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Has anyone ever seen one of these Western Snowblowers mounted to a jeep?
Western also produced wrecker setups as well (Pics from a 2015 eBay auction):
This brochure highlights the Western WC-3 Cranes for the FC, Jeep, and Jeep Truck.
“Up for Auction is a Rare and Amazing Western Wreckers for Willys 4WD Vehicles Jeeps-Jeep Trucks-Forward Control Trucks-3 Ton Cranes Brochure there are 2 pages in very good condition.”
Yes, I had one on a CJ5. In the early ‘80’s, I bought a ‘68. The Jeep had a rear pto & mounts for the up front snowblower. I bought it from a retired farmer & he sold it to me with all the implements he had for it. Originally I thought it had a plow attachment. I was in the barn looking all over the place for the snow plow & couldn’t find it. So I go back to the house & he points it out to me, what he was calling a “snow plow” was actually the blower. He had a contract with a local air field & maybe with the town for snow clearing. I sold off the implements I didn’t want, but I kept the blower. I never got the opportunity to use the blower. It’s one of those things where I sold the Jeep & the attachments with it & later wish I hadn’t. I’m sure a lot of us have been there.
I know I’ve been there, too!
Sounds like the blower must have worked well if he was clearing an airfield with it.
Richard Rowett of Franklin NJ still has one mounted on his 63 Gladiator pickup. His dad was a Willy Jeep dealership from way back when.
Mike: So, perhaps they were more common than I realized? Sounds like it was worth the time to post.
Dave, definitely worth posting. This type of equipment was very similar to the truck mounted SNO-GO machinery mounted on truck chassis FWD and Ford Marmon Harrington 4 wheel drive trucks. The city of Clifton NJ (Hometown) had both 1961 FWD and a 1947 Ford Marmon Harrington, man O man, they would EAT SNOW. They ended up being sold at auction to a contractor who cleared the snow for The Giants Football team stadium parking. This was back in the 1990’s. The 1947 Ford 4 wheel drive sold for $200.00, what a deal. The City didn’t know what they had. A separate chassis mounted engine ran the blower equipment.
Mike, I don’t know how you keep track of those details!
Dave, this is how my brain works, an advantage or dis-advantage, kind of like Dustin Hoffman in “RAINMAN”. I remember trivial facts that no one else cares about. I guess that explains why so few people know what I’m talking about. I was always an interesting little kid, now just a BIG KID.
Hey Mike,
Did you mean Franklin, or Franklinville? I knew of a dealer in Franklinville, in southern, NJ.
rdjeep, Franklin, NJ, It’s in Sussex County, Rowett’s Garage, just off Route 23. Long gone. Who was the dealer in Franklinville?
Just looking at the pictures of the snow blower attachment, with the engine mounted on the unit to the left, what about balance of weight, must have been difficult to steer. How did they compensate for that?
Mike, I recalled slightly off-target in my original post. My landmark turn was the sign for Franklinville. The dealer was down a bit further in Malaga, Malaga Jeep to be exact, on Delsea Drive. When I went there in the 80’s for parts, they were no longer an official dealer, but were “old school”. The building looked 1960’s, and had been a family business. I got to recognize the grown son. Apparently his dad was ill, and not involved in the business directly anymore. I went by the place about a year ago when I was down that way. Building still there, but now owned by someone else. And that great stuff in the back lot that I would have paid GOOD money to just walk through, was gone.
As for the reaction caused by the offset weight, I hope they had a counterweight on the opposite side, especially with the larger unit with bigger engine. I looked at current styles of similar machines a bit ago, and the engine was mounted more centrally.
I had personally seen the Jeep approved blower once at a truck show in NJ. That was the one with a Wisconsin engine mounted in the Jeep bed (combined with a half-cab) and the driveshaft routed down the driver’s side of the Jeep, blocking use of the driver’s door.
And Dave, thanks for the cool post. Something else I had not ever seen before!
rdjeep, thanks for the information and quick reply. Similar story with Rowett’s in Franklin, Ageing father, old school dealer, son & daughter trying to make the best of it. I did manage to buy some of their old stock, much of it damaged due to a leaking roof, now building still there, but old vehicles gone to who know where. Miss NJ and all the old times.
Mike, Are you still around on this forum? I saw somewhere you said you had old pictures of the Rowett’s garage in Franklin. I would love to see them.