Why I could never run my snow plow on a Mojave

[FloridaMan655321]

Reading some of these posts. I lived in northern MN, OP lives in Iowa. Sure having a 4wheeler or tractor in the northeast is fine, but in the tundra of Iowa/ND/MN/etc.. no way. It gets hella cold and sometimes after a front comes in that brings snow, it's sub-zero temps with -30+ windshield......

Sponsored

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Reading some of these posts. I lived in northern MN, OP lives in Iowa. Sure having a 4wheeler or tractor in the northeast is fine, but in the tundra of Iowa/ND/MN/etc.. no way. It gets hella cold and sometimes after a front comes in that brings snow, it's sub-zero temps with -30+ windshield......

You nailed it. That's exactly right.

Looks like it might be a tight fit, but Barnes 4x4 has a ready to go relocation kit. Uses the factory sway bar mounting bolt, and $55 bucks is not bad at all...

Running out of barriers. Too many creative people here.

Springs are probably too soft anyway and no LSD.

 

[KevinC]

@ShadowsPapa , reading this post reminds me of what I went through back in September. Except you and I are on the opposite ends of the country/climate/demographic. I went from a 2020 Rubicon to a 2023 Mojave, finding out in the process what I was losing and also what I gained by making the switch.

1. You have already went and looked at one. You took pictures. You analyzed every part of what needed to be done to make it work for you. You came on here to receive feedback.
2. You are trying your hardest to get someone rational to talk you either into getting it, or talk you out of it. No one here can do that.
3. It's a new shinny penny. After a while it will look just like every other penny in the jar on your bedroom dresser.

4. I am also a member of the Raynaud's club, I know what you are going through. The Mojave keeps you 30% warmer than any other trim. At least that is what I tell myself.

In all seriousness, everything points to you going back and looking at a Rubicon X. There, I said it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

2. You are trying your hardest to get someone rational to talk you either into getting it, or talk you out of it. No one here can do that.

Yeah, it's not possible, nor would it be wise to use the internet or a bunch of Jeep people to make such decisions. Gather information, yes. But that's as far as it can go.

If nothing else - if other things were to in the future line up, I know what can be overcome without a lot of hassle.
It all goes into the pot of information.

Making lists of pros and cons, what are "show stoppers" and what can be overcome with not too much effort.
It really started out more as a "here's why it's impossible for me".
And it wasn't really a joke, it was sort of serious - much as I love it, it just can't work and I don't want to have to start all over with snow plow stuff. If a JT can't work with my rather heavy (and expensive!) plow, "no deal, Howie". And I knew it wouldn't work - crap, or did I?
I just knew that the thing would sit much higher than Overland, there would be crazy barriers to overcome - but impossible changed to "difficult" instead.

Now I'm trying to push myself away by getting information on the extra insurance costs, the crazy license fees for a heavier vehicle with a massively higher MSRP (Iowa annual fees are based on weight and cost calculations).

On another side of things - I've learned a lot about the Mojave shock and reservoir system, so I've already gained without spending anything more than time. any time something new is learned, it's a huge plus, IMO. If I never own one, I still now know more than I did.
It takes effort to learn once you retire - there's little to keep up with like there was in IT, so I have to make efforts to expand.

(there's that thing about the hefty monthly payments we are still making on our HVAC heat pump system from a year ago........ )

EDIT: Like a guy I used to work for - sometimes I "prompt" or maybe toss something out just to get reactions or make people support their point of view.
He and I would "spar" like court room attorneys - often taking points of view we didn't believe it and practice finding support for that other side.

 

[RudeJeepin]

EDIT: Like a guy I used to work for - sometimes I "prompt" or maybe toss something out just to get reactions or make people support their point of view.
He and I would "spar" like court room attorneys - often taking points of view we didn't believe it and practice finding support for that other side.

Oh man, I love to argue, just to argue, even when I know I'm wrong.
I say argue, but I really don't argue, it's more discuss. But you get it.

 

[Blade1668]

These, at least mine with the LSD and so on, make great plow trucks. Easy as heck to maneuver with the tight turns, sure-footed with GOOD tires on the corners, and it does help a bit with Selec-Trac t-case.
Mine is a dream to plow with. It handles it with ease.
It's likely no worse than taking it into the places some members take their Jeeps for weekend fun - except I can't get rock scrapes and damage and no risk of rolling it.
Thank goodness it's not snow rated.

