UPDATE: Not many of these winches around.
While going through some old Four Wheeler Magazines, I came across two different ads for a McCain Hub Winch. As best as I can tell, you attach it to the front hub, wind a cable or rope around it, and then start the front wheels turning, which would pull the jeep forward. Also, the February 1969 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine has an article about the winch, but the seller wants $25 for it. I’ll wait until the price drops.
This first pic is an ad for the winch:
This second pic shows an ad for Chachua’s Four Wheel Drive Center. If you see #2, you can read about the hubs:
You might notice the price of the surplus rifle racks @ $3.50! I wonder if they have any more. 🙂 I’ll take em all.
These add on hubs were around in the 1920’s (I also own a 1923 Buick). Problem with them is as soon as the wheel with the add on hub starts doing any real work to pull you out, the other wheel starts to spin via the action of the differential (assuming you don’t have a locker).
The solution in the early motoring days was to disconnect one of the parking brake rods/cables to one side/wheel, apply the parking brake to lock the other wheel and with the ‘live’ (unlocked) wheel have the hub active and drag the other locked side along in the mud. and the vehicle out.
Still takes two people, our I guess you could apply the thottle knob and hop out in low range wrap the rope and apply tension to get it to grab.
Nice how-to on how to use them Brian 🙂
These hubs are standard on the Kaiser M715. I used a single line from one hub around the anchor and then to the other hub.
With the help of 2 friends, 3/4 dia synthetic line, two cases of beer and a chain saw, we got it out.
These hubs although tedious worked.
So Gerald. If I understand you correctly, cases of beer are critical to a successful implementation of these hubs? And, the reason these were standard on the M715 is because there was lots of room in the back for beer? And, further, there wasn’t enough room in the back of a jeep for enough cases, so unless you were pulling a trailer full of beer with the jeep, these wouldn’t work?
That explains why these were also known as ‘Beercase winches’?
I always thought that jeep had “tubs” for bodys so you could fill them with ice. Or at least make a trip to your local hockey rink in summer time and fill them with snow. Nothing like a baseball snowman.