Author: Barry

Dave @ eWillys posted an article on Kaiser’s efforts to standardize marketing. The article contains a silent film featuring examples of published brochures and film scenes –

We contacted the folks at Periscope Films in hopes of learning more about the origins of the color film clips. We are pretty certain that these same or similar scenes appear in the 1954 movie that introduced the new CJ5 –

We plan to do a comparison of the two films and are pretty confident that a narrated script is out there for the first one. We believe the introduction of the CJ5 caused a delay in the release of the color movie. So many questions. Why was the CJ5 movie filmed in B/W? Probably for cost savings.

In the meantime, you can watch the films and see how many scenes from the first you can spot in the second.

Speaking of videos

We have added some short videos of David Linebaugh’s CJ5 in action. You can see them at https://www.farmjeep.com/farm-jeep-plowing/

In 2015, we posted about a 1955 Jeep ad that appeared to use the very same graphics used for Newgren plows in 1948. Our friend Clint Dixon gave us his theory about what might have happened. We have updated the post with what we have learned –

The 2021 show season is underway, marking the first time since 2019 the Farm Jeep has been on the road. We have been to two shows and both have been bigger and better than before.

Our friend Rick delivered the “new” old Newgren/Wiard plow to us from Wrens, GA and we have been able to display it at two shows. The best part is loading and unloading the CJ3a from the car hauler. In the past, because the plows we were using didn’t have a “short mast” we couldn’t lift them high enough to prevent the plow from dragging on the ground. The “correct” lift combined with the “correct” plow made everything better. It all works!

We met David Linebaugh at the 2021 Willys Rally in Hueston Woods, Ohio. You can read David’s story of competitive plowing with a CJ5 and a Monroe lift below.

We have been searching for a WP-1L plow since we acquired our Newgren lift some twenty years ago. So when our friend Bill Norris told us he was looking for one too, we wished him luck. A couple of weeks later, he let us know he had found one.

John Strenk has shared his build of a 3 point lift using a commercial snow plow frame and a custom bumper. We have added it to our list of other hydraulic lifts. Here is the story –

Nate Bolduc runs the Stratton Lift Registry on the EarlyCJ5.com page. He started the registry following his purchase and restoration of a Stratton lift. We have summarized Nate’s story. Enjoy.

A viewer of the Revolution in Pleasantville movie asked a question about the Monroe lift. We turned to our friend Clint Dixon for the answer.

Thanks to bight, from the CJ2a forum, who listed some great old Jeep films available on YouTube. We have added his playlist over on the Farm Jeep YouTube channel, Enjoy!

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It has been 75 years since Jabez Love introduced his hydraulic implement lift and made the Universal Jeep a player in the tractor market. We plan to celebrate the entire year of 2021 with a look back at some of the important early milestones, as well as exploring the Farm Jeep’s later years, with an emphasis on the CJ5 and the Stratton Hydro-Implement Lift.

Our hope is that 2021 will see us back at farm and Jeep shows and that we can resume our research into the history of this remarkable machine. Work is already underway on a story about the company that built the Stratton lift. It will be the center piece as we look at the last decade of the Farm Jeep.

To get us started, here is a short piece on the PTO (power take-off) option that was available on the first civilian Jeep.

It has been a tough year for everyone. When Dave at eWillys posted this ad featuring our favorite Santa Jeep (featured in last year’s Christmas post), we were reminded that there have been many hard times that have been part of the Jeep’s history. The ad, from very early in the war, is a clear indicator that the Jeep could provide comfort and joy even in the worst of times.

This is where we would normally recount the wonderful things that have happened during the year and there have been a few. They give us hope that the New Year will be merrier. This year will be remembered for what we lost. There is no way around it.

One high point and the very lowest point of the year involved our friend John Ittel. In April, an article, Farm Jeeps At Work, was published, that featured the demonstration John hosted each year. Then came the terrible news that John had lost his battle with cancer.

Next year, we will dedicate oursleves to recording the stories and histories that help us remember the past and to celebrate the friendships that we have made.

For now, stay warm and safe. We are looking forward to a Happy 2021.

Barry & Evan

The Jeep-A-Trench was one of the first “special purpose” accessories added to the CJ2a. We normally think of the trenchers, as belonging to the “industrial” branch of the Willys Jeep story. But these special machines played an important role in agriculture and so we are giving them there own page.