Wrecker (Tow Truck) Equipment

BW 

The running gear is complete and a PTO winch has already been rear mounted. Runs off a Spicer 18H behind my overdrive.

The winch itself is mounted to all of the draw bar mounting points for maximum strength. It’s a friction disk type of winch so that I can operate it from inside or outside the cab.

The boom mounting is half done at this point. 

No actual work on the boom yet. Need to fit the body tub before I can do any more fabrication of the boom. Probably be an adjustable  jib pole design.

Not sure if it will see any wrecker duty at this point ???

The lowest serial number issued was purchased by Jim Marski, and now is owned by Daron Wanberg.

Daron is in the Littleton area +/1 20 miles if you want to see what Willys thought was a good flatfender wrecker with a manual hand crank winch.

If you like that package, you could easily weld one up, or there is a chance that someone here on the board from southern Ohio still has the Canfield rig he bought 5 years ago and never installed.

If you are looking for something more heavy duty for a flatfender, the rig Ken is describing was fitted to the CJ2A with a rear mounted PTO winch. It was not a 'folding' boom, so you couldn't install a rear seat over it, but you could leave the boom home and install a rear seat.

I had a 1956 CJ5 Wrecker. The bed mounted winch was so big there was a cutout in the half cab for it.

I sold the rig to someone from central PA 20 years ago. I'm not sure if I kept the helper springs.

Metalshaper also did a first class CJ5 or CJ6 wrecker a few years ago.

Bruce - I have an old wrecking yard truck that has the remains of a Manley(?) hand crank lift.

Although the boom arms were replaced with heavy pipe, I believe the drum, gear sprocket and framework around it is still there.

I'll try to get pictures this weekend and post here.

Good Evening BD:

When I bought the wrecker jeep it was directly from a former dealer located about 25 miles from where I live.   It had been sitting for a number of years and had fallen into very poor shape.  It was in bad enough shape that I went to the added expense of hiring a roll back truck to pick it up and deliver it to my yard, rather than using my home made car hauler trailer.  He hooked the winch to it, by the time he got it on the truck bed it had completely split in half, both the frame and the body, in the front seat area.  Both were way beyond any hope of repair, and I have done some amazing things as we all have with various derelicts.  The real value was the wrecker body, PTO and accessories.  They were all there.  

The owner of the dealership was retiring and told me that when he was just a yonker, maybe 14 or 15, he worked part time for the then owner of that same dealership.  He was there in 1948 when the jeep was purchased brand new.  At that point they were a Willys dealership.  As he explained it to me, at the time they ordered it, it was a dealer option only.

The entire kit included helper coil springs as shown on one of pictures on this thread.  It also included a large flat "Pusher"bumper.  There was also a counter weight that went the front bumper.  The retiring dealer told me that they used it to tow in all sorts of vehicles including some of the larger GM vehicles such as full size Buick's and Oldsmobile's.  The only issue they had was the brakes.  Some of the bigger cars tended to push the smaller 2A down the hill!  At some point they changed the brake drums to a larger size.  I dont recall exactly what size.  I will try to get a measure on them over the weekend.

The other thing we all have to remember is 75 years ago our country was a lot more adventurous and there were not as many rules and safety concerns that we have today.  So their attitude was if it can physically haul it regardless of its size -- then why not.  It was a very different time than today.

Regards,

Walter

I'm never surprised with what Willys Overland  thought their little American Wonder could do with a 60 HP 4 cylinder. The old days of the gas station service Jeep that was supposed to go haul in a broken down vehicle must have generated some amazing tales. The Jeep pickup wrecker picture reminded me of this. 

I look forward to what you end up with BW!    Oilly