Your suggestion for hitches is interesting! I guess I disagree with the idea of stiffening the frame, though.<br><br>A few thoughts on stiffening the frame (if it has a bonafide frame) - generally speaking, a reasonably flexible frame offers superior performance over an in flexible frame in torturous terrain. Stiff chassises are better on pavement / highspeed tracks, of course. Somewhat mutually exclusive goals. One of the (several) reasons why many manufacturers are moving to independent suspensions on "small" 4x4s is to compensate somewhat for lack of flexibility in the uni-body type construction that results in superior pavement / highway driving characteristics (99.99% of most buyer's miles) but seriously impairs "off road ability". If you ever have the opportunity to watch 1st hand (or even better, drive on) a vehicle test track, like the one at Aberdeen Proving Ground, you'll see what I'm talking about. Flexible stuff keeps the wheels on the ground and keeps moving. Stiff stuff has tires spinning uselessly in the air. This pretty much validates my experiences out on "real" terrain.<br><br>Here's a clip from the Jeep site: "Grand Cherokee's frame is built to handle many types of road conditions. It's fully integral with the body of the vehicle which creates a more durable construction. This type of engineering also contributes to a smooth, quieter on-road performance." <br><br>Notice the word "road", not "off-road".<br><br>Translation: It's a unibody with some box sections that resemble a frame but really aren't - flex that too much and you'll pop welds or bend something. The Cherokee was discontinued in 2001 - the Grand Cherokee the quote refers to may or may not have the same chassis as the previous - I do not know. <br><br>Having said that... the Cherokee Sport was / is a great utility vehicle. I used one (4x2) as my work vehicle 'way back, and that 4.0 L six had plenty of power - I imagine that the later models have even better torque and HP. Like most smaller vehicles, I suspect that front axle and transfer case could stand a little beefing up IF severe duty off-road is going to be a regular feature. Note: "severe" <grin> - I suppose that's any use that breaks things... urban mythology has it that Matt may face that kind of hazard in NYC potholes...TIC<br><br>The Cherokee Sport that Matt got is a really nice ride and has a huge "fan club". But I'm not an expert on Cherokees... ask me about Ford 3/4 tons; I know a bit about them. <br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom<br><br>