People can knock Facebook all they want, but I’m into it. This post about what has to be the coolest freaking factory Jeep ever comes from a tip BangShifter Jeremy George sent me on FB. What you are seeing is a Jeep CJ5 Go-For-Digger trenching backhoe. This whole rig could be bought as optional equipment for the Jeep and they actually sold a bunch of them. Other than the shockingly cool backhoe rig hanging off the back, there was a hydraulic blade in the front that could be raised or lowered, presumably more as a stabilizer than a dozer blade, but I’m not 100% sure on that. The little four cylinder engine in the Jeep would have a hard time pushing a bowling ball so this was certainly not a ‘dozer. The neatest driveline feature is the Dana 70 rear end and dual rear tires. I cannot imagine how colossally slow this thing was with the F4-134 “Hurricane” engine and 3-speed manual transmission, but I’m guessing that the little trencher would get walked by dump trucks of the day. The ride must have been interesting with the big blade in front and the dipper arm from the backhoe hanging in the breeze out back!
I dig the little half cab, the fold down tractor seat and control levers in the back as well as the hydraulic stabilizer feet that came down when it was time for the little guy to get his dig on. The super short wheelbase and maneuverability of this whole rig must have rendered it very useful. It moved a lot quicker than a small excavator, could be driven down the road without a trailer, and could fit in areas where other tracked machines would have never made it.
I have seen a couple of these as rusted out junkers in the last few years but never one that still worked in person. It would be big fun to hop on that seat in the back and start digging holes with it. Unfortunately I couldn’t ride shotgun because there isn’t a “shotgun” in a Go-For-Digger Jeep because the passenger seat is where the large tank for the hydraulic fluid that moves the backhoe and front blade lives.
Scroll down to see the original sales brochure for the CJ5 Go-For-Digger Jeep –
To hell with “Digger World”…this would be a great addition to the backyard of Bangshift world HQ. Go for it boss! 🙂
I know exactly what the blade is for, having dug a trench or two in my day (not sayin’ I’d make a pimple on a real operator – those guys are amazing). Anyhow, it’s to push the loose dirt back into he trench once you’ve buried whatever the trench was for. You sometimes can do it with the back of the bucket but a blade is easier and generally gives a smoother result. It also might move a bit of snow when the time came and the extra weight in the back probably gives better traction.
All in all a pretty neat little rig. Remember that REAL Jeeps (not the stuff they sell now to cruise suburban malls) were geared pretty low, trading speed for grunt so I’d wager it would do some work even though it might take a while to get there.
Dan
I know there’s one sitting out front of the 4wd parts store in York, PA. And since the front and rear tires are different sizes, the gear ratios are too for the front and rear axles, since these were 4wd.