4822 Sammelman Road, St. Charles, Missouri 63303
My husband, Lundahl Morris, belongs to the Ill-Mo Tractor and
Engine Club. About five years ago he acquired a 1951 CJ3 Willys
Jeep (he traded a 1938 John Deere tractor to our son-in-law for
it). The body was in very poor shape, but the engine had been
recently overhauled. He was able to find a reprint of a shop manual
and while thumbing through the information he found references to
the accessories which were available for the early Jeeps. He found
that just after World War II the Willys Company began to offer
Jeeps for civilian use and were putting PTO’s and 3-point
hitches on and selling them to the farmers for use on the farm to
replace the tractors which were in short supply at that time.
Several companies jumped in and began to produce all kinds of farm
equipment to be used with the jeeps. Everything from plows to spray
rigs were offered. Evidently several units were sold, but they did
not prove to be very popular for very long, probably 5 or 6 years.
Whether the farmers could not accept this ‘new’ concept or
the equipment itself proved to be impractical, he was not able to
determine.
After working steadily on restoration of the Jeep for over 2
years he decided it would be an interesting project to see if he
could find if any of this equipment was still around and to put it
on the Jeep. He began to advertise and inquire if there was anyone
who might have anything to offer. He heard from a Colorado man who
had a PTO unit. He sent it to us by Greyhound bus. The freight cost
more than the price he asked for the unit. From Jerico Springs,
Missouri came word that a man had a mower for a Jeep in his fence
row. When we went to pick it up they had to scrounge all up and
down the fence row and ‘back 40’ to find all of the pieces.
Luckily the swath board had been kept in the barn and was in good
shape. In Humphreys, Missouri he found a 3 pt. hitch and in
Charleston, Illinois another 3 Pt. hitch, mower and saw was found.
In looking for this equipment he found there were two types of 3
pt. hitches: the Monroe, which sits in the bed of the Jeep and the
Newgren which fits underneath the bed. He has installed the unit
under the bed.
To date, he has acquired 2 PTO units, 2 3 pt. hitches, a mower
which is mounted on the left side, front weight of 260 pounds,
tailgate extension and a 2 bottom plow.
For the past three summers we have taken the Jeep and equipment
to several old thresher shows in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana,
and it has generated a lot of interest. Most people have not heard
of a mowing machine on the side of a Jeep. Their first question is
‘Have you ever mowed with it?’ He hasn’t used it yet as
he does not want to ‘mess up his paint job,’ but he knows
it will work and the mower blades show lots of evidence that it was
used a lot. Occasionally we run across an old timer who either used
one himself or knew a farmer down the road who had one, but the
younger generation is amazed at the sight of a mower on a Jeep.
Lindahl would appreciate any additional information or available
equipment.
