OLD Farm Jeep Blog

New (&Old) Farm Jeep site!

noreply@blogger.com (Evan) — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 11:28:00 +0000

We are happy to announce the launch of the new www.farmjeep.com site It is still a work-in-progress, but this update is long overdue. We have saved the old site at oldfarmjeep.com just in case you might wish to access it. Everything has been moved over to the new site, except for broken items.

We have several goals for the new site. The first is to keep it up to date, eliminating broken links and adding new resource material. The second is to make it easy to find the Farm Jeep information you need. We are making sure all the information we have posted on a subject, the Newgren lift for example, is located in one place.

The third goal is to increase the amount of historic material available from our own research and from others. We will be making articles and resource materials available from our own collection in addition to linking to other sites. We are aware of important farm jeep related sites that have disappeared and hope to bring them back.

The final goal is to continue to tell farm jeep stories and most importantly to have fun sharing them with you.

New Year, Old Project, New Start

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 16:40:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all. Here at FarmJeep.com we are starting the New Year off right with an old project and hoping for a year of old fashion fun. We started our journey in August 2002 with the purchase of a 1947 CJ2a we call "Old Yeller." We knew that a body transplant was in our future even back then.

By March of 2003, we had acquired a "parts" machine and here is a quote from back then-

"The warm spring sunlight shown unflatteringly on the rusted remains of “Old Yeller’s” rear quarter-panels; there’s some sort of barnacle growing on the hood and nothing but sheer force of habit is holding the passenger side front fender in place: We’ve got body issues! Our friend Dottie, whom no one would confuse with a Jeep person, summed the situation when she asked “what doesn’t need to be replaced?”

Clearly something needed to be done. But as the story goes, that parts Jeep turned out to be a 3a that would become "Ole Blue" and it has consumed all our time and money for the past 15 plus years. Meanwhile, other than developing a smoking habit, Yeller has been our faithful working Farm Jeep. Over a year ago, our friend Craig (finder of Newgren plows) found a great deal on a complete reproduction body kit. We purchased the kit and immediately placed it in the barn.

This time will be different

Blue was a "down to the frame" restoration. This time we will concentrate on building a work Jeep, not a road worthy "show" Jeep. Plans over the next couple of months include removing the motor and the old body. We will have the engine overhauled while we will prep and paint the body. Blue had a professional paint job. As our friend John Ittel says, it will be a 20 foot job - looks great from 20 feet away.

With the body off, we will clean and paint the frame and correct any major issue. Since we replaced all the brake hardware, we will just do maintenance work. We do plan to install a new clutch while the engine is out (makes it a simple process).

Hunting gathering

Since acquiring the body kit, we have collected a new wiring harness. We need to gather all the other bits and pieces needed to install the body (nuts, botls, etc.). We will make a decision on gauge replacements on a case by case basis. Some gauges have been replaced over the years. Others, like the speedometer have been ignored.

We will also be gathering information on installing the tub. Blue had a professionally prepared tub, requiring minimal body work. Based on the experience of others, as described on CJ forums, we will need to learn new metal working skills.

Step 1. Remove....

The picture above shows that the first step has been taken. We removed the hood, the tailgate and tailgate chains. While we are confident we can have a working Jeep in a few months, we will take our time and most importantly have some fun. We hope to share that fun here. Stay tuned.

Telling the Farm Jeep Story

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 16:48:00 +0000

Since 2002, Evan and I have shared this site for our own pleasure and hope that others enjoy it too. A series of events has caused me to take a different direction from all play and no work. I have become more concerned with preserving the Farm Jeep history. And a recently published article has me asking another question - who should tell these stories?

The December 2018 issue of Farm Collector magazine contains an article titled “The Farm Jeep-- Low-cost alternative to the tractor couldn’t cut it on the farm” by Darrel Wrider. Even before reading the article, I was offended by the title. How could anyone say such negative things about our beloved Farm Jeep? How could the author have made so many mistakes? How could the editor allow this to happen? I lost sleep trying to figure out how to correct this injustice.

I contacted the author at the provided email address, trying my best to appear to be a calm rational being. I asked him for his Jeep story, the one that had led him to write the article. He replied that he didn’t really have a Jeep story and in fact had never seen a Farm Jeep. He just thought it would be a fun article to write and gathered his information from the Web. He hadn’t found farmjeep.com in his searches.

How could this happen? Don’t we of the Willys community have exclusive rights to these stories? After more fuming, a letter to the editor and more lost sleep, it finally occurred to me that the answer is simple. In this day and age there are no such niceties as staying in your own lane. Mr. Wrider has every right to publish what he wishes for fun or profit and is not beholding to anyone. The Web is where we get our information, factual or otherwise. Like it or not, Mr. Wrider beat me to the punch with his story. I am saddened that the article readers will have a very incomplete introduction to the Farm Jeep. But the article is also an unbiased assessment based on the data Mr. Wrider had in front of him.

So. who should tell the Farm Jeep stories? I know for certain that we are blessed with members of the Jeep community who have worked to preserve history. While researching the four companies that produced the Farm Jeep lifts, certain names kept appearing. We have authors and publishers. We have a wealth of knowledge that needs to be preserved and shared.

What is to be done? My wish for the New Year is that the keepers of the Farm Jeep history will continue to share the told and untold stories through whatever means they have. In the forums, in articles or on the Web. We should tell the story and soon. There is already a segment of the public whose impression of the Farm Jeep is that it was a short-lived failure. Say it ain’t so….

Barry

600+ Tractors and 1 - make that 2 - Farm Jeeps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 14:30:00 +0000

A small sample of hundreds of tractors on display

The Pioneer Engineers Club of Indiana held their 70th show at the club's farm site, just south of Rushville., IN. Farm Jeep was there for three days and for two of those days was the lone Jeep on the grounds. More on that later.

This was our first year showing at this event and we will be back. Since the club operates on a working farm (owned by the club) there are demonstrations of all kinds of farm activities from plowing to threshing. A major feature is the 20-30 operating steam engines, that lead the daily hour-long parade of tractors. This year's featured tractor was the Oliver and there were over a hundred tractors representing that brand. The other 400 or more tractors were spread out among tree-shaded spaces and open fields.

One of the many steam engines parading each day.

The featured steam engine was the Reeves Pulley Company machine made in Farm Jeep's home town of Columbus, IN. The steam collection also included a 1921 Stanley Steamer Limo. This beauty could be seen being driven around the grounds several times a day. The noon-time blowing of the steam engines' "dinner whistle" was preceded by a warning to cover the ears of small children. The show has something for everyone, including a couple of Farm Jeeps. As recently discussed here, tractor shows attract food vendors and this show was no exception. There must have been a dozen food offerings.

Ready to tell the Farm Jeep story

The Farm Jeep, as always, drew a large number of visitors. We were located near the main buildings and, important for us, near the food vendors. Over the years, we have added informational items to the display that help tell the Farm Jeep story. We recently started carrying our collection of reproduction dealer "special equipment" books. These books list the items that had been tested and "Jeep Approved". This add-on equipment ranges from hydraulic lifts and implements to industrial welders and air compressors.

During the show, we were able to use the books to help identify equipment for owners. One visitor was a gentleman who said he had a sickle-bar mower for his Jeep that was supposed to be mounted on the driver's side. We were able to show him the ad for the K&K mower and provide him with some additional information. We hope he will display his Jeep and mower at next year's show.

We heard many fun stories, including another hay baling tale. A visitor said his father and uncle had used an International Harvester (IH) baler that was powered by an IH Cub tractor motor and pulled by a Jeep. While the Jeep is long gone, the baler is still in the family and is operational. Since he lived nearby the show, we told him it would be great if he could find a Jeep and display the baler, as an example of one of the most common tasks for the Farm Jeep. It would be fun to add to the number of Farm Jeeps on display. It has always been a dream to be the featured "tractor" at some future show, but we need numbers.

Speaking of more Farm Jeeps, the second Farm Jeep, a 1948 CJ2a with a PTO was there for a very special reason. It had been used to transport the owner's daughter to her wedding a couple of weeks ago. The new bride and groom wanted to be in the parade. Another great use for a Farm Jeep.

