Can You Really Drive a 100-Year-Old Ford Model T In the Snow? (Part 3)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Here's what happens when you try to drive a 109 year old Model T through deep snow. Hint: it doesn't go well... ( www.alltfl.com/ ) Check out our new spot to find ALL our content, from news to videos and our podcasts!
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This is hilarious! Really enjoying these T videos.
My dad and I used to watch shows like this content on satellite years ago, feels good to see similar stuff.
You forgot snow chains
Man, that cold start was better than a lot of modern vehicles
In garage its not cold start😂
@@StopTeoriomSpiskowym don't look like a very warm shed to me
Garages built in the 1920s often had a crawlspace that you could get under the car and drain the oil. It would be taken inside to keep warm.
Twas pre-warmed before camera was even on!
My family built a 2 bay garage in the 1910's when they got their 1914 T. One bay had a removable floor section to service the car. The other bay has a 2ftx3ft metal pan to catch the engine block water when you parked in the winter. The pan drained to the ground.
They used that 1914 T to drive a pulley driven firewood sawmill and would stick a meat grinder handle into the spokes and idle as slow as possible to grind meat. Sadly the T was sold in 1915. We still have the garage.
So they only kept it a year or do you have a typo?
I'm pretty sure by 1915, there were some alternatives to the model T, but definitely not many that were adorable or mass-produced. Or it broke down and they sold it for scrap because they couldn't get the replacement parts.@@Wingnut353
I heard that they used to drain the oil and take it inside when it was incredibly cold out.
Clearly another reason why automobiles are just a passing fad, and will never replace horses!
Get a horse!!!
My horse would not get stuck in the snow.
@@aticus21 But when you are riding past one of these machines stuck in shallow snow it will give you a good chuckle.
Horses are sorta like motorcycles. You can squeeze em through where a ford raptor cant. Except the horse is a living animal that can decide where to put its own feet. People ride them when you think about it its actually crazy. "What do you drive" "a drive a giant beast" you can see then government even learned to respect the horses. Theyre road legal you dont have to hand a license plate off the back of them and fund the dmv if you dont want to isnt it beautiful. I neigh in symbolic respect
@fl350r For a "modest" fee since anyone that could afford a mechanical beast had more money than sense.
If you read some of the old accounts of driving across the country which happened 5-7 years before this, they used rope as there were no chains. You could get a few feet anywere in those days and most farmers and ranchers had it. If I rember correctly Edsel Ford drove a brand new 1915 across the country to show it's reliability. My father drove a Model T as a kid as his dad never had a driver's license. A driver's license was fairly easy, plop a quarter on the counter even if you had to stand on your tip toes. During winter and spring they not only had ropes for chains but carried a block and tackle to winch if needed.
ye that makes sense. I'd imagine even a horse carriage should have something like this.
EDIT: o w8, horse carriages prbly didn't need this at all since horses did the pulling.
The old timers used to wind rope around the tire between the spokes. That was their “chains.”
ol' reliable 😎🪢
That's what I do. Half hitches between each spoke.
I was just about to say the same thing.
"Plus my pants are falling off."
"Well, that's not the car's fault."
But they'll make it seem like it is, won't they.
I spit out my beer on that one😂😂
“My pants are falling off”
“Well, that’s not the car’s fault”
I love their father/son relationship 😂
Sandbags and chains might help, but In 1915 you could probably just take the horse instead.
If you even had a horse to ride after buying a Model T. Those were not cheap
That's what the Model T snowmobile kit is for. Here in New England, we know better than to drive our model Ts in the snow without tracks on the back and skis in the front. Ford sold a snowmobile kit for winter driving from the factory. There were no winter tires in 1915, only snowmobile conversion kits. Many consider the Ford winter driving conversion kit to be the world's first snowmobile.
You’re right about back in the day they didn’t use antifreeze. Back in the day what they did use was a mixture of alcohol and water, depending on where they live and degree of temperature.
makes sense
That might not be glycol, but it is antifreeze
Right very common into the 1920s and later for some people. My grandfather said that you had to be careful though because the alcohol would cook off and need to be added again. When the first real antifreeze was available, it was recommended to flush it out for summer because it would corrode the system.
@@NYCS19339 How true !
What I thought funny and also worthy of the Darwin Award was, in really cold weather they would light a small flame underneath the car’s oil pan. I believe this method is sometimes used in fridged areas to this day.
I have heard that back when the car was new, drivers would wrap rope around the wheel, threading it through the spokes, as DYI version of chains.
