Dating to the mid-1940s or possibly later, this silent film shows footage of a Willys Universal Jeep being used on a farm. The Universal Jeep was an outgrowth of the fact that after World War I John N. Willys, with several partners, purchased the Moline Plow Co. and Willys-Overland produced the Universal Tractor. As early as 1942 military jeeps were tested by Willys for farm use by the US Department of Agriculture. It was determined that the jeep would be highly useful on the farm but was not suitable for cultivation. The jeep was not tall enough to pass over the growing crops and the track width did not properly align with the rows. During the war Willys ads started to include references about using jeeps on farms as utility vehicles and tractors. The first civilian Jeep, the CJ-1 was built in 1944. This AgriJeep had a larger clutch, lower gear ratios and a lower hitch for plowing. The design and testing continued with the CJ-2. They were sent to Cornell University, and other agricultural experiment stations, for evaluation. Many farming attachments and accessories became available for the civilian Jeep as its popularity increased. They were offered by both Willys and by aftermarket vendors. Some of these accessories operated well with the Jeep but others did not perform satisfactorily. Willys believed that the unsatisfactory equipment reflected poorly on the Jeep in the minds of the users. 1949 saw the introduction of the new CJ-3A. It boasted more space for the driver than the previous model the CJ-2A. The seat was further away from the steering wheel and there was more headroom due to a taller windshield frame. Any Universal Jeep could have been outfitted to be a farm type Jeep simply by adding the appropriate options.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
