With a top speed of 45MPH, it isn’t practical to drive the CJ3a to shows. We have driven it to the county fair, but that is only 20 minutes away and we were sharing the road with other tractors and not big rigs. So we have always used a Ford 150 to haul the Jeep on an 18′ car (in this case Jeep) trailer. It just didn’t seem right that we had to rely on a Ford to haul our little Jeep. So when Jeep announced that they would build a Gladiator with enough towing capacity to meet our needs. Barry started saving his pennies. Lots and lots of pennies
The New Tow Rig
This morning Barry headed to the 2021 Power of the Past show in Greensburg, IN, about an hour away as the first test of the new setup. The Gladiator or JT (the truck model) as we call it is much smaller than the F150 and has a short 5′ bed. So we are having to pack more efficiently But there is plenty of room on the trailer and we strapped the second shelter to the front. Everything else we normally haul to a show fit nicely in the bed or rear seat. Barry’s F150 had a small 4″ backup camera and the JT’s large screen with a zoom feature made the hook up a breeze.
2021 Power of the Past
Barry’s drive to the show early this morning was uneventful and the truck performed as advertised. As it is setup for towing with the Tow Max package and brake controller we didn’t expect any difficulties. The only issue was the threatening skies, but the rain never materialized.
The Power of the Past show is one of our favorites. There are somewhere around 300 hundred or so tractors (and one Jeep). The show has expanded and there was plenty of room to set up our display with both canopies. Barry is considering parking the JT next to the 3a and opening the hoods so people can see 70 years of change (he won’t call it progress).
And then there is the food…
We have written before about the joys of farm show food. This year’s offerings are even bigger with new items. It is starting to resemble a county fair in terms of fun treats. Barry went to his favorite vendor for a hand breaded tenderloin. For those unfamiliar with this Hoosier treat, think chicken-fried steak but with a pounded pork loin. We will end today’s post with a couple of beauty shoots.
Day 2
Day 2 turned out to be hot and humid. A highlight of the day was watching a long line of tractors form up before heading out on a morning cruise and lunch ride. We often point out to tractor owners that if they had a Farm Jeep that wouldn’t have to wait for a show to drive to lunch. But we try to be kind and not wear out our welcome, so we mostly just wave as they drive off.
While there are lots of tractor, the crowds remain small, perhaps due to the heat. It also means shorter lines at the food vendors. Today’s menu included a butterflied pork chop sandwich, followed by a piece of pie served up by the church ladies.
Day 3
Day 3 was the “big” day with lots of activities, including a tractor parade.
We have to admit to chuckling at the tractor cruises and parades. People will line up for an hour for a short drive past a review stand. A Jeep can drive to the local drive-in summer, winter, spring or fall. Jeeps are better than tractors.
The only disappointment of Day 3 was the result of being overcome by a desire to test out a another tenderloin sandwich offered up as “Award Winning”. Now the vendor didn’t say who give the award. It was a grade “C” tenderloin. Good, but not great. We had to overcome our sadness with some home made ice cream churned with a hit-n-miss engine.
It was actually a fun final day. We heard lots of Jeep stories. As we left, we snapped a picture of the 3a in the mirror.
It reminded us of a picture from all those years ago.
The trip home was great. The JT is a perfect tow vehicle.
