Can You Really Drive a 100-Year-Old Ford Model T In the Snow? (Part 3)

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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[@Brette_Caldwell]

This is hilarious! Really enjoying these T videos.

[@Bawkr]

My dad and I used to watch shows like this content on satellite years ago, feels good to see similar stuff.

[@LiquidClara]

Clearly another reason why automobiles are just a passing fad, and will never replace horses!

[@aerynlovell4754]

Get a horse!!!

[@aticus21]

My horse would not get stuck in the snow.

[@aerynlovell4754]

@@aticus21 But when you are riding past one of these machines stuck in shallow snow it will give you a good chuckle.

[@TheAnnoyingBoss]

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]

Horses were what was used to pull model T's out of the ditch and snowbanks back in the day.

[@MrSweetHart6976]

A little history lesson, One of the first "snowmobiles" created was a modified model T with tracks and skies

[@Turles811]

They also had tracks

[@JamesDierken]

Indeed it was, like a half-track kind of thing.

[@heartland96a]

Yes it was a conversion for rural mail delivery among others , there are videos on KZbin of them being run at different snowmobile events over the years

[@IGmeanwell]

Yep was going to mention this…. There is a big Model T Snowmobile club in Vermont that has a rally each year. It’s worth finding a kit if you can fit the sheer fun of it. The kit as stated was popular for rural mail carriers (think of Fred Astaire in the beginning of Santa Claus is coming to town). However they were also popular with rural doctors who needed the ability to make house calls in the worst of conditions.

[@elliottlee1050]

😂hardly. First "snowmobile" was a dog sled & they're still running. Fr & for actual races, considering the Iditarod just happened yeah. 1200 miles Anchorage(Wasilla)to Nome. A few hundred miles South of where I was born above the Arctic in Kotzebue 😂.

[@stingypaperwaffles]

Man, that cold start was better than a lot of modern vehicles

[@StopTeoriomSpiskowym]

In garage its not cold start😂

[@stingypaperwaffles]

@@StopTeoriomSpiskowym don't look like a very warm shed to me

[@theblindredneck747]

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.

[@gregkocher5352]

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.

[@Wingnut353]

So they only kept it a year or do you have a typo?

[@jwalster9412]

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

[@theblindredneck747]

I heard that they used to drain the oil and take it inside when it was incredibly cold out.

[@charoleawood]

"Plus my pants are falling off." "Well, that's not the car's fault."

[@WitchKing-Of-Angmar]

But they'll make it seem like it is, won't they.

[@frh-freerangehuman]

As a fellow old dude I really felt for Roman. Got his weeks worth of exercise in 15 minutes. Be well dude

[@aerynlovell4754]

In the old days you didn't exercise for fun. It was just a part of everyday life.

[@frh-freerangehuman]

@@aerynlovell4754 haha it’s true eh?

[@aerynlovell4754]

@frh-freerangehuman I grew up on a farm and had to feed the animals before I ate breakfast. Then, when I got home from school, I changed out of my good clothes to feed the animals or shovel s*** before supper. Now people spend so much time sitting in front of a computer or playing video games that they think walking is exercise. I used to think the Jetsons was ridiculous because on the show, George's job of pushing a button all day was considered exhausting.

[@frh-freerangehuman]

@@aerynlovell4754I hear that! I lived in a small town in farming country here in Ontario. I didn’t live on a farm but worked for two. One I did haying and he also had an asphalt coating business and the other they had pigs and dairy cattle. I don’t think my kids believe I milked cows lol Great memories, kept me fit going into adulthood and creates a good work ethic. They really were good old days haha

[@aerynlovell4754]

@@frh-freerangehuman Now everything revolves around the smart watch. Got to get my steps in!

[@haunter_1845]

Sandbags and chains might help, but In 1915 you could probably just take the horse instead.

[@TheNamelessGamer27]

If you even had a horse to ride after buying a Model T. Those were not cheap

[@jimbor2279]

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.

[@FoogleBoogle]

makes sense

[@The_Ballo]

That might not be glycol, but it is antifreeze

[@justinfincher2385]

“My pants are falling off” “Well, that’s not the car’s fault” I love their father/son relationship 😂

[@57WillysCJ]

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.

[@Broockle]

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.

[@Detroit6V92TA]

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.

[@MarcusVanKommer]

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.

[@kameljoe21]

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.

[@barryoconnor721]

True, then get it wet and allow the rope to freeze solid.

