Thinking of getting a Jeep Wrangler

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Gary - when I bought my Jeep in December I considered the Rock Hard.  It did have steel bumpers, but they looked a little heavy and IMHO ugly.  Also, they told me the only way to get the 4.1 gears was with a standard transmission - a deal buster for me.  I planned to re-gear mine anyway so I  bought the basic Rubicon.  The Warn front bumper, winch and installation was $1,900.  It cost me another $2,250 to re-gear to 4.88.  I think the cost differential between the basic Rubicon and the Rock Hard was $4,800.

If you can get the Rock Hard with an Auto and 4.1 gears - for for it.    I'm sure you will like it. :)
 
Hi Bill, thanks for the reply.  The Hard Rock is nice but way more capability than we need.  Since we started looking, we've come across the backcountry package, which comes with steel bumpers.  If we can find one of those, that's likely the way we will go.  Otherwise, we'll go with the Willys and add the steel bumpers when we get it. 

If I recall,  we met you in Moab a few years back.  I remember you trying to negotiate some challenging walks while carrying that big tripod.  Sorry if I'm confusing you with another photographer.  In any event, glad you're still with the Forum. 
Gary
 
Gary, you don't need to change bumpers to have a winch on the front of the Jeep. All you need is a winch mounting plate that fits right on top of the stock bumper. I have one in my garage right now that I am not using.  I used the plate for about 7 years with a Warn 9500Ti winch mounted on it.  About a year ago I finally switched out the factory bumper for a RockHard bumper as the stock one was finally showing it's age.  I included a pic of the Jeep when it still had the winch plate and stock bumper.
 

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garyb1st said:
If I recall,  we met you in Moab a few years back.  I remember you trying to negotiate some challenging walks while carrying that big tripod.  Sorry if I'm confusing you with another photographer.  In any event, glad you're still with the Forum. 
Gary
Click to expand...
That was me.
BTW Sarge is right, there are other options to mounting a winch.
I hear you on the $$$ comment.  I think I'm over 20k in mods to my new Jeep.  But now it's the way I want it, for the moment.
 
Photog said:
  I think I'm over 20k in mods to my new Jeep. 
Click to expand...

Bill, We are  very close to  you  in price for mods in our new Jeep and  I love every one of them. Have been on a couple of trails, now have scratched wheels and the thing rides like a dream. 
 
Betty Brewer said:
the thing rides like a dream.
Click to expand...
I haven't had a chance to go off road yet.  But the ride is so much better than my old one.  I have only two mods left to do.  Install my on board air system and radios.  I doubt I'll be able to do any trails before April 15th. :(
 
The Jeep has landed and is now firmly planted in our garage.  Thanks to all for your help and suggestions.

Next step is getting it set up for towing.  My concern is with warranty issues.  A number of things involve wiring and mechanical add ons.  Are there any things we need to be aware of which have the potential to void the warranty? 

What we are planning on doing at this point are the following:

Steel front bumper.  This according to our hitch guy with a steel bumper a base place is unnecessary.  Think he mentioned Smitty Built.  Others? 

Back up camera.  Seems pretty straight forward but the Jeep salesman didn't know if it would be a problem.

Air compressor.  For tires and possibly toad brakes.  Under hood or portable?  Best brand? 

Tire deflater.  Brand?

Current motorhome and toad are 4 wire round.  Do we need a 5 or 6 pin? 
 
I will take a run at some of your concerns.  One, the bumper.  I went with Rockhard. I wanted a place to mount our Warn winch, and a place to put the tow points to haul behind our MH.  The Rockhard bumper has tow points that mount at the location that the bumper mounts to.  That means that the bolts are attached directly to the frame mounting points.

Having on board air is a luxury. Some of the winches have an on board air compressor built in. A definite nice to have, but not a necessity.  Lots of good aftermarket air compressors out there that will do the job at a much reduced cost.

The tire deflators are nice. I just got a set for Christmas but haven't used them yet. Airing down is a requirement on some trails, and the deflators make it a bit easier.  I believe mine are made by Stuab. 

For the purpose of towing, the 4 pin round should be sufficient. Brake, stop, left and right are all that is required, and are easily pulled over from the MH.  Any more than that is just an enhancement to what ever additional needs you have . 

Warranty issues should not be a problem unless you start lifting and changing the suspension geometry. Then the changes can cause issues for warranty concerns.
 
Gary

I used this to wire up my 2016 Jeep....http://www.cooltechllc.com/wrangler-parts-accessories/54-jk-tow-harness-deluxe-kit.html

Let me know what radio display you have and I can help with the back-up camera.
 
I'm going with the full width Rockhard bumper. 

Hitch guy recommending:

BrakeMaster by Roadmaster.  Spendy but nice.  Requires a compressor, tank and a few other items.  Basic box on the floor type probably makes more sense.  Especially since we plan to upgrade the motorhome in a year or less.  Any thoughts on Even Brake or Patriot.    

Blue Ox Avail tow bar. 


 
Terry, thanks for the link.  We have the 430 radio which has a monitor but no GPS.  I've heard the camera is not an easy install.  Dealer wants about $400.00.  Where did you mount yours?
 
Gary

It's not a hard install, lots of You Tube videos. This is the one I'd recommend...http://www.crutchfield.com/p_212BM8847/Brandmotion-9002-8847.html

If the dealer would do it for $400 I'd jump on it.
 
Thanks Terry.  Dealer uses vendor to install.  It's a license plate mounted camera and apparently doesn't provide a great view.  Crutchfield says camera requires the Alpine radio which we don't have.  Not sure why a camera requires an upgraded speaker system.  ???
 
Gary

The one I suggested doesn't..."Rear-view camera for use with factory touchscreen radios in select 2007-up Jeep Wrangler models".

You don't want a License plate one as it is located too far to the left to be useful.

Take a look at this video...http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/video-two-ways-to-add-a-backup-camera-to-your-jeep-wrangler.html?i=212BM8847&tp=66112
 
Terry, Crutchfield has one or two that work with my radio.  I noticed one of the reviews indicated the picture was not great.  How does yours work?  For the money I would expect a decent picture. 

Thanks for the links.

Gary
 
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