Happy couple with a "Just Married" sign leave the parade route - notice the food trucks in the background.

More Newgren History, thanks to eWillys

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 18:38:00 +0000

Dave, at eWillys.com posted an early Jeep testimonial letter that included information on the pull-type Newgren plow. Barry asked if there were other documents available and Dave responded with another article. It was like Christmas in July for Barry. The following is a discussion of a couple of the ads that were posted.

A point in history

We posted a brief history of Jeep lifts and part of that story involved the Monroe Auto Equipment Company purchase of the Newgren Equipment Company. Monroe stopped production of the Newgren hydraulic lift and Newgren became the major producer of implements for the Monroe Hydraulic Lift. Newgren would later be sold to American Bantam. The documents in the eWillys article give us a snapshot of the quick transition of Newgren from producers of lifts and related equipment to a provider of equipment for Monroe.

This page from the Willys-Overland Equipment shows both the old and new Newgren. The plow is a model WP-L1 (made by the Wiard Plow Company for Newgren) with the distinctive "short" mast, The mast is the structure at the top of the plow that is the third "point" of the 3-point lift. Both the Love and Newgren lifts required plows to have a short mast to maintain proper 3-point lift geometry. The design of these two lifts allowed for use of the tailgate and bed at the expense of some equipment performance. It is interesting to note that the Stratton lift produced in the early 1960s overcame this geometry problem, allowing, once again, for the use of the tailgate and bed space with the lift installed. The Monroe lift placed the lift in the bed and the top link (the point that attaches to the mast) location matched that of the Ford/Ferguson system. That system would become the standard for 3 point hitches in 1959 when patents expired.

The opening statement "FOR USE WITH THE JEEP EQUIPPED WITH MONROE HYDRAULIC LIFT OR SIMILAR SYSTEMS, OR TRACTORS HAVING 3 POINT HITCH AND HYDRAULIC LINKAGE SYSTEMS" provides some important information. First the Monroe lift has replaced the Newgren lift at this time, although we know the "similar systems" refers to the Newgren (or Love) lift. The fact that it will work on "tractors having 3 point hitch(s)" - that would only be Ford and Ferguson tractors - confirms Love, Newgren and Monroe had managed to make lifts that matched the Ford/Ferguson system without violating very strong patents. No other tractor manufacturer was able to accomplish that until the patents expired.

The line "When ordering, specify the type of Jeep hydraulic lift or name of tractor used on" would seem to imply that the plow could be configured with a "short" or "tall" mast. Newgren would shortly drop the Wiard made plow, replacing it with models that would continued to be sold until the early 1960s, For the Newgren plow collector, the fact that you could order the plow with different mast sizes makes plow hunting more interesting. As Newgren plow historian Clint Dixon says "So if you find an early Newgren with a tall mast, does that mean it is a Wiard that never got modified to make a Newgren, or a Newgren that got re-modified to become a Wiard again?"

Scooped

Again we see the statement that the scoop is designed for the Monroe lift, but when we see the scoop in action, it is on a Newgren lift. Perhaps there wasn't time to get new photographs of the Monroe lift. All of the ads in this edition of the Equipment Book show equipment attached to Newgren lifts and not the Monroe. That would change with the next publication of the Equipment Book.

That old control on the dash issue

The eWillys article also included an early ad for the lift plow. In the body is the statement "A touch of the control knob on the dash lowers the plow into operating position." We have written a number of times about the "control on the dash" that appeared in the earliest Newgren ads.

We have never seen pictures of the "dash knob" but believe this early brochure confirms that the control was always between the seat and the idea of a "dash knob" was an error by the marketing staff.

Thanks to Dave for providing some summer fun.

Show Time

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 21:53:00 +0000

Our 1949 CJ3a w/ Newgren lift and an American Bantam plow

Spring and summer will find Farm Jeep on the road. We travel to both Jeep shows and antique machinery (a.k.a. tractor) shows in the Midwest. This "beauty" shot above was taken at this year's Willys Jeep Rally held at Hueston Woods Lodge in southeastern Ohio. While we are only half way through the show season, we though it might be fun to share a few of our experiences.

Why is a Jeep better than a tractor?

First, we need to say that we love tractors. We have tractors on the farm. In fact. we will tell you that tractors are better at being tractors than Jeeps are at being tractors. But tractors aren't good at being other things. For example, a tractor doesn't make a good dinning surface. A flat fender Jeep does.

Here are two examples from a recent show. Breakfast, of course, is the traditional biscuits and sausage gravy with a steaming cup of coffee. Eating this dish on your lap is not a good idea. Just try to find a nice flat surface on your Ford 8N,

Lunch is, again, a traditional Midwestern fare of lemonade and a fried, breaded pork tenderloin. Notice how both of these dishes fit so nicely on the Jeep.

This display gives us an opportunity to compare tractor and Jeep shows. At Jeep shows, you may have one or two food vendors. At farm shows, it is much more like a county fair. In fact, many tractor shows are held at fairgrounds, where there are often food stands run by local churches and social organizations in addition to multiple food trucks. Without a doubt tractors are better at attracting food than Jeeps.

But if you are at home and have a hunger attack for an ice cream cone and you own a tractor, you are out of luck. You can't just hop on and drive to town. At tractor shows, you often see tractors being driven around aimlessly. If the owners are lucky there may be a parade, or better yet, a tractor drive on a real road. It is sad that these beautiful machines can't be enjoyed year round. It is clear that owners want the pleasure of a drive. We politely tell the owners (and wives and kids) they should get a Jeep. While tractors may be better at attracting food, they aren't good at fetching. And a Jeep can do all those tractor things, like plowing the garden, too. Simply put, Jeeps are better than tractors.

Making Hay

As we have written here, we want our display to be educational and to tell the Farm Jeep story even if we aren't around. The picture below is displayed on the underside of the raised hood and is an attention grabber for sure.

Since we started displaying the picture, we have heard more stories about making hay with the Jeep than any other farm use. The most common story teller is someone (man and woman), who like the little boy in the passenger seat, rode along with a dad or uncle.

At farm shows, there is also discussion of the baler and its auxiliary engine. In all cases, there is praise for the little Jeep's ability to move quickly between fields. This was especially important for contract balers, who moved equipment from farm to farm. Time saved is money made.

Questions, Questions and They Already Know the Answer

At Jeep shows, we do hear good stories, but we are often asking as many questions of other Jeepers as we answer. At tractor shows we are confronted with lots of questions. Although we have attended some shows for the past several years, there are always a large number of first timers who have never seen a Farm Jeep.

We are compiling a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) that we hear over and over again, along with answers to less frequently asked questions. Those include such items as vehicle weight and gear ratios. From farmers, the number two most popular question is "Can that Jeep really pull that two-bottom plow?" This one we try to answer with data, primarily from the Nebraska Tractor Test. The Farm Jeep was rated about the same as a Ford 8N, a comparison readily understood by these farmers.

The number one and most annoying question - "Have you plowed with it?" It is annoying because we always plan to get the plow in the ground before each show and don't make it happen. Then there are the "regular" attendees who will always ask and they already know the answer. We do try to remain civil.

.

A 1950 CJ3a Jeep Named Rusty Arrives at Farm Jeep

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 21:59:00 +0000

Here at Farm Jeep, we have been happy with our two "farm jeeps" and haven't thought of adding to the herd. We lack the time and space to add more projects. However, one recent morning Barry, as he often does, was looking at the Jeeps for sale over at eWillys.com. There he saw an ad for a 1950 CJ3a equipped with dual wheels all around, a Monroe lift and other farm options. Barry fired off a note to Evan, saying "I'm tempted" and Evan immediately responded "I'm in." So in a matter of moments we were the proud owner of another 3a.

There is nothing we enjoy more that a JRT - Jeep Retrieval Trip. So we headed out to Western Kentucky, about a 4 hour drive. Brad, the seller. turned out to be have his own collection of Jeeps and has a special interest in VEC (very early civilian) models. The acquisition of his latest VEC had changed his plans for the 3a. We could have spent the day with Brad and hope to stay in touch. He had us loaded (doing most of the work) and then took the time to show us his collection of Jeeps, boats and even old bull dozers.

