In order to have a handy place to mount a winch or
other accessories on the front of my 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo, I installed a Hidden
Hitch front receiver hitch
for Jeep XJ.
One problem I had with the front receiver hitch was that the tube often
filled with mud on off road adventures. I recently made the steel plug
you see in the above picture of the Hidden Hitch receiver. The integrated
tow hooks (red in the picture above) get more use than the actual receiver.
They are very strong and easy to connect to.
The front receiver hitch makes a pretty effective skid plate for the front
of the XJ. However it does reduce ground clearance significantly.
You can see the scuffs on the bottom of the steel plug as evidence.
For another option for a front receiver hitch for Jeep XJ integrated into a
front bumper, see my Cheap
Jeep page.