[@nwredneck390]

My Dad's uncle talked about wrapping light chains around the tires like that, for traction.

[@elusiveeskimo3013]

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.

[@seanmiller140]

The old timers used to wind rope around the tire between the spokes. That was their “chains.”

[@Broockle]

ol' reliable 😎🪢

[@michaelcox9855]

LMAO! He scared the mess out of him with the horn.

[@fl350r]

Not gonna lie, startled me a little too...

[@craigtiano3455]

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.

[@653j521]

1916 was probably more exciting for the drive because a massive storm moved from the Pacific Ocean, flooding and breaking dams across the West, including Chula Vista, CA, Yuma, AZ, and Reno, NV, then it turned to blizzards and buried KS so the doctor almost didn't arrive in time to help my grandmother deliver my mother at their farm, in late January. My mother never drove a Model T but did knock down the farmhouse fence trying to stop the Model A in her teens. She just about couldn't reach the pedals.

[@up-n-runnin377]

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.

[@jwalster9412]

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.

[@johnossendorf9979]

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.

[@stevemonkey6666]

Sometime in 1915. "Grandma, get out and push"😂

[@caddyman7725]

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.

[@Wingnut353]

Probably brought the batteries in to...

[@mikereinhardt4807]

Lived in Alaska for seven years. Those folks who lived out in the "Bush" away from city power and only firewood for heat would pull batteries, oil, and antifreeze to keep warm in the cabin until they needed the car or truck. An alternative was to use a single burner hibachi grill. They would fire it up and after the flame died down would put it under the oil pan to warm the oil while covering the front of the car with a heavy blanket. All city homes had hitching posts with electrical outlets to plug in block heaters, battery heaters, and interior heaters. Was quit the experience...

[@sirhcmi3]

“Did they have chains back in the day?” I think they were calls a horse. 😂

[@user-ib6fu3ux1q]

Fun to watch. I enjoy the wonderful, father/son, interaction. Where else will you see 100+ year old vehicle operated in the snow. I find it hard to believe that only 10% of viewers are giving this a thumbs up.

[@davidrudd9846]

I think the 1915 series is your absolutely best series

[@09simid]

The Ford model T is such a lovely vehicle! Love seeing it!

[@slabrankle9588]

This is like driving a Model T during the Great Depression when no one could afford new tires or during WWII when all the rubber went to the war effort.

[@Tobymt1925]

Pull the brake lever half way back, it holds the left pedal in the center and you can just step on the reverse pedal. LOVE YOUR VIDEOS 🇺🇸

[@CreeperOnYourHouse]

Yeah surprised he hadn't figured that one out yet

[@OldCarAlley]

Fun video. My great grandpa use to tell me they used a horse to pull stuck "T's" out, or pull them along.

[@DetroitMicroSound]

Wind rope around your rear wheels, leaving good sized gaps between every few passes (at the spokes, gaps are automatically created, in any style of wrapping.) Use heavy-duty rope, and do not drive on hard surfaces, while wrapped. Loose snow, only. Wind the rope, and tie it, with the intention of being able to unwind, and save the rope.

[@twostroke350]

What people used to do in cold weather was drain the water when they parked up then fill the radiator from the kettle before they went out, this also pre-heats the engine making it easier to start in the cold. They have a tap for you to drain the water. I know some farmers who keep vintage tractors to use as yard scrapers and they still do this in the winter.

[@olivierst-pierre6271]

Back where I live in Quebec, there was only the Model T in the early 1900s. What we used in the 30s for true snow driving was the Bombardier B7 (heavily modified Model T) and after the 40s roads were mostly paved and cleared often enough with road salt and machinery for normal cars to able to freely move in winter.

[@exploregeology4650]

My dad passed away in 2014. I love watching a grown Tommy and Roman interact. Though I guarantee you it would be pushing my dad

[@willardtaylor6249]

Advice for winter driving given in the 1919 edition of “Questions and Answers on Automobile Design, Construction and Repair “ : use tire chains; or if stuck, wrap a rope around each rear tire between the spokes.

[@fixinitwithchris1985]

lol I like how his Dad suggested to air down the tires before he drove and he didn't listen lol.

[@reppdog]

On tubed tires it's tougher if the tire starts spinning on the rim it rips or tears the valve stem off.

[@michaelconverse5127]

While I can’t say my Model A is the absolute best car I’ve driven in the snow, it does quite well. I’ve never been stuck, even in the really deep stuff. I’ve always been able rock out of some pretty deep snow in it.

