Bill shared this article that includes several claims I hadn’t encountered. So, I figured I’d shared this to see what others thought:

https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-product-design-detail-that-only-engineers-will-notice/answer/Nelson-McKeeby

1. “A little known fact is that most United States wheeled vehicles were designed to stack with only limited modification”?
   Was this an actual design goal or a nice to have? Maybe this assertion is true, but I have only see a few examples of stacked jeeps. I can’t imagine the front clip of the Jeep underneath could handle extended shipping in this manner (which, by extension, suggests to me that it was never really ‘designed’ to do this).
2. “The size of the jeep was dictated by the railroad cars that would carry it”?
   Again, this design aspect is news to me. My understanding is that the design was a carryover from the Bantam design, which was a carryover from the Bantam vehicle size. The short wheelbase was excellent for a light weight design and maneuvarability. 
   
3. “The mass of the jeep was dictated by the ability to stack up to four high”?
   Again, I am unfamiliar with this claim.
4. “Nearly every part of a jeep is catalog ordered…. The basic army Jeep was the same from start too finish”?
   I guess the term “same” would need to be defined, as the basic WWII jeep went through mini alterations over its life.
5. “Post WW2 when there was a massive shortfall in available farm equipment, there was a period of around seven years when Jeeps were pressed into service as farm equipment.”?
   ummm … they were designed, tested, and marketed as farm vehicles starting during war time.

Anyway, check out the article for other claims.

The newest edition of the Dispatcher Magazine arrived in my mailbox yesterday. One article in particular caught my eye: Dan’s gauge restoration. I could have used this a few years ago! Thanks for that writeup Dan!

Also, note the classified ad at the end of the magazine: the San Juan Scenic Jeep Tour business is for sale (and has been for at least a little while).

Barry Thomas’ photo of this farm working CJ-5 landed on the cover of this month’s Farm Collector Magazine. Congrats to Barry! (it is great photo).

If you have a subscription to Farm Collector Magazine, you should be able to read Barry’s article, too.