(Updated 3/19/2026) I knew that in the 50s, before the recreational and sporting use of Jeeps became dominant, Willys positioned the Jeeps as genuine utility vehicles. But the full range of applications is a bit mind boggling; I had no idea there were so many attachments and applications. It’s all quite different from the way Jeeps are mainly used now.
I had no idea! I live in the city and have a 10,000 sq ft lot but I feel like I really need a Jeep and pretty much every attachment now.
The Jeeps in this film remind me of a Shopsmith woodworking multi tool. It seems like a great idea until you use one. Not to say that it isn’t clever, but it is usually hard to beat equipment designed for a specific task. Some of the Jeep attachments would never make it past the legal department for production today.
I imagine a lot of these jobs are done by ATV or side by side utility vehicles now, though the street legal versatility of the Jeep seems handy. But it’s a great reminder that one doesn’t really need a 7.4 liter SuperDuty to get a lot done. I loved the scene around 1:30 with the tiny Jeep and the huge radio; that has certainly changed. Also the scene near the end where the cargo/personnel carrier knocks down the small tree; that tree was pretty obviously pre-notched to snap off so cleanly. Thanks for finding this and posting.
Great video Paul , thanks ! When i was in high school in the mid 70’s the school used a Jeep with a giant snowblower to clear the parking lots . It had a small gas engine mounted in the back and a driveshaft that ran exposed down the passenger side to power the snowblower . Probably would be frowned upon by OSHA today , but it could sure move snow !
From when a Jeep was a useful vehicle Landrovers did all that here Jeeps became scarce after WW2 but the British equivalent was very common.
Thanks for this. Brings back memories of JEEP marketing when I was a child.
The Willys Jeep was the MPV (Multiple-Purpose Vehicle) of its time, as clearly demonstrated in the 20-minute video.
I missed the “Jeep-a-Trench” when I first saw this video in 2020. Or perhaps it didn’t click with me then – autonomous driving, with no camera/radar/sonar/Lidar, let alone software. And Waymo doesn’t even offer the trenching.
Yeah, but you’d have to wonder how straight the house it was cutting foundations for might’ve ended up!
Here’s Land Rover’s take on the same thing
Oh, I say, that’s more civilized. Commentary by Bertie Wooster, and everyone in collar and ties!
Nice ;
I love old promotional films like this .
I remember the CJ2A fire pumps in rural areas in the 50’s & 60’s .
The one showing a center drive belt was a military rig in design, I no longer remember it’s model code, IIRC it was designed to power field radios, welders and lighting towers during WWII .
The Huff governor on the CJ3B (‘F’ head engine) was a fairly popular device added to many farm & industrial equpiments .
The hand fed feed grinder makes me shudder . as a far boy long ago I learned to distrust hand fed grinders, choppers, chippers etc. .
-Nate
Good lord, it’s like a Meccano set. fascinating, and in many cases, very lethal-looking!
I did have to grit my teeth against the pompous yelling of Mr American Newsreel, but I found one thing fascinating: do Americans pronounce Willys as “willis”? Always called “willies” here (cue ribaldry about having seen my grandpa and father Willys, which in my case is actually true!)
One other query. How does the PTO get to the back? I can’t find any decent pics online.