Ever wonder how front bumper winches came into use?
A Jeep with a self-recovery winch is a pretty useful thing. It was not too long after the advent of the 1/4 ton truck that a capstan-type winch was offered. It could be installed in the field, and had come about as a response to jungle operations in the China-Burma-India theatre. By December of 1943, the completed winch kit is being evaluated (below) in a soggy section of the Aberdeen Proving Ground test facility.
The MB in the photo below (circa 1943.) is fitted with Firestone Cylindrical tires (they were intended to go through deep mud and snow). After testing, it was ultimately determined that the tires were not very useful in navigating through adverse winter weather. The width of the tires made manuvering difficult and the overall Jeep width limited it to more open terrains. The final verdict for Firestone Cylindrical tires: good for mudding, bad for war. It was determined that a capstan winch on the front of the Jeep would be more useful than these very peculiar tires.
Times have definitely changed. Today, we can add a beastly Rancho Front Off-Road Bumper and a 16,500 lb high performance recovery winch that would most likely suspend that Willys MB from the trees!
The photos in this post can be found in “Volume Three: All American Wonder – The Photographic History of the U.S. Military 1/4 Ton Truck“. This Jeep® news blog post was created by Live Offroad, an online store offering CJ & Wrangler Jeep Parts, including CJ & Wrangler Lift Kits, Jeep Wrangler Body Parts, CJ Offroad Upgrades, and many more Jeep Parts and Jeep Accessories for CJ & Wrangler.