[@ironwill8596]

You should buy the Model T snow option it comes with tracks and skis in the front

[@furripupau]

In the old days you would just drain the water out of the engine before parking it overnight. Fill it up in the morning. You would put a cover over the radiator to keep it from freezing while driving. Alcohol could be added to the water to act as antifreeze, but it had to be replenished frequently, since it would boil out of the water as you drove.

[@davidmilhouscarter8198]

2:27 Every time we have a heavy snow fall it’s always the worst snow storm. Every time we have a cold snap, it’s always the coldest temperatures recorded. Every summer is always the hottest summer on record.

[@stevekniess3665]

Thank you Roman and Tommy.

[@josedelarosa6449]

Famous last words, "no dad, it won't get stuck". 😅

[@Libbyg-zb7pr]

I love these Model T videos. Please keep them coming.😀

[@TheLordOfNothing]

Just be glad there's no salt out there.

[@thisguy2720]

This series is awesome

[@joezephyr]

Love these Model T vids thank you

[@lawdog516]

Great Father/Son collaboration video !!! Great job guys

[@user-uw4ch8qr5e]

What a great video! Well done.

[@tavpierce1880]

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.

[@Queensizemusic]

This was fantastic. You guys are great. 😊

[@myyracommunity4932]

i think that with those drag racing slick tyres thats pretty good. if you had proper winter tyres it would go waay better.

[@charlesb7019]

I love these Model T videos!!!

[@shanereilly9309]

Hey guys cool old Ford. They actually sold tracks and skis for old vehicles. Pretty cool in flat lands.

[@MickeyMousePark]

1915 "antifreeze" would be any type of alcohol.. most ads from the era there was a "driving season" which would not include winter... "tow truck" would be borrowing a close by farmers horse..

[@petervandoren2984]

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!

[@grungelives]

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!

[@bernieneufeld4297]

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.

[@325xitgrocgetter]

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!

[@mike-a-boy4236]

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

[@Bbbuddy]

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.

[@walterhubicki5207]

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.

[@flatheadV8]

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.

[@roberthahn3710]

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.

[@stig120212]

overall great fun video, i really do hope you all keep this car for the long haul... so many comparisons you can do . need to do how that car started and cars added more and more like from crank start to carb to efi to electric and such ... even conveniences like roll up windows and more

[@elusiveeskimo3013]

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

[@taurota1554]

awesome as always

[@TFLclassics]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@NuSpirit_]

Now I want to see you do some road trip in it :D But I do love this series!

[@arcticdragon3565]

This is what shovels are for. Being from Alaska, I keep a shovel in every vehicle I own.

[@sledrelics]

you boys need a model t snowmobile kit. They were an option by another company back in the day.

[@VestigesofHistory]

This is some quality content! Can't wait to see Dreamboat take the snow!

[@The_Opinion_of_Matt]

I'm sure you guys already know, and others have probably mentioned it in comments on the other videos (I haven't had a chance to watch them yet), but electric starters became widespread as safety feature instead of a convenience feature. If the engine backfired/detonated (I'm not sure exactly) while hand cranking it then the engine could suddenly reverse rotation. This resulted in many injuries (broken arms) and even deaths. The solution apparently is to start the engine using just your left arm because when if the engine reverses rotation then it simply bends your elbow. This may also be an old wives tale and I don't know what I'm talking about. Just wanted to bring it up. No one wants a fun video to become tragic.

[@flatheadV8]

62 years ago I was hand cranking a 1948 Morris 8 when it back fired and nearly broke my wrist. An early lesson, ALWAYS crank with your thumb kept alongside your fingers and not round the crank. Do not use both hands! With two broken wrists how are you going to eat and excrete?

[@KH990j]

There was a winter package that was sold for the Model T to convert it to a half track with tracks in the back and skis in the front. If you've ever seen the Christmas special "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" the postman drives one.

[@millionmilegarage9587]

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.

[@heartland96a]

In the depot hack version they made a half track kit and it used skis on the front . Yes to chains and new no skid treads on the back or something more open than the summer rears you had.

[@Cabin_Fever13]

@4:00 basically had a heart attack lol

[@univac7677]

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. 😊

[@reppdog]

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

[@tomwolf2603]

one other thing ppl did with radiators back in the day that didnt have thermostats in the engine, they blocked it off partially or if really cold completely so as little cooling air got through when cold.. this could be very easily done today using cardboard in front of the radiator.. just watch the thermometer on the fillcap so it doesnt boil over..