Bill, never say no risk of rolling it. Where I rolled my 4wheeler I've ran though dozens of times if not hundreds of times. ? And besides that a number of vehicle roll over incidents I've been at there has been some with us thinking "how the f### did they do that". Growing up in midwest I've seen a snow plow truck spun around and in ditch on side. Edge of blade snagged a crack in pavement or something.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Bill, never say no risk of rolling it. Where I rolled my 4wheeler I've ran though dozens of times if not hundreds of times. ? And besides that a number of vehicle roll over incidents I've been at there has been some with us thinking "how the f### did they do that". Growing up in midwest I've seen a snow plow truck spun around and in ditch on side. Edge of blade snagged a crack in pavement or something.

Welllll, since mine really doesn't go off-road unless you count corn fields and that sort of thing, I guess the only risk of a roll is an accident - losing control or being hit and rolled. So yeah, you're right, not 0 risk for sure.
I suppose if I was on the highway and my plow dropped, something weird could happen but because the HVAC doesn't work with the plow on, I try to drop the plow before trips if at all possible or convenient.

I guess- this way - I'm more at risk of rolling our lawn tractor on our inclines and mowing along the road where it's pretty steep.
But never say never, yeah.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Oh man, I love to argue, just to argue, even when I know I'm wrong.
I say argue, but I really don't argue, it's more discuss. But you get it.

In the 90s I was in what they called a "list serve" - before the age of forums and that sort of thing - for antique engines and tractors.
One of the antique engine guys was a college professor. He'd toss something out to the class - that was incorrect, or a contrary position, to force them to learn how to debate with facts and evidence. He'd make them support their "side".
If he was still alive he'd be freakin' out over the lack of supporting evidence out there on the internet today. It's mostly "because I said so" or "I read it in another forum" or "because it's what i believe". The day of actual debates with supporting evidence is gone. "It sucks and serves no purpose because I say it sucks and serves no purpose and because I hate it". That's the logic of today.

Anyway............ Now that the "helpful" people have shown how the Mojave shock reservoirs can be moved, even with ready-made brackets, I'm on to other reasons, like "Mojave springs are way too soft and would be crushed under the load" - they could never support such weight.
My son gave some logical reasons about the interior - color all wrong for a blue exterior.

And finally - it took days to get the mounting brackets and all of the harnesses and wiring in place, I'm a year and a half older now, it would take weeks and it's not like some areas where there are 10 other Jeep people around who love tearing these things apart and building them back - I'd be stuck for weeks making the changes.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Yeah, color me curious, like my cats - I gotta know stuff and see stuff.
Can a snow plow like I have fit a Mojave? Could my front receiver fit Mojave?
The answer to both is - uh, no.
Can't run the skid plate with snow plow brackets, and the receiver would kill the reservoirs.

Did a ton of measuring and picture taking and the one that said "no" to me was this set of pictures -

My Overland with snow plow brackets installed (I remove them for summer to gain clearance back and reduce wind drag)

Red indicates the horn or drop-down of the frame that the plow brackets mount to -

And Mojave -

Ironically, my JT Overland as it sits right now, sits at almost the same heigh as a stock Mojave. I measured to door sills, to frame points, to rear receiver, etc. and if you put my tires on the Mojave, it would sit exactly the same if not a tad lower. Some points measure the same, others are only about 1/4" difference from frame to ground. Rear receiver is the same 18" from ground to the bottom of the inside of the receiver on both trucks.
My plow says my brackets are for 22" or lower, and I'd need different mounting brackets for 22"+
My Overland measures 22.25" from the ground to the point they measure on the frame - the Mojave? About 1/8" difference - heck add a winch to the front and they'd sit exactly the same.

I just got curious as to why the plow places say no to Rubicon or Mojave and what the heck the real differences were.
Now I know.

Yeah, I had to see what a 2024 Mojave "green" interior looked like in person, among other things. Was there making an appointment for our JLU defroster recall and the park sense goofiness and Scott said "come on out and measure and take pictures all you want".

Sorry, Scott - the shock reservoirs are definitely a problem, no way for the front receiver or my plow mount. (not to mention needing to rob a bank or something, maybe meet up at the border and move some more product for some fast cash)

I'm sure there's plenty of kits to relocate the reservoirs and you can delete the skid. But at this point whats the Mojave got that your overland doesn't in the line of what you need the vehicle to do? There's not really a reason to go Mojave over any other trims unless you like takin whoops at mach jesus. just my 2 cents.

 

[legacy_etu]

Reading some of these posts. I lived in northern MN, OP lives in Iowa. Sure having a 4wheeler or tractor in the northeast is fine, but in the tundra of Iowa/ND/MN/etc.. no way. It gets hella cold and sometimes after a front comes in that brings snow, it's sub-zero temps with -30+ windshield......

