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This ad appeared in the St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, Missouri), Sunday, Oct. 7, 1945. It immediately caught our attention, and we have written about the ad and the contest. But while the ad, especially the color version, is all about post-war fun, the country was just beginning to recover.

On October 1, 1945, the war was over, but America was hardly back to normal. Japan had formally surrendered less than a month earlier, and millions of Americans were still in uniform. On September 30, the Army alone had 7.56 million men and women in service, including 4.16 million overseas or en route. Demobilization had begun, but the great movement home was only starting. Families were still waiting, occupation forces were moving into Germany and Japan, and the country was only beginning the difficult shift from wartime production to a peacetime economy.

The automobile industry was making the same transition. Civilian production had barely restarted; only 580 passenger cars were built in September, and government controls on production were not lifted until September 24. Willys-Overland was in an unusual position. Its wartime Jeep contracts were ending, but it had already introduced the civilian CJ-2A in July. The Jeep was one of the war’s most recognizable machines. Willys no longer had to convince Americans that it was tough or useful. Its challenge was to convince them that the wartime jeep could become their Jeep. Against that background, Pepsodent’s October 1945 offer to let Americans “Win a Jeep!” takes on much greater importance.

While the “Win A Jeep!” research is not finished, we wanted to launch it this month, the 81st anniversary of the contest.

FJ

The Winter 2022/23 cover of the Dispatcher Magazine shows the September 1946 introduction of the new hydraulic implement lift at Charles Sorensen’s CESOR Farms. That issue includes Barry’s article “How Henry Ford Saved the Jeep.” The cover photo was taken from a Willys-Overland dealer publication.

Pictured above is an AI-enhanced version of the article appearing in the August 21, 1946, Toledo Blade newspaper. We mark these two events as the true beginning of the Farm Jeep era, when the addition of the implement lift made the Jeep a true, competitive tractor.

You can read the book “The Farm Jeep: Swords to Plowshares” to learn more about why we believe the events of 80 years ago were so important to the Jeep brand.

“Legends Aren’t Born, They’re Made.”

This 2019 Jeep marketing campaign slogan embodies a theme that has stretched across eight decades. “Jeeps are made, not built” is another phrase. The idea is that each vehicle is a platform for making a machine that meets the owner’s needs.

Over the next few months, we will be exploring what happened when the “Universal Jeep” left the factory. We will be featuring Jeep stories about how companies and individuals made the Jeep their own. Stay tuned.

FJ

Nothing gets our attention quicker than an attractive and informative Jeep display. When we saw this one at the Spring Willys Reunion, we knew that this was a Jeep story we wanted to share. Thanks to Mike Godlove for sharing his family’s Jeep story. You can read that story here.

In case you missed it, The Dispatcher Summer 2026 Edition has a brief article on Matt’s and Scott’s Jeep-A-Drill. You can read the full story on this amazing Jeep here.

The Daily Sentinel-Tribune, Bowling Green, Ohio · Saturday, July 20, 1946, page 1.

This brief announcement on page 1 of Robert Green’s hometown newspaper heralded the arrival of a new era in Farm Jeep history. Within a few weeks, there would be the national rollout of the Love/Newgren hydraulic implement lift for the Universal Jeep.

Charles Sorensen, president of Willys-Overland, had requested George Newlin and Robert Green to form an independent company to act as distributors of the Love lift and to sell implements through WO dealers.

We consider the history of the Newgren Company and its co-founder, Robert Green, to be among the most important research we have conducted over the past 24 years. The best way to understand Newgren’s history and its importance to the Farm Jeep is to read Robert Green’s story.

You can see Newgren equipment in action in this video.

We hope you will join us in a toast to the Newgren Company and the Farm Jeep!

Barry & Evan

We wanted to do something special for this 250th Anniversary 4th of July. In the spirit of the day, we present WWII jeeps at 4th of July celebrations. This post is the first in a series exploring how the jeep became part of America’s Independence Day celebrations. Beginning with 1942 and continuing through the end of the war, we’ll look back at newspaper accounts, photographs, and hometown stories that captured the jeep’s growing role in Fourth of July parades, War Bond rallies, military exhibitions, and patriotic celebrations. Long before it became a civilian icon, the jeep had already become a symbol of American freedom.

