Winch On Jeep Cherokee (Must Read This First)

If you’re a constant off-road driver and a big fan of all the features of cars designed for off-roading, you’ve probably heard or come across a winch.

The feature is growing in popularity again as many brands that specialize in making powerful vehicles are equipping more models with the Winch option.

While those already are making upgrades on it. Is the Jeep Cherokee one of these cars?

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of the Jeep series that gives you a winch option. The winch isn’t mandatory, but Jeep gives the Cherokee all you’d need for an easy winch installation. So even if you don’t get the Winch the Jeep provides and decide to go for a stronger one, you’ll do good.

What Is A Winch Used For?

A winch is a device or system used for pulling. Be it pulling or getting pulled, the design consisting of ropes and a hook or hooks sure does give off the purpose for that device. 

In most Jeep vehicles, if not all, this feature is found at the car’s bumper. It consists of a rope that’ll be pulled in to drag along a car or get dragged.

The motor connected to this rope or winch steel cable is responsible for the pull. 

Winch Recovery is the act of using a winch successfully. You’ve made a winch recovery whenever you connect the hook to something or have someone grab unto the rope.

From this, you can see that winches go beyond towing other vehicles. They can be real-life-saver, which works both ways. 

There have been uncountable situations where a winch has been used to save the life of the driver or winch owner itself.

Due to its usefulness, many truck owners ensure they’ve got it fixed before embarking on journeys on terrains with loose sand or muddy grounds.

Winches aren’t new. No, it isn’t a recent development in the automobile world.

They’ve been around forever, but they’re getting a huge spike in popularity as more “regular” trucks and SUVs are getting this device installed on their car bumper.

How Big Of A Winch For A Jeep Cherokee?

If you have little or no knowledge of winch sizes, picking a winch for your vehicle can be a tedious activity.

Even people who understand winch make-up and sizes can still struggle to make the right choice. 

First, you have to pick the right motor, which won’t be a burden on your vehicle. Then you have to decide whether you want a rope or winch steel cable for your device.

Factors like price, length, and quality must be considered when picking a winch device.

The size of the winch says everything you need to know about its strength. The bigger the Winch, the stronger it is and the greater its demand for a big and powerful car for its installation. 

In this article, I’ll be guiding you through the most appropriate winch devices for your Jeep Cherokee.

Hopefully, yours is among the Jeep models that I cover now, although if your Jeep Cherokee is built to handle it, it should be here. So let’s get it then.

#1. Jeep Cherokee XJ

If I’m going to be covering winches on the Jeep Cherokee, it’s only proper that I respect the legendary XJ by talking about its winch size first.

I believe this is as far back as you can go, or at least should go if you’re looking for a Cherokee to install a winch device.

For a Cherokee XJ, I recommend getting a winch device or system that can pull at least 6900 – 7350 lbs.

A properly installed winch should be able to drag along or pull objects slightly heavier than the car it’s on.

The SJ was purposely skipped. It doesn’t seem like the kind of vehicle you’d want to go on off-road adventures.

So if somehow you’re here to find the Winch size of a Jeep Cherokee SJ, you can hit the back key now or keep it as there’s lots of useful knowledge you can still pick up in this article. 

#2. Jeep Cherokee KJ

Without any modifications, the Cherokee KJ is a standard off-roading vehicle. Still, there’s always room for improvement, and I don’t think there’s any improvement bigger than installing a potential life-saver on your car.

The KJ will need a winch that can pull up to 9200 lbs, with a minimum of 8850.

#3. Jeep Cherokee KK

The winch size for the KJ can be used for the KL. The KK and KJ share lots of similarities, and this is one. The Cherokee KK will need a winch to pull 8550 – 9225 lbs.

#4. Jeep Cherokee JL 

Yet another powerful Cherokee for off-road experiences. If you’re looking for the perfect winch on your JL, go for one that pulls up to 8250 lbs.

#5. Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ

Owners of the ZJ recommend you should go for winches that can handle weights between 7425 – 7950 lbs. Winches of this size can easily be found on amazon.

#6. Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ

A smaller Grand Cherokee. Suppose you’re a winch for grand WJ lookout for those that can pull 7250-8100 lbs.

You can’t do much pulling with the WJ, at least when compared to other Cherokee models, so ensure you pick one that falls in between the 7250-8100 mark.

#7. Jeep Grand Cherokee WK

This trim requires a bigger winch than the last. Look out for winches big enough to handle weights between 8550 – 9225. You can winches of this size at Jeep dealerships near you.

You can also order via amazon to make things easier, but for a winch of that size, you should visit a dealership so you can get tips as well.

#8. Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2

This beast requires a huge winch because it weighs a lot. For the WK2, get a winch designed to pull weights in between 9750-9990 lbs. Yes, almost 1000!

Installing Winch On Jeep Cherokee 

The position is key when installing a winch on a Cherokee or any other vehicle.

For example, if you aren’t getting an aftersale bumper (which is an extension of your current Jeep Cherokee bumper), then the Winch must be installed on the vehicle’s frame.

How To Install A Winch?

• Pick the right location for your winch and unpackage the box. 
• Up next is the hole drilling. You’ll need to drill holes for the mounting of the winch device. The size of the holes needed varies from device to device.
• Drop the Winch on the area you’ll install it on and align it so the bolts can easily go in. Put the bolts in, but before tightening, ensure your winch is pressed or pulled towards your bumper and resting firmly on it.
• Screw down the bolts till it can’t go down any further.
• Next up, locate the winch’s clutch and release it. Then, pull out about 3 inches of your winch steel cable. It should be enough to fit the ferret in, with an extra left.
• Install the hook.

How Much Does It Cost To Install A Winch On A Jeep Cherokee?

If the “cost” here includes buying a winch, then I can’t say because I don’t know which Cherokee model and trim you’ve got.

Still, I advise that when getting a winch, you check Jeep dealerships first to see if they’ve got winches that fit your vehicle.

It’ll probably be cheaper there if you are paying for installation.

Be it at a Jeep Dealership or anywhere else, I wouldn’t pay more than $350 to get my winch installed, though.

That’s the max it should take for a winch installation on a Cherokee. Do I Know If My Jeep Cherokee Has Heavy-Duty Brakes? (Must know)

Summary

Picking the right winch for your vehicle can be tedious if you have no prior knowledge of winch sizes and pull strength.

If you’ve got a Cherokee, you should have gotten an idea of the winch you should be getting for your vehicle after reading this article.

I once again implore you to reach out to dealerships when picking a winch. Good luck.