1919 FORD WITH SNOWFLYER CONVERSION
Back in 1913, a Ford dealer in West Ossipee, New Hampshire, named Virgil White, decided that he was getting pretty sick and tired of his Model T constantly getting stuck in the snow. As a result of his anger towards Mother Nature, White would go on to patent a conversion kit that would transform his horseless carriage into a snow-devouring tank. Nine years later, he would be selling these kits to eager customers at his very own dealership.
Like modern snowmobiles, the conversion kit removed the wheels at the front and replaced them with two runners (one on each side). More importantly, however, the kit allowed individuals to fit a track and two smaller (yet heavy-duty) wheels on each side of their motorcar. Ultimately, this allowed the "tankified" Model T to scoot across the snow quite briskly and with relative ease.
The tracks themselves were made out of stamped steel shoes and tied together with metal chains (originally, they were actually tied together by fabric). Further, White also offered various types of tracks that ultimately allowed the Model T to tackle different kinds of terrain. Among these was even a thinner set of galvanized tracks that would allow the Model T to drive within the tracks of a horse-drawn sled.Besides the obvious additions of the tag axle, track and skis, there are more modifications made to the car as part of the Snowflyer conversion. The rear doors were cut, raising the bottom of the doors to allow clearance of the snow tracks. An auxiliary transmission was added for better performance in the snow and the rear axles were narrowed so the car could be driven through narrow trails. The fenders and running boards were also removed.
The “Ford on Snowshoes,” was offered in three different gauges. For those living where automobiles were standard 56 inch gauge was recommended. A narrower 44-inch gauge allowed driving the Ford in the tracks of horse-drawn bobsleds. Thirty-eight inch gauge was offered for Ford owners where narrower sleigh tracks were standard, such as in parts of Canada. A special slip-on body of hard maple with four coats of paint was included as part of the narrow gauge packages.
In 1923, White produced only about 70 units. By 1925, manufacturing rights to produce snow automobile attachments were sold to Farm Specialty Manufacturing Company of New Holstein, Wisconsin, which began to market its version of the product in 1926.
Farm Specialty Manufacturing Company later bought the patents of the Snowmobile Company and sent its managers to run the factory in West Ossipee. From 1924 to 1929, the Snowmobile Company manufactured about 3,300 units per year in its plant at West Ossipee and had a branch warehouse at St. Paul, Minnesota. The Snowmobile Company closed in 1929, and the factory mysteriously burned down shortly thereafter.
Sources: hotcars.com ; worthpoint.com ; volocars.com ; ci.edu ; blueovaltracks.com
Back in 1913, a Ford dealer in West Ossipee, New Hampshire, named Virgil White, decided that he was getting pretty sick and tired of his Model T constantly getting stuck in the snow. As a result of his anger towards Mother Nature, White would go on to patent a conversion kit that would transform his horseless carriage into a snow-devouring tank. Nine years later, he would be selling these kits to eager customers at his very own dealership.
Like modern snowmobiles, the conversion kit removed the wheels at the front and replaced them with two runners (one on each side). More importantly, however, the kit allowed individuals to fit a track and two smaller (yet heavy-duty) wheels on each side of their motorcar. Ultimately, this allowed the "tankified" Model T to scoot across the snow quite briskly and with relative ease.
The tracks themselves were made out of stamped steel shoes and tied together with metal chains (originally, they were actually tied together by fabric). Further, White also offered various types of tracks that ultimately allowed the Model T to tackle different kinds of terrain. Among these was even a thinner set of galvanized tracks that would allow the Model T to drive within the tracks of a horse-drawn sled.Besides the obvious additions of the tag axle, track and skis, there are more modifications made to the car as part of the Snowflyer conversion. The rear doors were cut, raising the bottom of the doors to allow clearance of the snow tracks. An auxiliary transmission was added for better performance in the snow and the rear axles were narrowed so the car could be driven through narrow trails. The fenders and running boards were also removed.
The “Ford on Snowshoes,” was offered in three different gauges. For those living where automobiles were standard 56 inch gauge was recommended. A narrower 44-inch gauge allowed driving the Ford in the tracks of horse-drawn bobsleds. Thirty-eight inch gauge was offered for Ford owners where narrower sleigh tracks were standard, such as in parts of Canada. A special slip-on body of hard maple with four coats of paint was included as part of the narrow gauge packages.
In 1923, White produced only about 70 units. By 1925, manufacturing rights to produce snow automobile attachments were sold to Farm Specialty Manufacturing Company of New Holstein, Wisconsin, which began to market its version of the product in 1926.
Farm Specialty Manufacturing Company later bought the patents of the Snowmobile Company and sent its managers to run the factory in West Ossipee. From 1924 to 1929, the Snowmobile Company manufactured about 3,300 units per year in its plant at West Ossipee and had a branch warehouse at St. Paul, Minnesota. The Snowmobile Company closed in 1929, and the factory mysteriously burned down shortly thereafter.
Sources: hotcars.com ; worthpoint.com ; volocars.com ; ci.edu ; blueovaltracks.com