On the trip down, we had time to discuss just what we might do with this Jeep. Given time and budget limitations we decided that we would do preservation work and leave the Jeep as a survivor. Barry was quick to resolve the issue of what to call this jeep. As posted earlier, grandson Robbie has suggested that perhaps a more appropriate name for "Ole Yeller" was Rusty. Barry had no doubt that Rusty was the name Robbie would pick.

What we know

Rusty came without a firewall data plate, but remarkable, the original State of Maryland title. It includes both the engine and body numbers, along with the original owners name. Brad had acquired Rusty from a person who had found it in a Tennessee junk yard. That person saved it from being scrapped. While we don't know the route taken, the original title will help us do some research.

Rusty may have come from the factory with most of his accessories. That would include the Monroe lift, front weight and radiator screen, governor (handle present, but unit missing), and heavy duty springs

There are other interesting clues we need to follow.

Brad had removed the dual wheels. Pictured above is a label still attached to one of the rims. We assume that the dual wheel adapter protected the label. We don't know when the dual wheels were added, but guessing that it was at the time of purchase.

And what we don't know

It appears that some owner added a snow plow setup in the 1960s. The cables on the dash were used to operate the 12 volt electric lift. The governor was removed (but not the control handle) and a modern alternator put in its place. A battery was added for this separate charging system. We don't know what happened to the governor. We have the snow plow motor.

What we don't know is the purpose/use of the outlets added to rear of the Jeep.

The wiring may give us clues.

Next up?

This has all happened so quickly we don't have a plan. For now, we may have to move some farm equipment out of the barn. Summer shows are coming up and we may not get back to Rusty for some time. We will post any new information and looking forward to discussing Rusty and his features with the Jeep community.

1956 CJ5 Jeep Ad - First appearance of a Stratton Hydro-Lift?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 16:10:00 +0000

eWillys post this 1956 newspaper ad -

The drawing with the dirt scoop appears to show a Startton Hydro-Lift. This is the earliest example of ad showing the Stratton lift replacing the Monroe lift.

We will update this post as we learn more.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 18:08:00 +0000

It has been a great year here at Farm Jeep. First came Teddy, the new Lawson Hill Farm puppy. Teddy arrived in March and quickly took up his role as official Jeep dog.

In May, the Spring Willys Reunion was held in Farm Jeep's hometown, Columbus, Indiana. We gave a presentation on the history of the hydraulic lifts that made the Jeep a fully functioning utility tractor. May is our favorite time of year in Indiana, filled with bright, sunny, warm days. But not this year. Storms battered the show, but it was a still a great time.

Summer time and the living is busy. We took the Farm Jeep to a number of antique tractor shows across south central Indiana. These are great events for collecting stories about how Jeeps were used on farms. We plan to post some of those stories here. We also returned to the county fair where the Jeep has become a crowd favorite in the antique equipment tent.

The fall edition of The Dispatcher Classic Willy/Jeep Magazine contains an article, the first of a series on the making of the farm jeep. More articles will be published in the coming year. We have enjoyed working with the editor and the Jeep community in gathering information for our take on history.

The year ended with the surprise of a Bantam plow finding us, as described in our last post. What a very fun year. We definitely look forward to all the discoveries of the next Farm Jeep year.

A Bantam Plow Saved From the Scrap Pile!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 14:47:00 +0000

This is a story we couldn't make up. We received a note from Les from near Waterloo, Ontario who had found our posts about Bantam plows. He said his father had an old plow with a Bantam tag that hadn't been used for 10 years and was about to go to the scrap pile. Les ask if we might know of anyone who would be interested in it.

We jumped on the opportunity. Four days later, Barry was in Ontario to pick up this beauty.

The plow appears to be complete. The coulters are frozen, but the landside gauge wheel hardware is there and is free. It does have on old wire car wheel instead of a Jeep rim. but it adds character. Not sure how much, if any restoration, we will attempt.

The trip

Evan had to miss this JPRT (Jeep parts retrieval trip). Barry's first pre-trip task was to determine what sort of paperwork he would need to bring the plow back to the states. Some net searching indicated that all that was required for used farm equipment was a bill of sale. It would be a 9 hour trip each way, so he decided to break it into two days.

The trip north was uneventful and the weather quite pleasant for the first of December. The best part was meeting Les and his father Leroy. The only downside was Barry was in a rush to get back to the US and couldn't spend more time talking with them. Leroy loaded the plow using his backhoe and even strapped it down, while Barry stood by just admiring the beautiful sight. Leroy supplied a bill of sale and it was all that was needed for getting the plow back home.

Ripley, Believe It or Not

Barry resisted giving Les a hug for sending the note. These were big guys and he wasn't sure that was a Canadian thing. But he did push Leroy for some history. Leroy said, "Well, it's from Ripley, believe it or not!" The plow had been attached to a tractor he had purchased in Ripley, Ontario some 10 years ago. The seller said if he wanted the tractor, he had to take the plow too. So the plow was set aside while the tractor underwent a restoration. The tractor is gone, but the plow remained.

What we learned

Les had sent us the model number NDGP-12, which is the same number used by Newgren. So it is now clear that they did simply change the tag from Newgren to American Bantam, keeping the Newgren model number. Les also sent the serial number 5005. While we don't know what starting number Bantam might have used, it is easy to speculate that they started with 5000 and this was the fifth plow released.

We didn't learn how it arrived in Ripely, but it does give us hope that more Bantam labeled plows will surface. We just hope that there are more people like Les out there who will save them from the scrap pile.

The things we have learned - Newgren hydraluics

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 18:53:00 +0000

Quentin from Ottawa, Ontario, sent us a note and pictures of the Newgren lift that he has rescued. After wandering through the Farm Jeep site, he had questions about bringing the lift back to life Quentin's lift is missing key components, leaving him with the basic frame. While trying to respond to his questions, we thought it might be worthwhile to write a piece on what we have learned since we started our restoration over a decade ago.

Some perspective

The story of the Newgren lift begins and ends in just a couple of years. The Newgren Company began selling a version of the Love Lift in 1946 and stopped production of the its own designed lift sometime after 1948 when it was purchased by Monroe Automotive Equipment Company. The Newgren's simple design has allowed owners to keep the lift working even when key components had to be replaced. Our focus has been to keep our lift as original as possible. We were extremely lucky that our lift came with everything except the pump. Later, we were able to find an original pump and bracket. But between the time we found the the lift and installed the original style pump, we experimented with a number of alternative pump configurations.

This is not a how-to post, rather a more of a don't-do-what-we-did warning. We also don't have complete information on how to replace all the components. But hopefully, we can point Quentin and others in the right direction.

The basics

The Newgren system uses a single-action cylinder. That means hydraulic fluid under high pressure is used to extend the cylinder and raise the implement and the weight of the implement retracts the cylinder to lower it. A control valve is used to direct the fluid for the required action. To raise the implement, the valve must direct the fluid to the upper (or top) chamber of the cylinder. To maintain the position of the implement, the value must shut off flow to the cylinder and dump the fluid being pumped under pressure into the reservoir. To lower the implement, the valve must open the upper chamber and allow the fluid to empty into the reservoir.

When we started, we didn't have this basic understanding and it caused us to make a number of mistakes. For example, a single action cylinder requires a "port" to allow air to move in and of the lower chamber. In most applications, having the air port open to the environment isn't a problem. But with the Newgren setup, the port is right down in the dirt and dust. The designers wisely used the extra space in the reservoir, as an "air tank" by attaching a hose from the lower cylinder port to the top of the reservoir. We overfilled the reservoir, not understanding the need for the air space, and it resulted in a pressurized system. Adding to our problem was the lack of a relief valve as shown in the diagram. The end result was blown seals in the pump and damage to the cylinder seals.