I also recall something where they would take a block of wood and a belt and strap it to the wheel. This added a hefty lug for getting out of places thick of mud.
True, then get it wet and allow the rope to freeze solid.
My Dad's uncle talked about wrapping light chains around the tires like that, for traction.
I would carry a long length of 1/2 inch rope in a saddle bag of my M/C for the same purpose. When caught in surprise snow storms while living in the mountains I would wrap the rope around the back rim and tire multiple times, forming a type of chain to improve traction. Combined with dropping pressure in the front tire, was enough to get me home on more then one occasion. Talking inches, not feet of snow here, deepest I did this in was maybe 6 inches. Not able to run at highway speeds under such conditions, but always better to keep moving at a slower speed than leave my custom chopper behind.
Back in the day, you'd wrap clothesline around the tires through the convenient openings in the wood wheels, or you'd buy some of those new fangled things called snow chains.
LMAO! He scared the mess out of him with the horn.
The fact that the ground was not frozen was not helping you. You were basically trying to drive it in mud. Fun video. I loved it.
Watching the wheels dig in and the tires spin at high speeds was exactly what I expected. Just more mud than I thought and the rear tires basically becoming mudslicks.
Sometime in 1915. "Grandma, get out and push"😂
Two minutes of Googleing and I found an add for Weed Tire Chains from the teens or twenties. Locking differentials have also been available for the T for 100 years or more.
My grandpa had told me that back when he was driving one (bought a brand new ‘23 at 18yo) he would drain the oil and I assume radiator and bring both of those fluids in the house at night and store them by the wood stove so he could start the car easier in the morning.
To get up steep hills and in the snow, early cars were driven in reverse. This would allow fuel to gravity feed better and effectively make the car front wheel drive in terms of direction of travel. If the tank was kept full, the weight of the fuel adds a lot more pressure into the fuel line. Also, anti-freeze as an automotive product was offered in 1917. Prior to this, some people added isopropyl alcohol to radiators in cold climates.
In the OLD DAYS when this car was new, the front wheels were replaced with SKIS and the rear wheels were replaced with TREADS similar to tank treads.
Before antifreeze, motorists would drain the water before storage and refill before driving again. The height of the car and the non-pressurized cooling system allowed this to be done with a simple bucket or watering can.
To think my grandfather was 17 years old when the Model T was new. Also, I have his 1916 LC Smith Corona typewriter. Love the Model T videos!
This is what shovels are for. Being from Alaska, I keep a shovel in every vehicle I own.
In 1915 there were many "tow trucks" in the country, the 4 legged kind....
you boys need a model t snowmobile kit. They were an option by another company back in the day.
Famous last words, "no dad, it won't get stuck". 😅
Little light in the rear end. Tire technology has come a long way too. I remember my grandpa saying that the T’s had more torque in reverse than 1st gear. He said you’d see folks going up hills in reverse. Good stuff. Nice video. 😊
Mostly because the fuel was gravity fed only slightly higher then the carb, but if there was someone sitting in back they coulda gone a couple more feet
My great uncle took a model T from north Idaho to Kentucky. He talked about finding a thick rope and wrapping it around the spokes to increase traction through mud snow and sand.
If you are going to keep the T, you should convert it to an electric self starter. My neighbour has a 1915 T with the conversion. Saves getting a broken wrist when it kicks back on the crank.
Seeing the little ATV zipping around the yard reminded me of my brother's old dodge. He would tie one of those cheap plastic kiddie pools to the back and all of his school chums and I would pile into it, and we'd go ripping along in the stubble of the back 40 until it flipped, and we all went flying, dirt clods, wet straw, snow and toques all over! Mom would have skinned him if he did doughnuts like that on the lawn though. :P
Great Father/Son collaboration video !!! Great job guys
Yes, there were and still are, tire chains for Model Ts. Also available back in the day were abundant supplies of traction enhancing material know as ash from the wood burning stoves. We always had several 5 gal buckets handy to throw down for traction.
In winter you'd drain the water after driving and heat it on the stove before pouring it back in at the start of the day.
Remember what the old gentleman told you about driving in snow, to tie sections of rope throught the spokes and around the tires to create grip, sorta like chains...dont wanna damage the wooden spokes with chains.
Just be glad there's no salt out there.
My dad raised on Kansas farm. They used to drain radiator in winter to drive the mile to church. Other times they built small fire under engine pan to preheat engine.
Passenger would blow in gas tank to pressurize it going up hill. Apparently some people rigged bicycle pumps to pressurize.
