David EilersMay 11, 2016

Willys Motors Makes "Ranger" for US Navy

A September 2, 1953, article in the Toledo Blade relayed the news that Willys Motors and Mobile Fire Apparatus, Inc., were planning to produce a Willys mobile fire jeep called the Ranger. According to Four Wheeler Magazine, the1952 truck shown below is an example of the Ranger. However, it's a little puzzling that the truck is a 1952, when the announcement wasn't made until late 1953? Maybe Mobile Fire Apparatus used an older chassis? Anyone have an insight on this?

A second article shared the news that Brede Products was planning to sell a snow plow, powered by its own jeep engine. Below is one of two photos from Four Wheeler you can view the front of the rotary snow plow here. Anyone have a brochure for this?

cj-3b-brede-rotary-snow-plow-conversion1

A third article announced an agreement between Mitsubishi and the Willys Overland Export, Inc.

1953-09-02-toldeo-blade-willys-navy-announce-ranger-fire-jeep

5 Comments

BobMay 11, 2016 at 11:30 AM
that snowblower would cool to have. There has to be stuff like this around somewhere!
Steve IowaMay 11, 2016 at 1:00 PM
Info here. Added 2,000 lbs to the jeep! http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/1406-vintage-jeep-accessories-and-conversions-old-tool/ Lots of other interesting ideas there.
BillMay 11, 2016 at 2:18 PM
Now I have some info on the snowblower the was on my 62 CJ5. It was the Pennsylvania governor's mansion snow removal jeep in the 1960s. They beefed the rear springs, had a granny gear 4 speed and that auxiliary power plant mounted there. It's wasn't there when I got it. The beauty is the low mile, hardly broken in
TerryMay 11, 2016 at 11:11 PM
I have looked at many snowblower jeeps , all I have seen had 4 speed tranys .
JWMay 12, 2016 at 6:06 PM
That announcement was the start of a Jeep - Mitsubishi partnership that lasted until 1998 when the last MitsuJeep rolled off the line. My J53 is a 1987 but it looks like a CJ3B from decades earlier. I think Mitsubishi was a good custodian of the brand, but it's too bad they never sold them in the US.