Yeah, I wasn't proposing he get a compact tractor to do snow plow duties, I for some reason thought he already had one. In that case I'd assume he'd have a cab for it given his location. Not that I'm that familiar with the weather in Iowa , but I did suspect it got dang cold and windy, didn't realize it got THAT cold. Definitely need an enclosed heated cab for that type of weather.

Hell, I already said trading is a bad idea given all the time and effort he's put into his current truck.

 

[Eeeckman]

Yeah, color me curious, like my cats - I gotta know stuff and see stuff.
Can a snow plow like I have fit a Mojave? Could my front receiver fit Mojave?
The answer to both is - uh, no.
Can't run the skid plate with snow plow brackets, and the receiver would kill the reservoirs.

Did a ton of measuring and picture taking and the one that said "no" to me was this set of pictures -

My Overland with snow plow brackets installed (I remove them for summer to gain clearance back and reduce wind drag)

Red indicates the horn or drop-down of the frame that the plow brackets mount to -

And Mojave -

Ironically, my JT Overland as it sits right now, sits at almost the same heigh as a stock Mojave. I measured to door sills, to frame points, to rear receiver, etc. and if you put my tires on the Mojave, it would sit exactly the same if not a tad lower. Some points measure the same, others are only about 1/4" difference from frame to ground. Rear receiver is the same 18" from ground to the bottom of the inside of the receiver on both trucks.
My plow says my brackets are for 22" or lower, and I'd need different mounting brackets for 22"+
My Overland measures 22.25" from the ground to the point they measure on the frame - the Mojave? About 1/8" difference - heck add a winch to the front and they'd sit exactly the same.

I just got curious as to why the plow places say no to Rubicon or Mojave and what the heck the real differences were.
Now I know.

Yeah, I had to see what a 2024 Mojave "green" interior looked like in person, among other things. Was there making an appointment for our JLU defroster recall and the park sense goofiness and Scott said "come on out and measure and take pictures all you want".

Sorry, Scott - the shock reservoirs are definitely a problem, no way for the front receiver or my plow mount. (not to mention needing to rob a bank or something, maybe meet up at the border and move some more product for some fast cash)

I mounted a Curt front receiver hitch on my '21 Mojave. I had to adjust the Hitch and resevoir mounts for mount bolt clearance then cut out the metal skid plate

Yeah, color me curious, like my cats - I gotta know stuff and see stuff.
Can a snow plow like I have fit a Mojave? Could my front receiver fit Mojave?
The answer to both is - uh, no.
Can't run the skid plate with snow plow brackets, and the receiver would kill the reservoirs.

Did a ton of measuring and picture taking and the one that said "no" to me was this set of pictures -

My Overland with snow plow brackets installed (I remove them for summer to gain clearance back and reduce wind drag)

Red indicates the horn or drop-down of the frame that the plow brackets mount to -

And Mojave -

Ironically, my JT Overland as it sits right now, sits at almost the same heigh as a stock Mojave. I measured to door sills, to frame points, to rear receiver, etc. and if you put my tires on the Mojave, it would sit exactly the same if not a tad lower. Some points measure the same, others are only about 1/4" difference from frame to ground. Rear receiver is the same 18" from ground to the bottom of the inside of the receiver on both trucks.
My plow says my brackets are for 22" or lower, and I'd need different mounting brackets for 22"+
My Overland measures 22.25" from the ground to the point they measure on the frame - the Mojave? About 1/8" difference - heck add a winch to the front and they'd sit exactly the same.

I just got curious as to why the plow places say no to Rubicon or Mojave and what the heck the real differences were.
Now I know.

Yeah, I had to see what a 2024 Mojave "green" interior looked like in person, among other things. Was there making an appointment for our JLU defroster recall and the park sense goofiness and Scott said "come on out and measure and take pictures all you want".

Sorry, Scott - the shock reservoirs are definitely a problem, no way for the front receiver or my plow mount. (not to mention needing to rob a bank or something, maybe meet up at the border and move some more product for some fast cash)

It's been a couple years, but I mounted a Curt front receiver hitch on my '21 Mojave. I removed the reservoir mounts and "adjusted" the mounts with a grinder to allow the receiver hitch to mount to the correct locations. Itdidnt take too much adjustment and I felt the adjusted resevior mounts can still do their job. The reservoirs sit exactly where they came from the factory. I did this to use my warn M8000 front and back while keeping it in the covered bed (or garage) until needed. Should be suitable for a light weight snow plow...?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I mounted a Curt front receiver hitch on my '21 Mojave. I had to adjust the Hitch and resevoir mounts for mount bolt clearance then cut out the metal skid plate


It's been a couple years, but I mounted a Curt front receiver hitch on my '21 Mojave. I removed the reservoir mounts and "adjusted" the mounts with a grinder to allow the receiver hitch to mount to the correct locations. Itdidnt take too much adjustment and I felt the adjusted resevior mounts can still do their job. The reservoirs sit exactly where they came from the factory. I did this to use my warn M8000 front and back while keeping it in the covered bed (or garage) until needed. Should be suitable for a light weight snow plow...?

