Mad Max Model A

Location:

The Australians have a noun, "cocky", which might be translated as "practical country bloke who can make anything out of anything."  I met two dairy farmer cockies named Leslie and Bob, about 80 and 90 respectively, who (for example) still drive their parents' 1929 Model A Ford.  Their parents bought it new for their honeymoon;  now Leslie and Bob use it as their daily driver.  At one point Ford offered them a brand new Ford in trade for it (would you take that offer?)  "Naw, we wouldn't know how to fix it!" was the reply.  A cocky would keep a car like this running for 80 years not because they were vintage car enthusiasts, but simply because it works just fine so why replace it?



Well, round about 1949 they decided they needed a tractor.  They got ahold of another Model A (production stopped in 1932 so presumably it was a used car) and the rear differential of some sort of Ford tracked gun tractor and slapped them together.  The engine was the original 4-cylinder (Leslie says it puts out 24 hp) so how to get tractor torque out of it?  Why, just link two gearboxes together!  They put tractor tires on the rear and added a crane boom and the result is some sort of Mad-max ute, fast enough to go to town on but able to do all the work around the farm.  They've never needed a tractor since.





Here you can see the power take-off.  You can attach something directly to the shaft or run it from the V-belt pulley.  At the moment they've got a big ole alternator attached, so the whole thing becomes a generator.  To the left is the crane's winch.  You can also see the vehicle's four gear shifts:  The original, 3-speed Ford's transmission, the one on the left to control the speed of the PTO, the one on the right to control the second transmission (some sort of tractor crashbox), and the little guy down low to engage or disengage the PTO.  This would presumably give the vehicle about 12 different gear combinations when driving and about 24 possible gear selections overall.  Top speed is around 50 mph but I bet it's hairy!



The ole original motor has had some carb and exhaust modifications but is essentially the same the Model A was sold with.



Here you can see the tractor seat and original Model A dash.  Passengers just sit on the PTO tranny and hold on!



I only hope I can live long enough to be just like this guy.

Bonus Model A trivia:

The Model A was licensed to be copied in the Soviet Union, which produced a car called the GAZ.  This, in turn, was made into an armored car called the FAI:



Then, the FAI's slightly improved successor the BA-20 was modified to be driven on rails!



Ford also experimented with a tracked version of the Model T: