Ohio event showcased how versatile old Jeep CJs are when it comes to getting things done down on the farm.
These days, Jeep vehicles are known their ability to maintain traction, ford water, maneuver, articulate, and clear obstacles. At the Willys Jeep Rally, old Jeeps showed off how good they were at cutting wood, mowing grass, and digging holes.
Truck Yeah!’s David Tracy went out of his way to attend the event in Ohio and left calling it the greatest car show he’d ever attended.
The Jeeps there weren’t shiny and new or outfitted with sky-high lifts and giant, knobby tires. However, they did have plenty of mods on them. The owners of the old CJs at the rally had their rigs connected to power take-off (PTO) units and a variety of cool gizmos to make hard work a little easier.
Just watch the video up top. Someone turned their dually CJ into a freakin’ backhoe. When the scooped-out earth needs to be pushed aside, the plow on the front is ready to shove it.
This green machine powered a table saw – perfect for cutting fence posts:
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
