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1947 Willys Jeep or 1990s era Humvee for running around the property?

Started by bigtrees, June 11, 2019, 03:17:15 PM

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bigtrees

I have a 1947 Willys Jeep. Great body condition but the engine isn't very reliable. Still 6V system. Probably would need an engine overhaul. Also leaks a bunch of oil and differential fluid and would need some work there.

When I move to our tree farm, it's really big enough that I will need a vehicle for running around. The Willys Jeep would work well IF it actually started reliably, AND it didn't leak fluids.

There are a lot of stumps and debris on the property, and not many roads, so I need something with clearance. On my way home from work I passed a military convey and was eying their HUMVEEs. They have really high clearance and would work well for running around.

So, I am thinking about a HUMVEE instead. Might not cost a lot more than trying to fix up the Jeep and probably would be more reliable. They are a bit wide though.

Any thoughts?

Old Greenhorn

Those old WIllys are real easy to work on and there are a ton of aftermarket parts available. The HumVee on the other hand is gonna cost you something to get and then parts are another question. Likely, they will be a lot more expensive. Military stuff is very different from commercial and you will likely not be able to get many specific parts at your local supply. Having said that, I am thinking the bigger issue is the footprint. Those humvees are darn wide, and picking around between trees might be problematic. The humvee will have a much better weight and cargo capacity, depending on the configuration, and much more horsepower (fuel consumption too).
 I always think a bird in the hand.... If you rebuild the willys and it doesn't fit your needs, you can sell it for more than it is worth now. It should be a fun project and not too difficult. Try yanking the engine out of a humvee and making sense of it. (Unless you were a military mechanic.)
 A buddy of mine had an old Willys he used to bang around on his property and get him up to the skidder or landing. It went anywhere as long as it stayed upright. Parts were rotting off of it, he just kept it going. It didn't even have a gas tank, just a 2 gallon steel can in the back with a hose to the fuel pump.
 Just some thoughts for you to ponder.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

moodnacreek

The old jeeps are cheap to fix and very easy to get parts for.

btulloh

HM126

Crusarius

Hummer way to big. Jeep is an overgrown quad.

Jeep be better. if you want find a small V6 or a 2.5 4 cylinder from a newer jeep to swap in. You can't really lose with anything willy's.

Except you will get the jeep bug. It's all downhill from there :)

btulloh

12V conversion would make life better and it's simple and cheap to do. Even if you had to do a minor rebuild on the engine it would be worth it. Probably a new fuel pump and manifold would get you running good. Carb. Brakes. All less than the cost of a ragged out humvee.

Sounds like fun.
HM126

btulloh

Full disclosure- I have 47 CJ2a so I may be a little biased. Mine is awaiting restoration and is not currently running.
HM126

Tom the Sawyer

My vote would be for the Willys (some nostalgia since I worked on restoring one about 50 years ago), but a retired military HumVee would be a major investment.  I toured a business in NC a couple of years ago that had several of them among the company's owners and family.  Be fine if you have sufficient cash flow.  

If the Willys doesn't work out, I have had a couple of clients who resolved similar needs with small 4WD vehicles from the 90s; Suzuki Samarai, Geo Tracker, and a couple of others that escape memory.  
07 TK B-20, Custom log arch, 20' trailer w/log loading arch, F350 flatbed dually dump.  Piggy-back forklift.  LS tractor w/FEL, Bobcat S250 w/grapple, Stihl 025C 16", Husky 372XP 24/30" bars, Grizzly 20" planer, Nyle L200M DH kiln.
If you call and my wife says, "He's sawin logs", I ain't snoring.

Raider Bill

Quote from: Tom the Sawyer on June 11, 2019, 05:28:38 PM
My vote would be for the Willys (some nostalgia since I worked on restoring one about 50 years ago), but a retired military HumVee would be a major investment.  I toured a business in NC a couple of years ago that had several of them among the company's owners and family.  Be fine if you have sufficient cash flow.  