Simple, but not easy

The first piece of the puzzle is to find a single action cylinder that will fit in the frame and has the appropriate bore and stroke. The bore (the diameter of the cylinder in which the piston travels) will determine the speed and power of the lift. The stroke is the distance from a fully closed to a fully extended cylinder. Newgren used at least two different styles of cylinders. Our cylinder body was rusted and had to be replaced. In the process of rebuilding the cylinder the stroke was shortened, mostly like when the rod was replaced. The end result is that we don't have the full range of lift.

The Newgren lift uses a large metal "push" block to move the implement up and down. The critical measurement for the cylinder is the stroke length. The cylinder must be able to push the block and attached short arms through the complete lift arc.

We believe our cylinder to be a 3" bore with a 6" stroke. At this point, we would have hoped to have had a recommendation for a modern day replacement. We don't. We are sure that one exists and we will try get recommendations from others. When we have information we will update this post. But for starters, you will need a cylinder with a base mount that will fit the Newgren frame and no rod mount. The rod rides in the lift block and will require a stop or collar to engage the block.

Going in the right direction

The Love lift and the Newgren lift had a control handle next to the drivers seat. This was possible because the hydraulic control valve is located on the front of the reservoir. It uses a spring-loaded push/pull rod to raise and lower the implement. Releasing the handle returns the valve to the neutral position. Our control valve doesn't seal properly and allows the cylinder to leak down. The Newgren valve doesn't have O-rings or other seals that can be replaced.

We attempted to find a modern control valve to replace the original but haven't been able to do so. An alternative might be to mount a control valve between the seats. You would loose the ability to control the lift from the rear of the jeep, a unique and handy feature, but could maintain the between the seats control. Another alternative would be to adapt the Monroe solution of having the reservoir and the control valve mounted between the seats. In a case, like Quentin's, were you don't have a reserve tank in place, this might be a good alternative.

We are looking for someone to duplicate the Newgren control valve with provisions for O-rings, Again, if we find a source or have a duplicate made we will update this post.

Reservoirations

The original Newgren reservoir fits neatly inside the frame. It has a fitting on top for the air "bleeder" hose described above and the mount for the control valve. Most importantly it is sized to hold the proper amount of fluid and an air pocket for the cylinder. There is no easy way to fill the reservoir (you use the small pipe at the rear of the jeep) and no way to measure the fluid level.

The Newgren reservoir measures roughly 8.5"W x 10.5"L x 4.5"H and is held in the frame by a metal strap. Instructions say to fill the reservoir with 5 quarts of oil. While we are not aware of any ready-made tanks of this size, one could be fabricated. However, the reservoir does not need to be locate in the frame. Other solutions are available.

All kinds of pumps

We have tried a number of different style pumps - crank driven, belt driven and electric. The Newgren lift pump (and the Monroe lift too) used a pump mounted on the front of the crank pulley. The pump was/is the same pump used on International Harvester series "A" and series "C" tractors. It has a flow rate of around 4 GPM. These pumps are still available from IH/Case parts suppliers, but are very expensive. This is the pump we currently have installed.

Pictures of Newgren lifts have shown that belt-driven pumps were also used. Our guess is that these where replacements for the failed crank pulley pump. It should be noted that the Love lift did use a belt driven pump and these may have also been used on the very early Newgren version. The most common belt-driven pump is the Monarch HY-LO series. Good information here - http://www.ewillys.com/2012/10/29/monarch-hy-lo-hydraulic-brochure/

The HY-LO-Jeep pump was commonly used for snow plows and they are still available. This is combination pump/reservoir/control valve. The control valve is operated via a rod that fits through the firewall and a mounting bracket under the dash. For applications like Quentin's, this would be a simple solution. You would not have between-the-seats control or at the back of the lift, but otherwise a very good alternative to the crank pump .

There is a version of the HY-LO-Jack that is a pump only (no reservoir or valve). We own one of these but failed to get it to work properly, most likely because it was worn out. And once these gear type pumps are worn out, they cannot be rebuilt. You need to be very cautious of buying used gear type pumps that have lots of hours on them.

Electrified

A clear advantage of using an electric pump is that it only runs when needed. Our CJ2a had been converted to 12 volts when we found it. Since we were having problems with the HY-LO pumps, we decided to purchased a 12 volt pump off ebay. The first had its own reservoir and this setup did not work well. Unencumbered by the thought process, we simple hooked the two reservoirs together. Rather than try to explain or analyze why this was a bad idea, we will do what we did back then and move to a pump without a reservoir. This second pump, which had been used on a truck lift-gate did work well and served us until we acquired the crankshaft pump and bracket.

At the time when we were searching for an electric pump, there were few options within our budget. A check of ebay today shows many pumps available. Included in the list at the time of this posting was a 12 volt version of the Monarch HY-LO pump.

We have seen pictures of Newgren lifts using 6 volt versions of this pump. They were mounted between the driver's seat. Unfortunately, 6 volt pumps are hard to find and if you want to keep the stock electrical system, this may not be an alternative.

What would we do?

Our initial goal had been to have a working lift. But then as we learned more about the Newgren history and built a second jeep, the goal changed to having a lift that was as original as possible. Our lift is more show than go. So what would we do if we were just looking for a working lift, as Quentin is doing?

Since he is missing so many components, we would find a cylinder and use a HY-LO belt-driven pump. That pump would provide three of the four missing components. It has been used by many Newgren owners and can still be found in good shape. This is the arrangement that John Ittel run's on one of his 3Bs and says it works well. John has a number of Newgren lifts among his collection of farm jeeps and we would take this as a good recommendation.

We would carry the frame to a good hydraulic shop and have them find an appropriate cylinder. One of the joys of the Newgren design is that the frame stripped of its components is easy to haul around.

If the jeep will have a 12 volt system, then an electric pump with reservoir and a control valve between the seats would be a good working option. We like the option of the pump being active only when needed.

Given our experience we would not recommend duplicating the Newgren reservoir and control valve. The reservoir is difficult to fill and there is no way to determine the fluid level. It should be possible to modify the design to overcome these issues. If so, coupled with a modern control valve it could allow between the seats operation.

If you want a crank driven pump, you can purchase the IH/Case pump. Newgren used two types of brackets. The first was a simple strap metal design that could easily duplicated. You would need to use the Monroe style coupler to mate the pump to the crankshaft.

The "special" crankshaft and pump adapter used on the early Newgren offer no special advantages. It may difficult to find the Monroe style, but it is much improved design and uses the standard Willys pulley.

We would again look at a simpler pump solution, either electric or belt-driven. Whatever your pump choice, make sure that there is a pressure relief valve in the system. A lack of one, coupled with are lack of knowledge cost us two pumps.

Hope this helps

As we stated at the beginning, this post is not a how-to, but a way to share some of our lessons-learned and idea of what we may have done based on hindsight. We welcome comments and corrections.

Love is everywhere....

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Oct 2017 22:06:00 +0000

Original Love Lift

Just received a note from Justin, from Jeffersonville, IN, about rescuing a 1962 CJ3B. The jeep had lived and worked on a family friend's farm. The owner had passed away a few years ago and the jeep was resting unused in a field. The jeep has an original model Love Lift and was used for mowing around the farm.

Justin is planning on repairing the lift and making it operational again. He asked if we had any additional information on the lift and unfortunately we don't. The sales/installation brochure is the best documentation we have ever seen. We have been working on the history of the Love Lift and while we have learned some interesting facts, we have not uncovered any information that might be useful to a restorer.

What struck us about Justin's find is that the lift, most likely made in 1946, was installed and working in a 1962 CJ3B. The Love Lift, like the Newgren and Stratton models that fit under the bed, would need no modifications to be installed in any post-WWII jeep. It is possible, maybe even probable that the lift had been installed on one or two earlier model jeeps before ending up here.

Control lever next to the driver's seat

We continue to marvel at the engineering of the Love Lift. Love was able to design the lift to work with Ford-Ferguson 3-point implements, a feat major tractor manufacturers weren't able to accomplish until patents expired in the 1960s. So nearly 70 years later Love's creation is still (or soon will be again) working on the farm. We think that is a great farm jeep story.

