Jeeps Tested For Farm Use In 1942

Jeeps Tested For Farm Use In 1942 Millions of soldiers returning to U.S. farms after WWII brought pent-up demand for mechanical power. During the conflict, many had become experienced drivers of a peppy, nimble 4-WD 1/4-ton vehicle that handled mud, dust, snow and virtually any terrain. Soldiers bragged, “It’ll do anything except climb a tree.” Today we know that vehicle as a Jeep. More on the name later. Back on U.S. soil, soldiers-turned-farmers wondered whether those trusty 4-WD vehicles could plant seeds, pull a plow or disc, cut and rake hay, and maybe even replace “horse power.” Their thinking aligned with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, which began testing the military vehicles for potential farm use in 1942. The Farm Tillage Machinery Laboratory in Auburn, Ala., acquired two of them, modified the 134-cu in. Willys “Go-Devil”engines to produce 63 hp, and connected them to mowers, discs, plows, cultivators and hay racks. Testing showed the vehicles had plenty of power, but they also consumed 50% more fuel than a similarly powered tractor. Its wheelbase was fixed at 80 in., whereas some tractors had adjustable wheels. Engineers also thought the high-revving 2,000-rpm 4-cyl. engine would wear out sooner than a slower-revving Ford 9N or 2N, especially when used for plowing.  Those negative reviews, however, didn’t deter Willys. The company launched a civilian Jeep, introducing the CJ name, and called it the CJ-1. One of the CJ models was an AgriJeep, marketed as a perfect combination of mobile power and a 3-pt. hitch. It could haul farm supplies, drag logs, cut hay and dig post holes. Advertising boasted that it could do the work of two draft horses and operate at 4 mph for 10 hr a day.  Meanwhile, tractor production at many companies was ramping up, and competition was fierce. Only 70 farm-specific Jeeps were produced because Willys wasn’t regarded as a tractor company. However, Jeep’s popularity was just beginning. The CJs soon became the go-to vehicle for open-air driving and off-roading. More than 215,000 were built before the CJ-3A replaced the CJ in 1949. The company produced the first all-steel station wagon in 1949 and eventually several truck models. There’s more to the vehicle’s backstory and the history behind its name. When the U.S. entered WWII in 1941, the military recognized the need for a nimble 4-WD vehicle. More than 135 automakers were asked to produce a small, handy prototype in less than 3 mo, an astounding request. Only three companies responded. The American Bantam Car Company produced a Reconnaissance Car. Willys-Overland contributed the Willys Quad (designated 4-WD). Ford produced the Pygmy. Military engineers were most impressed with the Willys Quad. Features from all three prototypes were integrated into the Willys MB and the Ford GPW. Over 4 years, nearly 650,000 were produced for military use: 360,000 MBs and 270,000 GPWs. Their design, functionality, durability and ease of repair gave the Allies a leg up in mobility, communications and weapons deployment. Germany even credited the Jeep as the single most important vehicle in the Allied arsenal, ahead of tanks and airplanes. Now, Jeep is one of the world’s most iconic brands. The name likely originated with the Popeye comic strip character “Eugene the Jeep.” Popular in the 1930s, Eugene was a small, yellow animal with supernatural abilities who communicated by saying the word “jeep.” Soldiers first saw the Ford version of the vehicle, badged the GPW, and shortened the initials to the word jeep. The name became common among the general public when Irving “Red” Hausman, a Willys test driver, drove a Willys Quad vehicle up the steps of the U.S. Capitol in 1941, carrying several dignitaries. Katherine Hillyer, a Washington Daily News reporter, wrote about the event and captioned the vehicle a “Jeep.” The legendary name and brand soon spread far and wide. Collectors have restored hundreds of military Jeep models. Many have been converted into rescue vehicles, water pumpers for firefighting, and even power sources for sawmills.  FARM SHOW has written about an inventor who installed a diesel engine in a CJ-5 (Vol. 45, No. 3); a farmer who “tractorized” a Jeep Wagoneer (Vol. 33, No. 4); a Washington farmer who pulled an 8-ft field harrow with his 1953 CJ-3 (Vol. 22, No. 1); and a Tennessee farmer who made his “Jeeptor” into a big round bale mover (Vol. 19, No. 5). Inventive and mechanically minded farmers have turned Jeeps into practical farm helpers, even though the brand never became an ag tractor. For more Jeep history, visit www.jeep.com, www.mikesresearch.com, or www.kaiserwillys.com.

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