UPDATE: I’ve added information to the bottom of the post which discusses the shift of employees from the Transport Motor Company to the Kurland Motor Company in late 1948.
Unfortunately, I don’t have time to export this topic further, but Barry Thomas is doing research into California’s Transport Motor Company, which was the earliest supplier of Willys farm equipment in California. If anyone has more info about the company, Barry of would like to know about it. Comment below or email me at d@deilers.com and I’ll connect you.
Transport Motor was already a strong Willys reseller by the time WWII started, so they were were well positioned for post-war sales and service. This ad was published in the October 19, 1941, issue of the Oakland Tribune as part of a larger article:
After the war, the company pushed Willys Jeeps and the associated farm equipment, though it is unclear which specific models/manufacturers of the equipment was being sold, as evidenced by this October 27, 1946, classified ad in the Oakland Tribune:
This article from the March 28, 1947, issue of the Ventura County Star claims that Transport was the first company to make farm equipment especially for the jeep (I would need to see more evidence to believe that):
For unknown reasons, in late 1948 many key personnel from the Transport company left Transport for a new Willys dealer, Kurland Motors. Whether Transport survived this event is unclear (perhaps the Transport company was already defunct by this time).
i could never understand why the pre-war willys overlands didnt have a 6 cylinder engine ? — they all had the anemic flat 4 — thats why 99% of all classic americars have —> BLOWN HEMI’S — spotted a 53 kaiser manhattan a few days ago , 226 , 3sp , od , no supercharger , NO SALE !!
It’s been almost 25 years since I did any research on Transport Motor. When the CJ2A went into production, several of the very early ones went to TMC in Los Angeles. There is a stadium where their building was. TMC was the Willys west coast distributor.
The Main TMC facility (where the demo movies of their equipment were filmed) was actually in LODI California. When I tried to find it 10 or more years ago, the building had burned to the ground.
“Somewhere” I have about 2 years worth of their monthly newsletters. They were large format like the original Willys World.
As I recall, one of the Jeep Collectors in Connecticut has one of the TMC test Jeeps.
oh my god , that Transport Motor Company was on east 14th in Oakland ? — hahaha — thats not a nice neighborhood anymore — in 2011 i got lost in Oakland after midnight , trying to find the freeway after a Buffalo Springfield show at the Fox Theater — i ended up on east 14th down by International , a bombed out area , looked like Beirut on a good day … then an old van started following me , it was either an undercover cop or some crooks — i was sweating bullets , waiting for the bullets — luckily i found a freeway onramp and floored it , got the hell out of there …
Keith,
Thanks for the info. I was given a copy of a TMC brochure (https://www.farmjeep.com/transport-motor-company-tmc-hydraulic-lift/ ) and I am looking at the TMC movie in the Campbell Film collection. Your identification of the filming location – which appears to be industrial rather than rural – solves that mystery.
Yes, I have the Campbell movie of the implements.
Look carefully at the Jeeps themselves for very early or pre-production features.
I’m in the midst of a purge here so if the newsletters show up I’ll send them along.
Neal, the location at 3851 14th Street in Oakland is still standing ( 14th street now renamed International Blvd) It’s now a produce market. It’s no surprise it is 4-6 blocks from Bancroft Ave. Yes, named after the same Bancroft family as Bancroft Avenue in Toledo, and the Bancroft library at UC Berkeley. You can see it from the BART if you look at the SouthEast corner of 38th Ave and International Blvd
I still believe that the videos were produced at the larger location in Lodi However.
Since COVID started, I found myself traveling more, and overnighting in Oakland. I learned very quickly to stay at a hotel on the Airport grounds. Just the walk to the nearest BART station was terrifying even while carrying protection.
I checked out the old TMC location in Lodi once while visiting the area for an MVPA meet at Tower Park.
It was a vacant lot.
Keith,
Paul Barry purchased a 2a with a HYTECO lift (https://www.farmjeep.com/hyteco-hydraulic-implement-lift-for-the-jeep/ ) that appears to be the same lift as the TMC. Any info on that company?
Thanks,
The brochure that is posted on Barry’s farm Jeep website is actually a photocopy of one from my collection. It seems like the TMC never really got as big as they were hoping. I do however know the whereabouts of the original TMC hydraulic lift that was used in the promotional videos. A friend was able to purchase it off of the Jeep that it was used on in the video.I was also able to locate an original TMC double bottom plow and it is now with the original TMC lift.
Matt,
I thought it would be fun to annotate the Campbell Film TMC short, using the brochure. It is an easy match. I’m also working on the other films, so Keith’s info is extremely useful. I would appreciate it you could drop me a line at barry@farmjeep.com