A Home Town Jeep Heater

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 18:00:00 +0000

The Small Town Jeep Club held its 2017 Aaron Thompson Memorial Jeep Show in a park just east of our home town of Columbus, Indiana. The event featured a couple of hundred jeeps of all ages and we took the Farm Jeep to add to the fun. We did have fun, but the real excitement began when we were parked next to a beautiful red 1947 CJ2a.

The jeep in its original red paint had been found in a Columbus garage. The lucky owner got the jeep, which had been sitting for a couple of decades, running with minimal effort. Air in the tires, fresh fuel and a new battery were all that was required to get it rolling. While the owner doesn't have a lot of history, the 2a does provide some clues. Barely visible on the lower windshield frame are the remains of a sign that ended with GARAGE.

As we walked around the well preserved jeep we spotted an unusual heater located on the passenger side. The knob read "ARVIN" and the owner confirmed that the heater works well.

Columbus was home to the company that became Arvin Industries from 1919 until the year 2000 . The complete story is at Preserving Arvin. It is more personal at Farm Jeep, since Barry's father worked at Arvin. Barry also worked at Arvin in the summers when attending Purdue University. So this was a fun discovery.

While we didn't examine the heater we are guessing it is the Universal model pictured in a 1941 catalog. While Arvin had models for specific vehicles, the jeep wasn't around then.

According to the Preserving Arvin site, the company did produce a number of parts for jeeps and other military vehicles during WWII. Maybe we can find other Arvin products are a part of jeep history.

Farm Jeep at the Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Aug 2017 12:21:00 +0000

We love going to the country fair. We can drive there with the plow hanging off the back. We've won our share of ribbons, but the real reason we go is to meet and talk with the many people who have never seen a farm jeep. Bartholomew County is home to a number of major players in the transportation industry, including Cummins Engine Company.

The fair is all about food for many people and there are large lunch-time crowds. We time our visits around lunch and not just for the pork chop sandwich served up by local producers, but so we can talk to the many engineers and techs from the area. They wander through the antique equipment tent that is on the route from the parking lot to the food stands. A very large percentage stop at the Farm Jeep display

Most of the questions are technical in nature, rather than functional (how well does it pull that plow?) questions we are ask at tractor shows. It is not unusual to see someone hand off his cup of home-made ice cream to a friend while he takes a look at the underside of the jeep.

The last day of the fair, we added a portable DVD player to show a short (7 minute) Willys promotional film. As you might expect from a crowd on a time schedule, there were only a few people who watched the entire film. But we expect it to be a bigger hit at the next show. We continue to search for ways to provide information about the jeep's role in farming history.

Speaking of farming history

Our favorite part of traveling to shows of all kinds is the opportunity to meet and talk with people. Over the years, we have heard many personal accounts that tell the Farm Jeep story in ways that ads and promotional films can't. We plan, in the coming months, to start recording some of those stories here.

A Brief History of Jeep Implement Lifts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 May 2017 16:06:00 +0000

The Spring Midwest Willys Reunion was held in our home town and we were asked to give a presentation on the history of the hydraulic lifts available for the early civilian jeeps. The weather didn't really cooperate, but we did have a nice group willing to stand in the rain to hear what we had to say. Below is a summation of what we shared.

Introduction

A hydraulic farm implement lift or 3-point hitch as it is commonly referred to, was available almost from the beginning of CJ production, until the early 1960s. We are going to look at the development of the three earliest “Jeep Approved” lifts and touch briefly on the fourth and final Stratton Lift. By “Jeep Approved” we mean those lifts that came from the factory, the dealer or manufacturer and appeared in Jeep ads. There are many other lifts developed during this period, but we will not address them here.

We are drawing on the work of Clint Dixon, who has and is doing extensive research on both Newgren and Monroe lifts. Clint owns a Monroe lift and uses Newgren plows, but doesn’t own a jeep. Monroe produced a lift for the Dodge Power Wagon, which is what Clint drives. For Clint to discover anything about his lifts and plows he had to go through the history of the farm jeep and we are the beneficiaries of all that work.

Our second special resource is Jerry Wittkop of Monroe Michigan who also doesn't own a jeep. Jerry is a retired engineer from Monroe Auto Equipment Company and is the curator of a display in the Monroe County Historical Society Museum. When Jerry joined Monroe as a newly graduated engineer in the late 1940s, his first assignment was to work on the new Monroe jeep lift. If you are a Monroe lift fan, you owe it to yourself to see Jerry’s display and you may even get a chance to visit with him.

In the beginning

To understand the history of the jeep lifts, we need to go back before the jeep was even on the drawing board. J B Love was a young engineer from Michigan who in the mid-1930s saw a need for a new type of farm vehicle. He had observed the fruit farmers of the area gathering their crops from the fields, transporting them to the barn and then loading them onto trucks for the trip to the market. To solve this problem Love made a tractor out of a model 'B' Ford motor and truck transmission, with a truck rear-end, and called it a 'TRUCTOR.' The farmer could go from field to market traveling on the roads at about 40 miles an hour. Mr. Love made these Tructors from 1933-1936.

In 1939, Love saw a demo of the Ford-Ferguson system and immediately purchased a Ford dealership. Love saw the 3-point hitch as the future of farming. Based on customer demand, he developed his own line of 3 point implements.

The next we hear of Mr. Love, he is working as a consultant to Willys during the war as a designer of the post-war jeep. Willys was looking at a combination truck and tractor design for the civilian jeep and since Love had built the “Tructor” we can only assume that is how the connection is made.

Image from the www.cj3a.info page

By 1945, Love had designed and patented the first “Jeep Approved” lift and began selling it through Willys dealerships. The patent was obtain by the Newgren Company in late 1946 or early 1947. This company had been formed by George Newlin and Robert Green, both formerly with Willys. (As a side note Jerry pronounces the name as “new-green” while most people say “new-grin. Since Jerry was there we are considering the way we pronounce it too.)

While we do not know the number of original Love Lifts that were produced, we do know that Newgren quickly made modifications to the hitch, even as they sold the lifts as the Love Hydraulic Lift System. Pictures from a 1947 Popular Science article clearly shows the familiar Newgren hitch design and the Love hydraulic pump arrangement. Newgren then moved from the dash control and belt driven pump to the between the seats control and the crankshaft driven pump probably in 1947.

Meanwhile Monroe was looking at its own design for a lift. The family owned company had provided a number of products toward the war effort, especially in aircraft. They had used their expertise in hydraulic systems and expanded their knowledge of manufacturing components in the development of landing gear and bomb bay door systems for heavy bombers. Like many companies they were looking at how to turn their war-time expertise into new products. Examples of those products are on display at Jerry’s exhibit and range from golf balls (molding technologies) to the Jeep lift.

Monroe was a major supplier to Willys before the war and had a strong relationship with the company that was located just down the road. The Monroe engineers took a fresh look at the lift design for the jeep and were testing the system with Ferguson equipment by the summer of 1947. The patent for the system was awarded in 1948.

Testing showed that the Monroe system performed better with Ferguson and other 3-point implements when compared to the Newgren Lift and Willys seems to have agreed. Monroe purchased Newgren in late 1947 with the idea of gaining a supplier who had both established manufacturing contacts for implements and an already established distribution network.

In 1948, Monroe sold Newgren to American Bantam Car Company and moved Newgren’s operation to Butler, PA. To understand why this sell was made, we need to go back to the Ford-Ferguson story. Ferguson started selling his own implements and at one time had a distributorship arrangement with Willys to sell plows through Jeep dealerships. Meanwhile following the war, Henry Ford II decided Ford should be making implements for Ford tractors and started the Dearborn Implement Company. Ferguson began to see Jeep as another competitor and was moving to stop the arrangement with Willys.

Newgren was to develop a complete line of implements to use with the Monroe Lift. They did for a short period produce a wide range of 3-point implements. But by 1950, Newgren as a company had all but disappeared. Here the story becomes murky. We do know that Newgren style plows show up in Jeep ads for the new CJ5 in the mid-1950s.

Monroe Lifts were available until we believe around 1956. We are still researching this period, but we do know the fourth and final “Jeep Approved” lift appeared in the early 1960s. The Stratton Equipment Company of Cleveland, OH filed for a patent in 1960 and was awarded a patent in 1963 for a new type of lift. This lift combined the best of the Newgren and Monroe lifts. The Startton Lift fits under the bed, a major advantage over the Monroe, while providing improved 3-point geometry.

