Can I build a farm jeep using my Wrangler?

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

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

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......

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

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

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

“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.