Ford TT and AA trucks versus poplar tree

There were a few discussions about old Ford A, AA, T, and TT cars and trucks recently.

I had to uncover one of my old AA trucks today because a tree fell on it and caved in part of the roof. Also fell on a Case DC tractor. I drove this truck a few years ago and I've been trying to find time to put it in my shop.

1928 AA 1 ton truck that was shortened - and made into a tow-truck. The winch on back is made from a worm-drive TT truck rear axle. This "conversion" was done 70 years ago by the guy I got it from.

Not something you see everyday - kind of a neat and almost one-of-a-kind rig. Hope I can get it into my shop before another tree falls on it.

By the way, I also posted a few photos of TT rear axles with brakes on each end. The brake drums are marked FORD and I assume they are factory original. Some people claim TT trucks never had wheel brakes.

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TT rear axles buried in the snow - with brakes. One had a hi-low planetary aux on it.

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It looks like a neat truck, looks like maybe the tree didn't do too much damage since the body was pretty much rusted away anyhow. Can you get body parts for it easily? Looks like the winch would be handy.
Zach

i had the same thing happen to a 1969 dodge D300 that i have been saving to make a trailer toter. it has been in skid row for several years. last summer, one trunk of a big pine fell right up the back of the rack and caved the back half of the roof in. it wasn't even that close to the tree.

Don't know about a TT, but you can almost build a Model A car from scratch with aftermarket parts.

My 1922 TT has parking brakes in drums at the rear wheels like the car. The regular brake is in the tranny just like the car. The Rocky Mountain brake kit I saw advertised looks like a brake band around the outside of the brake drum. BTW, If you come across anyone needing a N.O.S. wood spoke rear wheel for 20" tires used on the 26-27 TT, I have one that is somewhat oxidized from lying in a chicken house for 40+ years.

Yes. I had to rebuilt the factory aux. transmission in a Oliver-Cletrac OC3 crawler recently. It uses a Ford Model A trans. All parts were available new and suprisingly cheap. Every gear, shaft, and bearing.

Yeah, I've seen better stuff in junkyards too BUT I didn't own it & it wasn't on my place along with some other interesting older tractors in the background.
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Cool ol' truck LJD, good luck with it.

That looks like a tuff old winch!
There"s a coupla places in my woods too steep to get into with a tractor. It might take a litle time but I bet I could pull a few trees outa there with that.
Speaking of truck vs tree, this "34 (I think) Ford belonged to a neighbor farmer of mine who later on became my "grandfather-in-law".
I was 13 in 1954 at the time this happened. His hired man was responding to a nearby grass fire. Durned mechanical brakes, anyway!!
This was the first motor vehicle I ever drove bsides a tractor and I had driven it just a few weeks before that hauling maple sap.
BTW, that Maple is still standing and the "scar" is still visible.

Easy Restoration

jimmy

so, why not sell or scrap the stuff. It's rusting away and at some point (maybe already) it will not be usable. Most guys on this site hate the scrap option, but leaving things to rust away is not better.

The rear springs on the winch truck are interesting. Were they all configured like that, or was that part of the frame shortening mod? I'm not very observant I guess - never saw them rigged like that before.

Sorry about the damage to your neat truck.

LJD, what so many folks don't realize is when a body accumulates old iron, the care and protecting of such depends on the availability of "roundtuits". And they always seem to be in short supply. At least you HAVE the vehicles, and they sure don't make any more of them! BTW, I know how you feel though, a few years ago we had an ice storm and a big oak tree below the house lose several limbs. One took the hood and firewall out of a 1970 F100, and another caved in the roof of an '86 T-Bird. The local authorities deemed them junk and I had to get rid of both of them.

Worm gear rearends!