Join us in exploring how the USA combined the spirit of 1776 with the cold reality of war through a series of posts that will look across cities and small towns and how they embraced the machine called a “jeep.” Begin your journey here.

July 2026 is filled with causes to celebrate. The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th, followed by the 80th anniversary of the formation of the Newgren Company on the 19th. We will post more about these important events.

We have updated the Jeep-A-Drill section with a Dispatcher Magazine article and additional information about Matt Amos and Scott Sperling’s restoration of the rig pictured above.

Sticking with the dig deeper theme, now is a good time to check out Barry’s book. Each chapter ends with a “Dig Deeper” section that includes links to all references and resource materials used. So even if you have read the book, you are sure to find more information about this great machine.

Our friends Matt Amos and Scott Sperling have asked us to help find information on this unique mower. We have created a Turner Mower page based on the limited information we have been able to find.

Please contact us if you have any information on the mower or Turner of Indiana.

What a wild May! We had the Farm Jeep at four shows, and there was even a book signing event. The first weekend found us at the Brown County Antique Machinery Association, where our show adventures began long ago. The second weekend saw us at a new show for us, the Monroe County Antique Machinery Association in Bloomington, IN. You can check out both shows on their respective Facebook pages.

The next weekend found us in North Canton, OH, at the Spring Willys Reunion. This is always a great show, and this year it was bigger and better than ever. We had so much fun, we are planning to attend the Fall Reunion in Fulton, MO.

The following week, Barry had minor surgery, but was well enough to celebrate a friend’s reunion. Then it was off to Heuston Woods State Park for the Midwest Willys Rally. Just like the Spring Reunion, this one seemed bigger and better than ever. Both shows offer their own twists, so they are “must-be-there” events for us.

Our “friend” Scott Sperling posted on the Rally’s Facebook page that Barry would be signing his free e-book at the event. He did hear a lot of comments and signed one Jeep hat, but no one offered up a phone screen.

Speaking of the book, it continues to get good reviews, especially of the free part:

“All I can say is Wow, very cool!! I couldn’t stop reading it until I was done. A long time ago, I knew you were the guy to figure out all this Farm Jeep stuff.”

“I have been a Flatfender fan for most of my life, but never paid much attention to the Farm Jeep aspect. Your book has sparked my interest in a whole new part of our hobby.”

If you have comments, good or bad, suggestions for improvements or additions, drop Barry a note at barry@farmjeep.com.

As we approach the 80th anniversary of the Newgren Company’s founding in July, we continue to uncover interesting facts. Todd Paisley, in his 1997 interview with Robert Green, learned that the bed extension was the first and most successful product, with around 20,000 units sold.

Check out www.farmjeepbook.com to read more about Robert Green and the Newgren Company.

2026 marks the 80th anniversary of two milestone events in the history of the Willys Jeep. On July 19, 1946, the Newgren Equipment Company was formed to supply hydraulic lifts and farm implements for the Universal Jeep. Two months later, in early September, Willys announced the availability of the Love Implement Lift, to be distributed by Newgren. The Farm Jeep era had begun. We are celebrating these events all summer long, with a series of fun posts.

Any post-WWII Jeep (models 2a, 3a, 3b, 5, & 6) could be equipped with add-on accessories to make them into a two-bottom plow utility tractor. The variable-speed governor, PTO, hydraulic lift, and front weight could be obtained from the factory or your dealer, or you could install them yourself. They all just bolted onto the existing components (engine, transmission, or frame) with little or no modifications.

The “official” use of the term Farm Jeep appeared in 1952 with the “Farm Jeep” model. However, we know from Fred Coldwell’s book, “Preproduction Civilian Jeeps: 1944-1945 Models CJ-1 & CJ-2”, that Willys had wanted to name the CJ2A, released in 1945, “Farm Jeep.” The term “Farm” was deemed too generic by the trademark board, so Willys went with the “Universal ‘Jeep'” instead.

See the full story for free at FarmJeepBook.com.