We have little history of the Stratton Company other than they developed hydraulic systems used in the refuse hauling and material handlers from the 1940s. There are pictures of their equipment if you do a Google search. We have just received an ad from Clint showing a Stratton tailgate lift “Jeep Approved” for the Jeep FC truck. So clearly a relationship existed between the companies.

The question remains as to who provided the lift design? Did Jeep go to Stratton and ask for an under-bed design that restored a popular selling feature of the Love and Newgren lifts? Or did Stratton go to Jeep with a design after they had established a relationship?

In the end.

After the CJ5 redesign in the early 1970s that saw the gas tank moved and gear ratios changed, the era of the farm jeep was pretty much over. We have met a farmer who had custom gas tanks made for his new CJ5 so he could use the old PTO and Stratton lifts.

The amazing part of this story is that with the exception of the late-comer Stratton, the entire development cycle for the jeep lifts in three short years from 1945 to 1948. Assuming Love was working on a lift as early as 1943 or 1944, it is still a very short time.

We continue are research with Clint. Jerry and others, looking for production numbers for all the lifts. We would greatly appreciate any information you might have on this part of farming history.

A final note.

This brief history is just that. It barely touches areas where we are still learning everyday. While at the show, we were shown a cast aluminum pump bracket for the Newgren Lift. We didn't know of its existence. We need to determine if our bracket is from an early version (it was purchased separately from the rest of the hitch) or a farm-made version. (Update: The 1947 Newgren installation does show the strap bracket. The cast bracket was a later upgrade.)

While researching the J B Love story, we found an ad right here on Farm Jeep that would indicate that Love was still selling his lift in 1950. Who knew? Apparently we did, but hadn't realized what that meant.

We plan to keep learning and hopefully add to and even correct our reporting of the history of the lifts. We always welcome new information.

A Jeep By Any Other Name.... And A New Jeep Pup!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 19:39:00 +0000

It is Spring on the farm and time to put the farm jeep to work. That's Robbie in his farm boots and work gloves taking a break from helping grandpa cut and load invasive trees. Robbie was a great help and we are looking forward to many more visits.

While Robbie and grandpa were getting the jeep out of the barn and hooking up the trailer, Robbie asked what we should call the farm jeep. Grandpa responded that we called the jeep Ole Yeller or just Yellow. He asked Robbie if he thought it might need a different name and what would be a good one. Robbie immediately responded "I think Rusty might work." A good observation, but we think we will stick with something more optimistic.

Spring time rituals

There are a number of antique tractor shows and jeep shows that take place in early May. So every year about this time, we start scrambling to finish all the preparations we promised to do during the winter months. This year is no different, but there are no (known) major lift problems and the 3a is running great. We are working on our on road drive-ability and will take the jeep in for a professional alignment. The gas gauge still isn't working, but we will just make sure the tank is full before we venture too far. There are a couple of events where we can drive to rather than trailer the jeep.

We did work on the the lift control valve leaking down. We believe the valve needs to be refurbished and that will be a winter project. Since the valve has no seals or O-rings, we will need to modify it or have a replica made. After years of searching, we have concluded that there is no valve that can replace it and maintain the original controls.

And meet Teddy

In August of 2005 we announced a new jeep dog had arrived at the farm. Winnie loved his jeeps and claimed all of them. Sadly, Winnie left us a year ago. So earlier this Spring, we found a new jeep dog. His name is Teddy and we think he will have the same fondness for our jeeps.

Spring Midwest Willys Reunion Coming to Farm Jeep's Home Town!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 14:28:00 +0000

The Spring Midwest Willys Reunion will be held in Columbus, IN May 19th and 20th. We are about a 15 minute drive from the location. We will be there with our farm jeep and hope you join us. Take a look at the site http://willysreunion.com/swr17.htm for more information.

In other news...

While we had a mild winter with little snow, all the planned work on the farm jeep hasn't happened yet. We did do some leak-down testing on the Newgren lift, but still have not pinpointed the cause. We suspect it is the control valve.

With days getting (slowly) warmer we are hoping to get out of the garage and on the road to do some high speed (for a farm jeep) driving. We have taken a few short trips but are hoping to longer runs this summer.

More later.

Can I build a farm jeep using my Wrangler?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 12:39:00 +0000

That is a common question we receive here at Farm Jeep. A similar question was just ask on the Early CJ5 forum and it reminded us that we had intended to respond here to the email sent by Denny last summer. Here is the message -

"Hello gentlemen,
I have a 1994 jeep wrangler 4cyl.
Surprisingly tough little jeep, and super strong in 4lo.
Have wondered if there would be any way to adapt it to cultivate my modest agricultural land. Plow, rake, till, drag, mow, level, etc. Sort of a medium duty tractor substitute.

...."
and Barry's response -
"Denny,

We have been asked similar questions many times. This is really out of our knowledge zone. But that doesn't keep us from offering advice. That advice would be to buy a compact utility tractor if you plan on doing anything other than using pull-type implements.

The original design of the argri-jeeps and the early CJ version didn't include a hydraulic lift. They assumed that the small farmer, their target market, would use the implements they had on hand and had used with draft animals. After WWII there were still many farms with 40 acres and two mules. I won't go into agricultural history, but just say that it is safe to say that any modern jeep can be used as a tractor when using these old pull and ground driven implements. In fact I know that many people are using their jeeps this way today.

...."

- Some more info

Denny's note got us thinking about how we might equip a modern jeep to do tractor work. Basically, that would mean adding a lift and PTO. After some searching, we came across this T-Point-Lift-Vehicle-SUV-UTV-3-Point-Hitch that appeared to be a quick solution for the 3 point hitch, We attempted to contact the company via email to see if any of their customers might be jeep owners, but never received a response.

The search for a PTO solution was not successful, We were assuming we would need to find a hydraulic rather than a mechanical PTO. We assume a unit could be fabricated, but did not find a ready-made device.

We did find a number of videos showing modern jeeps towing pull type implements, including this comparison Farming with a 1953 Willys CJ3a and 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.

Summer tractor and jeep shows got in our way and we left doing more to answer the question for another day.

- That day

After seeing the note on the the Early CJ forum (in this case a 1971 CJ5) we decided it was time to revisit the question. Barry responded to the post saying that he would invest in a Ford 8N or similar tractor for the lift and PTO work the poster wanted to be able to do. The jeep is still invaluable for hauling and towing. An 8N can be found for between $2K-$3K, often with a mower (one of the posters tasks). The above mentioned T-Point Lift was on sale for $1530, but would not provide for the PTO. The 8N and similar model tractors were the chief competitors of the Farm Jeep and, like the jeep, are easy to work on and parts are readily available.

So did we answer the question? Sort of. You can use any jeep to pull implements and with something like the T-Point Lift you could use any modern 3 point implement not requiring a PTO. But without the PTO we don't believe it wouldn't be a farm jeep in the traditional meaning..

- And then

There is, as Evan often says, a reason the Farm Jeep isn't still around. The truth is it isn't a very good tractor. The turning radius makes it hard to use in small fields. You can't see the implement from the driver's seat the way you can on a tractor. For the farmer of limited means, the farm jeep was a good enough tractor and much better than draft animals.

For the non-field work, a jeep. old or new, is a great farm tool. Most modern farmers have turned to UTVs for non-field work jobs. But in a jeep can still do things no UTV - or tractor - can do, such as driving into town for supplies. And you can use it as your daily driver. Get a Jeep!

Signs, Finds and not a Newgren Mystery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 19:25:00 +0000

We have noted here our desire to have an informative display whenever we are at a show or event. While we like the free-standing style displays we see at classic car shows, our budget is pretty modest. So we are searching for alternatives to the waterproof paper and magnets we have been using to display information on the jeep.

We ordered seven magnetic car signs printed with the same information we had used on the paper signs. The goal is to answer the most commonly asked question of viewers if we aren't around.

