your back pushing it up while also trying to thread in bolts for the 3rd time because you didn't like the angle of the dangle. I ended up using two big washers instead of the supplied steel bar spacer for the front. I like my hitches nice and level, and on my rig the steel spacers were making the hitch point down ever so slightly. If you're a bit of a shadetree mechanic Jeeper, and who isn't if they're seriously looking at this product, you can install this in a short afternoon. Another thing I like is how the manufacturer included a wire fishbolt tool. That makes guiding the carriage bolt into the frame SO MUCH EASIER, it's incredible. It's the little things, you know? Curt does it right, glad I also bought the rear hitch from them! The instructions are functional and not really targeted at a newbie audience, but if you study them for a bit and you haven't been drinking beer all day, you'll figure it out quickly enough. I have been impressed by this product. Same day arrival and installation, literally the most skillful part about installation is drilling two holes right where they should be, and if you have a decent brain and can think and see and plan without just going buck wild and drilling holes all over the place with no plan whatsoever, you've got this installation in the bag. Also a good deal on the product itself, mine was just over $100 or so. Keep up the good work Amazon and Curt. Love it when a product is everything is says it is. If you're on the fence about adding recovery and rigidity the the front of your XJ, DO IT!

The hitch itself is fine. The instruction videos online and on the paper sheet may be somewhat misleading. They mention 30 minute install time. I found that my dad's '97 Jeep Cherokee Sport is a "Some year" model. As in "Some years may require grinders and hammers to get this to fit." Basically, I found that the access holes that you are supposed to use on the frame to insert 2 of the bolts and blocks, were too small for the blocks. I had to widen them with a rotary file on an air tool. Second, I found that on the drivers side, the access holes that they show being used in the online video don't actually give you access to where you need. The front bumper needs to be removed in order to install one of the bolts on the drivers side. Also, you will need to either use a vehicle lift, or jack up the vehicle in such a way so that the tires are at the bottom of their full range of motion in order to install the kit, and then use a jack to push the sway bar back into position. They do not mention this specifically, though the video does show them using a shop lift. It should be obvious, but you will either need to remove, or modify the front fender skirt to install this. I opted to modify. It blocks the Tow hook Loops, but can be pushed out of the way if needed. The only point in mounting it was to hold a fishing rod rack, so for my purpose this is fine. The product itself is well built and the install is mostly straight forward if you stop, look, and plan ahead. I would put install time at closer to 2-3 hours, depending on what you run into. Rusted bolts, bent under frame components, etc. If you've got a lift, and you've done this before, and you run into no problems, then I could see it being done in 30 minutes. I recommend two people for safety. The receiver is somewhat heavy. Best to lift it with a jack, having someone else help you balance it as you put the bolts in.

Very easy install, used my floor jack to hold in position. Installed first with the supplied sway bar bolts. marked the forward holes that needed to be drilled. I then removed the 4 screws that secure the grill and was able to come through there with the fish wire and install the carriage bolts and stops with little effort... I left the fish wire on the bolts and put it through the forward mount holes incase the bolts got pushed back up when I jacked the receiver back up... Installed all the bolts and left loose until all the bolts had been threaded... had to use the floor jack and a dead blow ti get the sway bar mounts positioned! very solid mount... works great for my 12k lb winch on a cradle... believe it will aid in pushing my boat into the garage a little easier than backing it in!

All I can say is this thing is put together extremely well. It is rather heavy and I accidentally dropped it on my foot. Suffice it to say I consider it a near miracle my foot didn't break. Welds are solid and thick. Looks great and the welded in place loops are a really nice addition. For the price this thing is amazing. Absolutely love it. High quality, low price, cannot ask for much more than that.

Great item but no hardware. Very upset about that.

Relatively easy installation. This job took me approximately 2 hours. The trick is to remove the two lower bolts on the front bumper, and wedge it out with a wood block. This makes it possible to thread in the backing plate and bolt through the hole in the frame rail. I chose to cut the plastic front air dam to make room for the receiver and hook points rather than remove it. The cuts were made with a vibro tool using a saw attachment. This receiver does not hang down lower than the air dam, so it really does not affect the approach angle much. Why would anyone add a receiver hitch to the front of a Jeep? First, it gives a strong place to attach recovery gear. Second it allows the addition of a portable winch. Third, you can use a hitch basket or bicycle rack on the front. Considering that the cost is not much more than 2 tow hooks, it is a win-win.

Great product, provides a solid up front tie down point on the XJ, there are none until the front suspension without this or tow hooks. Definitely takes way longer than 30 minutes to install, the drilling on the frame is very difficult as you are drilling a large diameter hole through 2 layer steel. You definitely need good drill bits and a powerful drill to get it done. Bolt fishing is not too bad and it helps to have longer, skinnier arms here. Overall a good product and value.