Instructions for making a jeep lift bar from the 881st Ordnance HAM Company, from Army Motors, July 1945.
JEEP SLING
TO GIVE 1/4-TONS A LIFT WITHOUT ALSO GIVING ‘EM A PAIN IN THE REAR ENDOrdinarily, when you evacuate a helpless jeep and have to lift it on or off a cargo truck with your wrecker, the victim is hoisted by wrapping a chain around it. This gets it where it’s going. But often the jeep is in even worse shape when you’re through because the chain damages the body. To prevent a lot of unnecessary repair work, the 881st Ord. HAM Co. got busy and devised a simple sling that holds the jeep firmly but never leaves a mark.
The sling is made of a reinforced 6″ I-beam, a chain with a hook at one end, two chains with hooks on the other end, and two heavy metal rings near the center of the beam. You reinforce the I-beam on both sides, preferably with U-channel iron if you’ve got it; otherwise use plate. It’s better not to extend these reinforcements along the beam’s full length or it’ll increase the sling’s weight considerably. Instead, you can place one at each end and overlap them in the center for added strength under the ring holes.
In case you can’t find an I-beam, two pieces of frame side-rail bolted or welded together will do just as well and you won’t have to bother to reinforce it. You’ll find the exact dimensions for building the sling in Fig. 1.
To put this sling to work, first lower the top and windshield of the 1/4-ton and see that the rear seat is level with the back edge of the body. Then place the I-beam lengthwise over the jeep with the single-chain end to the rear (Fig. 2). Hook the single chain in the pintle, or if there isn’t any, under the rear edge of the frame. Then hook the other two chains under the two frame-ends supporting the front bumper. After you place the wrecker hook through the center rings, you can gently lift the jeep to where you want it with nary a slip.