If the Willys doesn't work out, I have had a couple of clients who resolved similar needs with small 4WD vehicles from the 90s; Suzuki Samarai, Geo Tracker, and a couple of others that escape memory.  
We love the Geo Tracker!
Another vote for the Willys.
Humvees are very costly in any direction.
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

DbltreeBelgians

Go for the Willy's. When I lived in western Colorado we had a 46 CJ2A and 48 CJ3A. The 3A had a Koenig pto winch and it never failed us.
Sold the 46 when we moved to Ohio and the 48 got a full body off Resto with a 302 Ford and a top loader 4speed and Warn overdrive to ease the rpm's from the 5.38:1 gears.
Like everyone said they are easy to wrench on and parts are plentiful.
Something about an old flat fender just works for me. I don't think you'd regret it. JMHO

Brent 

lxskllr

I'll also throw in with the jeep, and I like Tom's idea of an old Samurai. I'd have liked one to use at work for running on big boundaries. I wouldn't even consider a humvee unless it was pretty close to free. An older compact pickup would be better if you were gonna buy something newer.

Woodpecker52

Rtv utv or better yet an old tractor gets around good on no roads.  Tractors like used kubotas with a bed mount off hitch or pulling small trailer etc.  are affordable at this time.
Woodmizer LT-15, Ross Pony #1 planner, Ford 2600 tractor, Stihl chainsaws, Kubota rtv900 Kubota L3830F tractor

bluthum

Go with the jeep. Easy to fix and narrow foot print. Not to mention terminally cool.....

Peter Drouin

A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

sawguy21

For your stated needs the Jeep is the way to go. It will take time and some pesos to get it back into shape but it will be practical and fun.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Sixacresand

My dad ran jeeps and we were always tinkering on them.  Love to have one now.   Love the Roxor that Mihindra sells
"Sometimes you can make more hay with less equipment if you just use your head."  Tom, Forestry Forum.  Tenth year with a LT40 Woodmizer,

btulloh

All this Jeep talk has got me thinking I should patch mine up and drive it while I'm waiting to restore it.
HM126

WV Sawmiller

   A buddy of mine had an old Willy's when we were in our teens and it was a great old machine but I agree with Woodpecker - get a quad or a big ATV for getting up and around in the woods. They are made for that. 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

goose63

Just sell me the Jeep I have some family in N.W. Montana I could stop and see when I pick up the JEEP ;D
goose
if you find your self in a deep hole stop digging
saw logs all day what do you get lots of lumber and a day older
thank you to all the vets

Al_Smith

One of my departed dad's hobbies was restoring old Jeeps .He did around a dozen full body off restorations .I have the last one he ever did which is a 1965 CJ5 with a IOE 4 cylinder engine .Made from parts from 2 or 3 others plus I've got enough parts to assemble another .

Dad was over 80 when he did this one and used the o-ring valve seals which never were very good and leaked oil on the overhead intake valve stems .I've found out umbrella  seals from Ford FE model  engines should fit .Other than fouling a few spark plugs it runs just fine .Don't expect them to be speed demons because about 45 miles per hour is just about the limit .That's a low speed long stroke engine and about 4000 RPM is just about it .

sawguy21

With the primitive  stock brakes and steering I wouldn't want to go more than 45 in an old Willys. :D My bil has one, a real beater he uses for hunting. He took me for a ride on the bush trails, I quickly found out it had no brakes on top of that he was waiting for eye surgery. He couldn't see!
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Magicman

Much depends upon your terrain and soil composition.  On my property, we tried a Jeep, Broncos, and a Suzuki Samurai.  All worked well in the Fall but as our normal rains fell, all cut deep ruts and we were forced to use the John Deere especially in January.  I have no rocks.

4-Wheelers worked very well but were not suitable for more than one person.  Enter the gas powered "Golf Car".  Great flotation and will easily carry 4 adults, even over saturated ground.  I believe that the various UTV's would also work but at a much steeper cost.

Different vehicles for different applications and locales.

Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Al_Smith

Hang a snow plow on the front of an old CJ some time  Talk about hard to steer .Brakes aren't a problem,just drop the plow .If they are running correctly they have plenty of power .I think they could climb a tree if they could get traction .
We've had them in the Colorado mountains hunting deer in days I wore a younger mans clothes .Had to put two guys on the front to hold the front end down in some of those ravines .
I've seen them converted to run 289 Fords and V6 Buicks that  had a lot more power,used more gas and tore up the drive lines.They would not go any place better that old 65 HP 4 banger would.

DFILER2


scsmith42

Side by sides (I have a Polaris Ranger) are very handy when you own land.  My Ranger is a much quicker ingress / egress than a Jeep or HMMVW would be.

The best all-around off-road Jeep that I've ever been in was a M151A2.  It was the last model before the HMMVW came out and is incredible off-road.
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

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