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!
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.
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.
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 21st 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.
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.
Here at Farm Jeep, we have focused on flat fender jeeps. But an ad appeared on e-bay that clearly shows agricultural activities were still an important part of the new CJ5 model in 1955.
The jeep pictured in this ad may be a prototype (note the split windshield), but here we are with Jeep promoting its agricultural implements. Of special interest to us are the graphics used for the two plows. They are identical to those used by Newgren in the late 1940s. It would appear that the original Newgren design was alive and well.
Still a mystery to me
Whenever we have a plow question, we contact our friend Clint Dixon. As always Clint had some interesting facts and history to help us learn more, if not solve our latest mystery.
Clint sent his own ad, staring the new CJ5. Here is what Clint had to tell us -
Not sure if this is newer or older than the ad you found, but I’ll bet they are the same plows.
I have done exhaustive searches and I can find very little information on the Green Manufacturing Company of Bowling Green Ohio, other than they were listed in the Red Tractor books as early as 1950 as manufactures of Jeep cab seals. They also apparently manufactured splined adaptors and various link repair parts for hitches on tractors.
Okay, here is my theory – though I have been unable so far to prove it. I have a hunch that Robert Henry Green started his own ag supply company “Green Manufacturing” after leaving Newgren. If I remember correctly, this was shortly after Bantam took over Newgren under the Monroe Auto Equipment Company umbrella of management. I would be willing to bet that Robert continued to supply Willys with plows under a new name – Greenline.
Several years ago, I did find a website for what was left of Green Manufacturing. I was never able to get any response from anyone there though their site hinted at a history of producing agricultural equipment. I have also seen at least one Greenline plow for sale on the internet, though it was probably from the 70’s or 80’s and was way way too big for a Jeep. The company was apparently sold and what remains now manufactures man-lifts.
Just when you thought the plot could not get any thicker….
So,,,,,
So could some of the Newgren style plows found without tags or labels have been made by Greenline? Did Jeep label their plows? Did farmers care if their new plow had a name? Is a plow that looks like a Newgren and doesn't have a tag still a Newgren?
And how long did Jeep continue to offer the Monroe lift? More questions to answer. Here are Clint's thoughts
I don’t think Newgren plows necessarily have to have the label to be considered a Newgren. I know of several Ford guys who collect Dearborn plows regardless of whether the Dearborn tag is missing or not, also Ferguson guys who collect Ferguson plows with or without the tag. Of course a plow with the original tag is preferred but not absolutely necessary if one can prove the manufacture of the plow.
Now, if Greenline or someone else took over marketing of a plow from Newgren or Bantam or whoever, continued to sell the same identical plow but without the Newgren tag, I don’t really know if it would be considered a Newgren plow once that company had gone out of business. I think it would then be considered to be a Greenline. But, without a Greenline tag or decal, I guess it is hard to say. I do know that Newgren plows were advertised wearing Monroe decals when they were shown in the Monroe literature for the Dodge Power Wagon. The Newgren tags appeared to have been removed. Don’t know if this was just for advertising to boost the Monroe name, or if it was because of the riff between Monroe and Newgren/Bantam at the time.
On a recent road trip Barry made a couple of Farm Jeep related finds. The first was a planned visit to the Monroe County Historical Society Museum in Monroe, Michigan. Inside this excellent museum is an exhibit dedicated to the Monroe Automotive Equipment Company (MAECO). This is the company that made the Monroe hydraulic lift for farm jeeps and still makes Monroe shocks.
The exhibit's curator is retired MAECO engineer Jerry Wittkop. Jerry has assembled documents, photos, advertisement materials and samples of some of the many products made by this 100 year old company. Products ranging from the world famous shocks to golf balls. And of course, there is the Monroe hydraulic lift. In addition to a lift housing, the display includes a picture of the farm where jeeps equipped with the lift were tested and demonstrated. There is also a Monroe tractor seat on display.
Jerry's long career and personal involvement with the family that owned the company (until its sell to Tenneco Inc. in 1977) has resulted in a display that is informative beyond the normal corporate history. We had always wondered how Monroe ended up making hydraulic lifts for the jeep. As Jerry explained (and demonstrates through the exhibit), Monroe made products that could make use of their expertise in hydraulic systems. Some of that expertise came from the company's work with World War II tanks and aircraft hydraulic systems.
If you are in the Detroit area stop by and visit the museum and the MAECO exhibit.
Barry and his wife Paula like to take interstate trip breaks by stopping at antique malls. Barry likes to search for jeep related items. Most of the time that means old magazine ads. The same trip to the Monroe museum found them stopping at a mall in a small town off the interstate. Barry quickly found a booth with a nice selection of automotive ads. In among the ads was a Willys Overland financial report for the period ending March 31, 1946.
We have posted selected pages of the report here. The most interesting parts of the report are in the narrative, including the fact that no jeeps were produced during the final 3 months of 1945 because of strikes at suppliers. There is also the disclosure of the purchase of the Wilson Foundry & Machinery Co., the supplier of Willys engine blocks.
The report also discusses the company's design philosophy and introduces the lineup of the CJ2a, wagon, pickup and the "delivery sedan." An interesting look into the early days of the CJ.