Would wrapping rope around rear tire improve traction?
I love these Model T videos. Please keep them coming.😀
What a fun video Love that your Dad is in there helping out
Glad to see you wearing the helmet in the Pioneer, stay safe out there!
As a Canadian I laughed when he said worst snow storm in 3 years.
Alaska here. I thought when they said worst snow being 4 - 5, he was going to say feet. I was like yeah that’s pretty good. Then he said inches! That had me rolling.
In the mountains it was 40-60 inches. They got missed by the worst of it. The ski resort he mentioned ended up getting around 60 inches and had to stay closed for a few days because of avalanches. About 25 miles from them I was snowshoeing over the tops of cabins
@@bigjfodayz average Canadian snowfall
@@aircraftnut15 What you have to keep in mind is that the front range of Colorado is a semi arid ecosystem and receives an average of 18 inches of precipitation a year so getting a single storm with 3 to 5 inches of SWE is pretty substantial.
I believe the answer to the question is "no".
You can't really drive a 100 year old Ford Model T in the snow.
i think that with those drag racing slick tyres thats pretty good.
if you had proper winter tyres it would go waay better.
Thank you Roman and Tommy.
Here in Toronto ON Canada there whole areas of the city that would had Ford model T lining the street most likely people in the country if it snowed they did not go out Model A had more luxury I can see where Driving Gloves come in the glove box was for your Driving gloves
You guys should have tried putting some weight over those rear wheels lol
There where also aftermarket 4x4 kits 😁 Utilizing a modified rear axle in the front 😁
That was fun! It may have been a fail from a getting somewhere point of view, but it was a win from an entertainment perspective! Thanks again!
All it needs is the invention of the LSD and snow tires! And roofs! And heaters!
(IOW: We've no idea how good we have it.)
there was a track add on that turned it into a halftrack. not sure how common it was.
when the roads are cleared you should drive into town
I would bet good money that back in the day drivers would do the same thing I have done more then once to get my M/C home when caught in a snow storm. And that is wrap a good length of rope multiple times around the back rim and tire, forming a type of tire chain to improve traction. The spokes keep the rope from slipping, actually works really well. A 1/2 inch rope was thick enough to get my custom chopper home through 6 inches of snow. Didn't set any speed records doing this but kept me moving. A far better option then leaving my bike behind. I'm sure your Model T could handle a thicker diameter rope for even better traction, handle even deeper snow. Testing this could make for an interesting follow-up Model T video
Most people drained their radiators into a bucket and set it behind the woodstove overnight. Pour it back in the radiator in the morning and it warms the block for easier starting. Tire chains were also a thing.
They made front skis and rear tracks for Model T's i saw one in person years ago it was pretty amazing, im loving this series!
100 years ago that Honda tractor thing would have been the best car in the world.
On the show American Pickers they once bought some skis for the tires on a Model T car. So that is what you need to invest in.
While the T was from beyond the horseless carriage era, it would not have been run in the snowy countryside where you are when there were still horses in the barn to use instead.
Love these videos. I have seen model t's with skis and tracks on the back. They can really zip in the snow. After winter was over they would convert the back over to four wheelers.
Yes, they had tire chains for Model T’s.
Tow trucks were pretty scarce in 1915, best option available was the neighbor's plow horse.
Yah I'm sure you know everything.
there is a 4 wheel drive model T in the Model T museum in Detroit, they also had Model T ford snow cats back then
That was another fine mess you got into!😄. Loved it. It’s like what would Shawn Spencer have driven in 1915. I could tell you and your father really enjoyed it. Great vid.
Tommy and his helmet yelling yay remind me of Crank Yankers special Ed. Funny stuff
Back in the day the son would be pushing and the dad driving
So... I immediately googled snow tires and it came up with oodles of pictures of tire chains from the t-club. Nice research guys.
My horse doesn't need chains 😏
Yes you can. They did years ago. Had tire chains for them. They went along just fine
Now I want to see you do some road trip in it :D But I do love this series!
I think they used to wrap rope around the tires then tie off the ends on the spokes they use to put a fire under the engine to warm the oil up otherwise high gear would drag or you would have to jack up one wheel till it warmed up when they got them going in the winter they didn't turn them off till they got where they were going and drained the water out right away so it didn't freeze more often then not they just hooked a team if horses in the winter
Still more weather protection than the amish buggies i see every day.
I think our forefathers planned on having enough provisions stocked up that they didn't have to take their Model T's out in the snow.
They took them out in the snow all the time, they just knew how to do it unlike these fellas! 😂