Ford Model TT

The Ford Model TT is a truck made by Ford. It was based on the Ford Model T, but with a longer wheelbase, and a heavier frame and rear axle, giving it a rating of 1 short ton (0.91 t).

Ford Model TT
Overview
ManufacturerFord
Production1917-1928
DesignerHenry Ford and Edsel Ford
Body and chassis
ClassHeavy commercial
Body style2-door pickup truck
2-door panel truck
2-door canopy express
2-door box truck
2-door stake truck
PlatformTT chassis
RelatedFord Model T
Powertrain
Engine201 CID (3.3 L) 4-cylinder inline
Transmission4-speed manual and reverse
Dimensions
Wheelbase131 in (3,327 mm)
157.5 in (4,000 mm)
LengthVaried by body style
Width67 in (1,702 mm)
HeightVaried by body style
Curb weightVaried by body style
Chronology
SuccessorFord Model AA

Production

When the first three units were produced in 1917, the Model TT was sold as a chassis with the buyer supplying a body. The price was $600. Starting in 1924, the truck was available with a factory-produced body. By 1926 the price had dropped to $325.[1] In 1925, a hand-operated windshield wiper was added.[2]

Military production

In his World Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles, author Pat Ware writes that: "During World War I, the Model T was ... standardized in the "light" class. The first truck, using a long-wheelbase chassis designated Model TT, was launched in 1917. Although Ford ... was a pacifist, he was ... happy to supply the US Army with more than 12,000 of these vehicles,..."[3] and: "There was no civilian production of the Model Ts between 1917 and 1918."

Further on, Ware writes: "The Model T was widely used by the US and British armies during World War I as a staff car, ambulance, van and cargo truck, even as an artillery tractor, for which application the truck was fitted with twinned rear tyres."[3] Many remained in service into the 1930s.

Below are the numbers of Model T trucks produced each year, not including Canadian production.[4]

YearProduction
19173
191841,105
191970,816
192053,787
192164,796
1922154,039
1923246,817
1924259,118
1925306,434
1926213,914
192774,335

Drivetrain
1926 Ford Model TT truck engine at Campbell County Rockpile Museum in Gillette, Wyoming

The rear axle of the TT has a worm drive[1] and crown wheel, unlike the Model T's crown wheel and pinion. The worm is located at the end of the drive shaft and above the crown wheel. The wheelbase of the Model TT is 125 inches (3,175 mm), compared to 100 inches (2,540 mm) for the Model T. It was often equipped with an accessory gearbox, such as the Ruckstell or Jumbo gearboxes, which allow the truck to have intermediate gears between low and high, useful for hill climbing.

The Model TT was very durable for the time, but slow when compared to other trucks.[5] With standard gearing, a speed of not more than 15 mph (24 km/h) was recommended, and with special gearing, a speed of not more than 22 mph (35 km/h) was recommended.[6] Standard worm gear ratio is 7.25:1, and special gearing gives a ratio of 5.17:1. Because of this, accessory catalogs offered items to help give the Model TT more power.[7]

It was replaced by the Ford Model AA truck in 1928.[8]

  • 1926 Model TT tank truck
    1926 Model TT tank truck
  • Ford TT used as a bus in Skanör, Sweden in 1920
    Ford TT used as a bus in Skanör, Sweden in 1920
  • Blue Bird school bus built on a 1927 Ford Model TT
    Blue Bird school bus built on a 1927 Ford Model TT

References
  1. Gunnell 2003, p. 6.
  2. Gunnell 2003, p. 37.
  3. Ware, Pat (2010). The World Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles. Lorenz Books. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-7548-2052-9.
  4. "Ford Production". Model T Ford Club of America. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
  5. "1924 Ford Model T Truck". Texas Transportation Museum. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
  6. "1923 Ford Dealers Data Book". Model T Ford Club of America. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
  7. Brooke, Lindsay (2008). Ford Model T: the Car that Put the World on Wheels. Motorbooks. ISBN 978-0-7603-2728-9.
  8. Gunnell 2003, pp. 40–41.

Bibliography

Gunnell, John A. (2003). Standard Catalog of American Light-Duty Trucks. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-238-9.

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