In addition to the signs, we had a series of old ads copied and laminated, to replace the three framed ads that we displayed when we were with the jeep. Because the frames weren't waterproof, we put them away when we weren't around. Finally we had a neat picture found on the Web blown up and laminated showing a jeep towing a baler and wagon. The picture is large enough to be seen from a distance and along with the plow, gives the viewer a quick visual clue about how the jeep was used.

The display was well received and certainly an inexpensive move in the right direction. Viewers enjoyed being able to pick up and read the ads. The third day of the show was filled with periods of rain, then sun and the waterproofed display made our job easier. We weren't scrambling to get items out of the wet.

Finds - Our own and others

One of the joys of attending shows with the jeep is talking with people. We always hear stories of childhood jeep memories and often find that we learn a little more jeep history. On the second day of the show, three gentlemen approached the jeep and headed straight to the engine. The three were recently retired from Stant, located in Connersville, IN. Stant, we learned, is the company that makes all sorts of automotive "caps" - radiator, gas, oil filler - and has done so dating back to the beginnings of the automotive history. The company made all the beautiful hood ornaments of the 1920s and 30s.

The guys were looking at all the caps on the jeep to see if they where Stant products. Stant, they explained, made the L-134 oil filler cap/dipstick in a three step process, using a special rivet. They declared that ours was an original. The radiator cap was a Stant, but a modern version of the original. The gas cap was not a Stant and indeed had a bad gasket. We will need to work on that.

On the third day of the show, a young man stopped by and said he had a 1946 jeep in the barn that his father had purchased in the 70s. He said it had a PTO and some sort of lift, but it didn't look like ours. After hearing a description of the lift, we pulled up a picture from the Web site of a Love lift. He said "That's it!"

It is clear that there is no interest in selling the jeep and we encouraged him to keep the lift on the jeep. We believe he will do so and look forward to helping him with the lift.

The controls are where?

While looking over the ads mentioned above that we laminated, we noticed a strange statement on a January 1947 ad titled "YES you can use Hydraulic-Lift Implements with the UNIVERSAL 'JEEP'. The statement - "Hydraulic-lift implements raised and lowered by control on the dash." - got our attention.

The ad, which can be seen here, shows the Newgren lift, that normally had the driver control between the seats. The Monarch Hy-Lo Jeep pump did use a through-the-dash control. We know that the Monarch pump was used with some Newgren lifts, but we had assumed that was at a later date.

So the question was is this an ad misprint or had Willys (or Newgren) started using Monarch pumps in place of the original Newgren unit. The answer appeared as we were reviewing the information we have on the Love lift.

As can be seen when comparing the ad above to this newspaper report (thanks to ewillys.com), the photo is the same. Our assumption is that the lift in the ad was a Newgren was our error. The earliest Love lift did use controls on the dash.

Update - Not our error

Just look at this undated announcement of the Newgren lift -
http://farmjeep.com/img/lifts/newgren/Newgren%20Lift%20Brochure.pdf

Same picture again and yes that is a Newgren lift in every picture. But still strange timing...

Bantam plow update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 20:20:00 +0000

In February of 2015, we posted the great news that two Bantam plows had been found. You can read the first post here and the update here. David Tracy has just posted an article on his trip to the Omix-ADA headquarters titled "The World's Biggest Aftermarket Jeep Parts Company Is My Paradise". Among the pictures of the company's museum is a Bantam plow. A quick note to Omix-ADA has confirmed this is one of plows found by Ted.

We hope to visit the Omix-ADA museum one day to see the plow.

And the winner is......

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 14:54:00 +0000

Farm Jeep is at the county fair this week. We were at the fair a couple of years ago, but without the plow attached. We were given a blue ribbon for "best in class". As the only jeep in the tent, we were pretty sure we could repeat that feat.

This year has been different. We were given a prime location at the front of the display, in the center of the tent. The jeep had been a big draw at its last appearance and the organizers want it to be in a prominent spot. We have the same display we use at tractor shows and visitors receive a brief bit of farm jeep history.

When we arrived at the tent for our daily visit, the director of the exhibit said that judging had taken place and we had been awarded a ribbon. We walked around to the jeep and there where 3 ribbons hanging from the mirror! The jeep was sporting Reserve Grand Champion ribbons. Pretty cool...

The judge for the exhibit was from northern Indiana. He had divided the exhibit in to two classes; general tractors and agricultural machinery. The latter class included self propelled machines and tractors with attachments. With the plow attached. the jeep was included in this class. There were only 5 machines in this class, so our odds were good. Still we enjoyed the recognition.

The winner is....

Since we were number 2, we were curious about the winner. It is a beautifully restored 1938 Allis-Chamlers WC tractor pulling a 1941 grain harvester. This exhibitor had also provided some history and that is, we are sure, one of the reasons it received the Grand Champion. Congratulations!

Happy 4th, a thanks and an apology to Newgren

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 14:38:00 +0000

Its the 4th of July and Farm Jeep is heading to the county fair! We've been invited to be a part of the antique machinery exhibit, and as the only farm jeep entry, we are sure to be a winner. We will show off our ribbon later.

Thanks to those of you who have given us nice compliments and good suggestions for moving Farm Jeep forward. Over the next few months we will be incorporating those changes.

Meanwhile - one more try

We have, as recorded here in gruesome detailed, been chasing leaks and problems with the Newgren lift. The only possible remaining leaks had to be on top of the reservoir. That meant lowering the lift one more time. For future reference, we took notes and lots of photos of the disassembly process. We plan to post them at a later date. For now, we will simply summarize the process.

Removing the lift or just lowering as in this case involves a few simple steps. You need to remove the PTO shaft and the rear gear box. Next you need to support the lift frame and remove the bolts at the front and all the bolts at the rear. Then lower the unit, with all the hoses still attached.

The strange looking object pictured here is the jack we use to raise/lower the lift. We took a Harbor Freight low lift transmission jack and added a "jig" made of scrap metal. While not pretty, it makes the raising/lower of the lift a one person job.

With the lift lowered, we could reroute some of the hoses and remake connections with thread sealer made for hydraulic systems. The lift was then put back in place by raising the jack and replacing the bolts. But before we replaced the the PTO, we decided to test the lift.

And the good news is.

The lift worked perfectly! It lifted the 450lb plow with ease. No foaming or pressure build up in the reservoir. There is only one remaining problem - the lift starts to slowly drop once it is raised. It doesn't matter if the pump is running or not.

The bad news is that we believe we have damaged a seal in the cylinder. During some of our efforts to correct problems, we introduced excessive pressure on the seals. That means we will need to have the cylinder rebuilt in the "off season". For now, we will simply place a piece of steel between the cylinder cap and the lift block to lock the lift in the up position when we need to transport the plow for any distance.

What we have learned.

Over the years, we have tried to learn as much as we can about hydraulic systems. Because the Newgren lift's hydraulic system is different than modern systems, we questioned the engineering. What we have learned is that it is in fact a simple and even eloquent solution to a problem for single action cylinders.

Single action cylinders require a port or breather hole to allow air to escape or enter as the piston is moved in and out. That port is normally open to the environment. With the cylinder on the farm jeep just inches from the ground, it is in an extremely dirty/dusty area. So how do you keep the port clean and open? You design a "closed system" by using and reusing the air in the top of the reservoir. So the mystery "bleeder hose" that runs from the bottom of the cylinder to the top of the reservoir is a simple means of getting clean air in/out of the cylinder. No dirt or dust can enter the cylinder.

So we humbly apologize to those engineers at Newgren who designed this lift system. It was only our lack of a basic understanding of hydraulics that caused many of our problems. We finally get it and look forward to years of trouble free operation.

A little help here - and more on Newgren hydraulics

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 13:51:00 +0000

We need some help

It has been 4 months since our last update. We have been busy working on the Newgren lift and attending both farm machinery and jeep shows. But before we get to those topics, we have a favor to ask. We need some suggestions for redesigning farmjeep.com to make it more useful.

We started the site back in 2002 to record our jeep adventures and to share what we have learned along the way. Recording our successes and our many failures has been great fun and we revisit pages when we find ourselves repeating a task. It has also been a place where we have chronicled our family’s Jeep history. We plan on continuing to make these types of updates.

Because this isn’t a business, despite the .com label, we haven’t spent a great deal of time tracking hits or visits. But we do know that most people come looking for information about items that make a jeep a farm jeep. We also know that there are lots of people looking at the links and resource page. So we are thinking we need to update and make those more relevant.

If you have ideas or suggestions of how we might improve the site, drop us a note. In the mean time, we will begin making changes to the site over the next few months.

Thanks,

Barry & Evan

Now back to our regularly scheduled program…

Spring time in Indiana has been wet. Unable to get any outdoor work underway, we spent a lot of time in the garage getting Ole Blue ready for the spring show. Before we relate our efforts, we need to go back to last fall. And maybe a low point for Farm Jeep Fun.

Barry had taken Blue to a favorite show in late August. He had unloaded the jeep with the plow and parked it in the display area. After a walk to the registration area, he decided move the jeep to another spot. The plow would not lift. Well this is another fine mess…

Among the handiest tools on the farm is the high lift jack. Barry returned the next day with his jack, some pieces of angle iron and a portable saws-all. He was able to jack the rear of the plow up and place a couple of pieces of angle iron between the ram and the lift block. In true 21st century style, the angle iron was held in place with cable ties. While it worked well, it was a pain, since it took 4 uses of the jack to get the jeep safely home; jack up to allow loading, down for travel, up for unloading and finally down for parking.

Time to walk away.

Evan reminded Barry that this is supposed to be fun and when it isn’t we walk away. And Barry did walk away for a couple of months. Luckily. Evan was still having fun and after the cooling off period, had Barry back in the garage. Barry started the jeep and – the lift worked perfectly. Words were heard that are not suitable for a family friendly site.

After further questioning and analysis, we determined that we were sucking air and “foaming” the oil. The months of sitting had allowed the air to leave the fluid and operations returned to normal. Finding the solution is still an ongoing project. Rather than bore the reader with all the steps taken, we will simply outline efforts to date.

1. Added an external pressure relief valve between the pump and Newgren valve. This is an insurance policy against blowing more pump seals. We placed a “T” in the bleeder line. The jury is still out on use of the “T” in the bleeder line.

2. Replaced the plug in the filler pipe with a breather cap. The original instructions call for a closed system, something most hydraulic experts have never seen.

3. Used a thread locker specially formulated for hydraulic systems and remade all connections.

4. Dropped the lift and put a new gasket and additional sealant between the control valve and the reservoir body. (We welded up a fixture to fit on a transmission jack that allows easy installing of the lift)

Items 1 and 2 are a move toward modernizing the system. None of the hydraulic experts we have talked to can understand the Newgren system. Therefore we have had little success in getting help solving our issues.

Items 3 and 4 were direct attacks on are air sucking problem. All appeared to be working well, until we unloaded at the latest show. Once again, we are “making hydraulic fluid”, with fluid mixed with air filling up and overflowing the reservoir. We have had enough experience to know how to drain enough fluid to allow the lift to work while loading and unloading.

An opportunity to talk with the pros.

We had two objectives while visiting the Midwest Willys Jeep Rally (http://www.mw-willysjeep.com/). The first was to get some help setting up our Newgren plow and to put the plow in ground. As stated above, we ran into issues unloading the jeep and decided to forego the plowing exercise. The whole idea of putting our farm jeep to the test was made possible because of one of the unique features of the Rally. John Ittel provides demonstrations and the chance to use your own machine on the turf farm. John also freely shares his expertise and experiences.

Thanks to Nick_ over on the CJ2a forum, you can see some of the 2016 demonstrations –

The second objective of the show visit was to talk to other Newgren, Monroe and Startton lift owners and anyone with hydraulic system experience. The Rally features jeeps of all years, sizes and shapes and also draws visitors from various backgrounds. We were lucky enough to meet owners, engineers and mechanics, all willing shared their knowledge. We learned much and hope to share it with you in future posts.

Not an objective, but a great outcome was meeting may people who regularly visit farmjeep.com. This was the motivation we needed to make the site a better place and the reason for the opening paragraph.

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to see us. We look forward to hearing more from you.

Let us count the ways - Jeeps working on the farm and all around town

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 20:35:00 +0000

“What didn’t a jeep do?”

That was the question poised on the EarlyCJ5.com forum in a post about jeeps equipped with a front-end loader. This was followed by another post about working jeeps. All of that got us thinking about all of the ways the “CJs” were used, especially during the decade following WWII.

A film is worth a bunch of words

As luck would have it, Stan (AKA smfulle) on the CJ2a PageForum posted a great video that shows some of the many uses of the Jeep and the Willys 4WD trucks. Although labeled as a “1940s” promotional film, it is easy to spot the CJ5 introduced in 1954 and a license plate from 1954. So we would change that to “Mid-50s” promotional film. What is fun about this film is that includes CJ2a and CJ3a jeeps in addition to the CJ5. This film is really about jeeps at work. Of particular interest to Farm Jeep is the showcasing of the Monore Lift. Simply referred to as “the famous hydraulic lift”, the Monroe lift is what really made the jeeps so useful on the farm and work site.

But that’s not all

While there are a lot of uses for the jeep in the film, the “Jeep Operational Data” booklet, published even more. Here is the list -

Maybe not so much anymore

Most of the list includes jobs that are still done today. A few may be limited in the 21^st century. Two, “TOW OR OPERATE ICE CUTTER” and “HAULING ICE CAKES FROM WATER”, stand out as jobs that are not common today. Then there is “CHECKING RR TELEGRAPH LINES”. This is a small list and I’m sure there have been dozens of other uses not listed here.

That makes the hunt for old pictures and films fun. We are really glad that Periscope Films posted the film and that Stan posted it on the CJ2a Page.

Meanwhile, back at the farm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 21:20:00 +0000

The antique machinery shows are over for another year. Blue is in his stall, awaiting more work on the hydraulic lift. While most of the time we write about Blue and farm jeep history, there are more things happening on the old family farm that Farm Jeep calls home.'

The real farm jeep

We got started in all of this with the idea of having an old jeep to use for chores around the farm. Although no longer a working farm, Mother Nature is always at work trying to reclaim open fields and forest trails. For the past 6 months, Barry has been engaged in a battle with an invasive tree (autumn olive) and the old rusty, trusty CJ2a has been a critical weapon. Every day, weather permitting, Barry heads to the barn where Yeller lives and fires up the jeep. It is already loaded with a variety of gas and manual tools (saws, pruning shears). Then off to pick up a little trailer for hauling the trees and brush to the burn pile. In the photo above, taken in the early morning, the little red trailer is full and overflowing.

The ’47, with its faded paint and rusty body just keeps running. One morning, Barry noticed that one of the trailer tires was low. It was then that he realized that he hadn’t put air in the 2a’s tires in the past decade. With Thanksgiving just ahead, the focus on chores will shift to trips into the wood to hauling firewood. No matter the season or job involved. Ole Yeller is the true farm jeep.

A different (retired) farm jeep

For the past 30 years, Barry has had a CJ5 or CJ7 as his daily driver/fun jeep. The 1979 CJ7 Golden Eagle has been in semi-retirement for several years, awaiting a restoration. This winter was to be the start of that restoration but plans have changed. Instead, we decided to acquire a CJ7 that doesn’t need extensive restoration and to spend our energies and dollars on the ’47 and ’49 jeeps.

So it was another JRT (jeep retrieval trip), this time to Columbus, OH. The seller owns a couple of auto repair shops and had acquired a 1977 CJ7 from a client who no longer wanted it. He was looking for a “fun” jeep to drive around. Over the past couple of years, he repaired and replaced about every component. The body is in great shape. It has a flat black paint job and has been dubbed “Matte” (a working name) .

While we don’t know Matte’s full history, it should feel at home here. Before his makeover, Matte had lived and worked on a farm. The Golden Eagle is a special jeep and we are hoping to find a new home where it will get the full attention and restoration it needs. The new CJ7 will take up duty as the “winter emergency” vehicle and a working member of the Farm Jeep family.