The "Farm Jeep" series of serial numbers in the 1953 and 1954 model years, had the prefix 453GC2 to distinguish them from the standard 453GB2 serial numbers of the CJ-3B.
Kaiser-Willys brochure KW-1706 was a large 1953 folding brochure entitled "Jeep Farm
Power." It features many photos of
CJ-3A Jeeps at work with agricultural
equipment (160K JPEG), and several photos of the new CJ-3B. The largest illustration (left)
shows a 3B with implement lift. The Farm Jeep specifications also list a governor and
engine-driven gear-type Pesco hydraulic pump as standard. The PTO (Power Take-Off)
is listed as optional at extra cost.
The brochure includes an underside illustration showing four-wheel-drive and power take-off (160K JPEG), and refers to the Jeep as "Nebraska Tested" (see below), citing Official Tractor Test No. 432, in which a CJ-3A had apparently been tested in 1949.
Some excerpts from the brochure text:
"Row crop cultivation: You can get over the ground fast without packing the soil. The Farm Jeep and rotary hoe allow you to work row crops early, doing 40 to 60 acres a day safely with operating speeds up to 12 m.p.h."
"Belt power: With its brakes locked, the Farm Jeep holds steady as a rock as it delivers in excess of 30 horsepower on the pulley."
"Comfort: Heavy-duty springs, double-acting shock absorbers and a cushioned seat
with back rest help you feel fresher at the end of the day. Folding windshield can
be raised for protection against wind, dust and rain or lowered on top of the hood
when not needed. Closed cab and heater are optional equipment, available at extra
cost."
According to Willys-Overland Production Figures, only 77 of these
CJ-3B Farm Jeeps were produced before they were discontinued as a separate model.
Willys continued to sell the 3B to farmers, however. Even after the
introduction of the new CJ-5 for 1955, the economy-model 3B continued to appeal
to people who spent their money carefully.
The unique historical photo on the right does not come from Willys advertising. Taken
circa 1955, it shows Bob Harris' Woodstock Green 1953 Jeep pulling a disc harrow
in Tennessee, with Tommy Vandergriff at the wheel. Bob added the toolbox on the
front bumper, the Mack bulldog on the hood, and the mudflaps made from rubber
conveyor belting used in the Kentucky coal mines. Bob traded in his '46 CJ-2A for
the 3B, which he later sold. Unfortunately this is the only photo he has of the Jeep.
The photo on the left, and the subtitle of this page -- "The first thing out in the morning,
last in at night" -- were taken from
a full-page Jeep ad (85K
GIF) in the February 1954 issue of Successful Farming magazine. The ad features Harold
Bordner of Weston, Ohio, describing his use of a CJ-3B on his farm "Black Swamplands".
See also a closer view of the rear implement
lift (80K GIF) from the 1956 CJ-3B Parts List.
Glenn Byron in Maine found a mimeographed
price list of agricultural equipment (35K GIF) tucked into his 1954 Jeep
Specialized Equipment catalogue. He comments, "It is undated but may give
you an idea what that
oddball implement for your CJ-3B cost from the factory and what the dealer sold
it for. I know the land plow was built by Newgren Co. of Hillsdale, Michigan as the
data tag on my 3-point hitch land plow says that. Willys had suppliers all
over create some of this weird stuff."
Jeeps at work on farms across America: that was one of Willys-Overland's
dreams at the end of World War II, and they marketed the Jeep as the
ideal combination of small truck and small tractor for farmers. The first
prototype civilian Jeeps in 1944-45 were known as
Agrijeeps. See also Preproduction Civilian Jeeps.
Beginning in 1951 an official "Farm Jeep" version of the CJ-3A was created, and a stripped-down version called the Jeep Tractor (100K JPEG) was also introduced, with no windshield or headlights. Willys-Overland Production Figures suggest none of these "FJ" or "JT" Jeeps were actually produced in 1951 or 52, although Leon Hackett has found a Jeep with serial number 451GC1 10001 (130K JPEG) which might be the only actual 3A-style "FJ" Farm Jeep in existence.
In 1953, The CJ-3B Farm Jeep was the subject of Test No. 502 in a series of
Tractor Tests at the University of Nebraska College of Agriculture.
The test report, a formal document signed by three members of the "Board of Tractor Test Engineers," records the data from a series of horsepower tests while driving a belt or pulling a drawbar. Speed, torque and fuel consumption are among the items measured, in addition to horsepower. Observed maximum belt horsepower is listed as 35.23, and observed maximum drawbar horsepower as 25.40 (the Jeep was moving at 4.11 miles per hour with 8.32% wheel slippage at the time).
The photo shows one of the drawbar tests. The description of the tests says, "The pull exerted by the tractor is transmitted by a hydraulic pressure cylinder to a recording instrument in the test car. All tests are made on the same dirt test course which is maintained by grading, sprinkling and rolling so that it remains very nearly the same throughout the season."
See the complete results of the
Nebraska Tractor Test (80K GIF), and an explanation of the test report
(80K GIF).
Ron Ingram of
Charlestown, Indiana has a 1961 CJ-3B, with rear PTO and a
Stratton hydraulic 3-point hitch, in almost daily use on his farm.
Seen here, Ron is using the Jeep to frost seed clover onto a winter pasture. The seeder is mounted on the 3-point hitch and is operated from the PTO. Ron hauls extra seed in the Jeep's cargo area to refill the seeder.
For more action photos, and details of the Jeep and its optional equipment,
see A Day With a Farm Jeep.
Thanks to Ron Ingram, who also provided the Nebraska Tractor Test report, and
Steve Chabot who provided the 1953 brochure. -- Derek Redmond
The Willys Export division also promoted the Jeep as a farm vehicle; see a 1953 Jeep ad from Brazil (60K GIF).
Also on The CJ3B Page, see 1953 Farm Journal Ads.
Return to The CJ-3B Story or to CJ-3B Advertising and Literature.
Elsewhere on the web, see the Farm Jeep page, and Willys Farm Jeep and Jeep Tractor on the CJ-3A Information Page.
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