[@tangfors]

I would say a lot comes down to the tires, have seen model T's that handle snow very well as long as they have the right tires, also seen pictures from the time of different types of snow chains variants that were used, if they came as accessories or if it was home built I don't know

[@jtelliso]

1:00 - I bought a stick/wand style fuel pump with a long hose so I could stop trying to lift 14 gallons of fuel up to gravity fill whatever i want. Beyond worth the cash for ease of fill ups vs having to pump the handle a million times.

[@andrewward1887]

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

[@huissens]

Another reason why still life photos back in 1915 show people with an expression of bewilderment: they saw into the future and watched this episode and wondered where common sense went! In 1915, clearly the options were to stay in shelter or if one had to get out, the horse would get you to where you needed to be. That being said, always enjoyable, though I was concerned we in You Tube land were to experience watching Roman having a heart attack on camera 😮😅

[@clockbuilderhg]

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.

[@CrowArchLane]

Glad to see you wearing the helmet in the Pioneer, stay safe out there!

[@josephjohnson3073]

Yes, they had tire chains for Model T’s.

[@garyking1705]

Boy, that weather sure looks like the worst snow in 3 years. Wait ! Roman already told us that....27 times it seems.

[@johngoforth8339]

My grandma 90 this year says her dad wrapped grape vines around the tires for traction. That was SC red mud, but might be a trick you can use.

[@joshtaylor485]

this was fun to watch, it honestly makes me wonder if there is a kit? of sorts to build and drive a replica of this vehicle.

[@phils3427]

I would have liked to see you try wrapping the tires with rope, the way modern traction aids use zip ties. You should try going to something like the Old Car Festival at the Henry Ford museum, where you would see Model T's fitted with various kits available at the time. Tracks & skis, four-wheel drive, or a PTO pully to belt drive I saw or corn grinder.

[@slickstretch6391]

Pro Tip: If you're pushing a heavy vehicle, push along the top of the rear tires. It acts like a lever, giving you more torque, but less distance. (I'm not suggesting the Model T is heavy. Just popped into mind.)

[@mikebelcher5111]

There were also ski and track kits that made them very capable of owning the snow.

[@captinfubuki9728]

you should look for some larger off road bike tires for when its rough out then ya can slip em over the wheels for a lil more grip

[@allareasindex7984]

1. Need extra weight over the rear wheels. Sand bags, for instance. 2. Snow chains on the rear tires.

[@corvettefan91]

Chains were the order of the day when you had to get to town.

[@nevco8774]

Where the wheels had to skid to push the car I see yellow color. If it would be just sand it would be perfect but it is obviously clay. What they needed was a shovel to clean the snow ahead of wheels and some sand for traction. Ford Model T just needed some traction in the rear by adding weight in the rear and some sand, thin tree branches under rear wheels, clearing the path for front wheels from sticky wet snow. The problem is that Ford Model T is essentially a rear wheel drive truck with no weight in the rear and all the weight is just in the front due to engine. There's a reason there are almost no sales of rear wheel drive trucks these days like it used to be 20-30 years ago but only 4WD precisely for that clear front weight prevalence in a rear wheel driving vehicle.

[@northernoz]

Used to drain the water every night. Then filled it when driving. And we did this up to the late 80s in the Australian army.

[@chriswebertreesurgeon]

You needed weight on that rear axle and some tire chains would've been good too yes, but just some weight on that rear axle should make a difference. Instead of having your Dad push he probably should've just hopped in. Really impressed with the fact you're 25 and doing this. You and your brother remind me of Orville and Wilbur Wright. History will continue through young men like you.

[@northernoz]

There is a track o-toon for the rear and skis for the front

[@mccrackenphillip]

The truck version had 3 axle & tracks on it there are some on KZbin as well

[@erikswensen425]

Next video I can see a Max Ike Gauntlet with Tommy, Andre and Mr. Truck pulling a 4x8 trailer with whiskey barrels lol

[@delanebaumchen-kt2ek]

You don’t need to push the high gear lever all the way ahead if you are just going in low gear. Keep it in neutral and press the pedal down until you are ready for the freeway, then put the lever all the way ahead. If you can’t operate it in this manner there may be a problem with the transmission.

[@jeep2003]

Tommy and his helmet yelling yay remind me of Crank Yankers special Ed. Funny stuff

[@theblockingone]

I think I spot a Trabant 601 at 2:31 :D (I love trabants and this has been a great series so far)