My snow plow mounts to the sides of the frame - (skid plate must be fully removed to have plow mounting bar on the truck)

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'm sure there's plenty of kits to relocate the reservoirs and you can delete the skid. But at this point whats the Mojave got that your overland doesn't in the line of what you need the vehicle to do? There's not really a reason to go Mojave over any other trims unless you like takin whoops at mach jesus. just my 2 cents.

If it happened, the reasons would be similar to the reasons between the 2020 and the 2022 -
In that case, it was mostly the SelecTrac transfer case, factory aux switches and a couple of other things. The positive back then was the trade values. It was a fresh start in a few ways as well. (do things over and better - but that's really minor)

I'm still thinking on steel rear bumper for my 2022, and some other things - slight advantage of towing with wider footprint - minor since I don't tow much, but it's a percentage to figure in.

All things have to weigh against other things, pros against cons.

Definitely need an enclosed heated cab for that type of weather.

Hell, I already said trading is a bad idea given all the time and effort he's put into his current truck.

I was 10 years younger when I bought our JD lawn tractor, blade, and other attachments. Snow was a side benefit. It worked but took a long time and was cold out there. As the years went by, the cold had more impact and in winters with much snow - it couldn't pile it high or shove it out of the way as far. Normal winters were fine, so it's a some years it worked ok, other years it was painful. (getting it stuck when it's 0 degrees out wasn't fun, either - you have to have something to pull it out with so you were taking time doing that)
As time passed, we'd talked off and on about doing something to make it easier (wife also concerned about health - she's trying hard to get me to live longer)

When I figure costs on things, I also try to figure things like tires, and more. Since I'll need tires on this one this year, that moves the cost of a set of tires into the calculations. Minor, I know - but still.......... it's a reality. So later this summer, I'll be putting up probably $1x00 or so for a set of tires.

 

[PuddleJumper]

If it happened, the reasons would be similar to the reasons between the 2020 and the 2022 -
In that case, it was mostly the SelecTrac transfer case, factory aux switches and a couple of other things. The positive back then was the trade values. It was a fresh start in a few ways as well. (do things over and better - but that's really minor)

I'm still thinking on steel rear bumper for my 2022, and some other things - slight advantage of towing with wider footprint - minor since I don't tow much, but it's a percentage to figure in.

All things have to weigh against other things, pros against cons.


I was 10 years younger when I bought our JD lawn tractor, blade, and other attachments. Snow was a side benefit. It worked but took a long time and was cold out there. As the years went by, the cold had more impact and in winters with much snow - it couldn't pile it high or shove it out of the way as far. Normal winters were fine, so it's a some years it worked ok, other years it was painful. (getting it stuck when it's 0 degrees out wasn't fun, either - you have to have something to pull it out with so you were taking time doing that)
As time passed, we'd talked off and on about doing something to make it easier (wife also concerned about health - she's trying hard to get me to live longer)

When I figure costs on things, I also try to figure things like tires, and more. Since I'll need tires on this one this year, that moves the cost of a set of tires into the calculations. Minor, I know - but still.......... it's a reality. So later this summer, I'll be putting up probably $1x00 or so for a set of tires.

I love how my Mojave tows. Its a lot better than my Aunt's rubicon. Her's stickers a 1000 lbs more capacity but its seriously under dampened. I'd rather tow her max on my mojave. Hopefully red body shocks will fix her issue if they ever come in stock. I hear ya, on the trade value as well. Plus getting those widetrac axles if you didn't have em before is really nice. I like the selec case in my aunt's rubi but its auto 4wd func would be better with a LSD rear like on a max tow sport rather than open diff on the Mojave and Rubi. I didn't opt for the selec case on my Mojave. If its a good deal then i'd get it and make the plow hook up work. I know AEV makes resivoir mounts that shouldn't be in the way. and the stock skid is just 4 bolts.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Crap - now dealer says "you can keep your tonneau cover and move it over to a new Gladiator". There goes a $1K excuse.
I was asking about other level options to get some stuff settled, and just chat and have coffee and talk Jeeps and the new Dodge cars coming out.... and I said "that one is nice but I'd have to kick in for another tonneau cover......... and he says nope, keep it.

He says "put the plastic bumper back on" and that means I'd have an extra steel front bumper.
He's still working, still trying. (Eibach rear shocks they don't care about, either)

Sponsored