Unique1929Ford1928Model1930A1931Chassis1932Coupe1933Rear1934Wheel1935Steer1936T

Description

PLEASE  NOTE :
I have had way too many non-paying bidders in the last 2 years or so here on eBay. They can not seem to fix the problem so I have had to resort to "Buy It Now" listings where I require immediate payment in order for the transaction to end. In order for that to work, eBay requires a shipping charge which I can not do because I have no idea where this vehicle may go to until it sells. I need ,495 for this very special chassis and have listed it here for ,9495 which includes ,495 for shipping anywhere here in the USA. If you choose to pick this up, I will refund the ,495 shipping charge. When we agree on a lesser amount for delivery of this to you, I will refund the difference to you. I am sorry to have to resort to this action and hope you can understand why I have had to. Thanks a lot, Bob Woodburn in Bozeman Montana USA     4O6-799-1847
This listing is for a 1929 Model A Ford chassis that was extensively modified right after WW II to make a buck rake to handle loose hay on a ranch in eastern Montana. It was not until 1976 or so that this outfit was replaced with a stacker wagon to deal with the loose hay. Very few Model A Fords were seeing commercial use in 1976 when they were 47 years old.
Since these buck rakes were usually made from 1-ton or larger trucks, it is very rare to find one based on the much lighter and smaller Model A Ford car chassis. There was a 12 foot wide hay head on the front that collected the hay but it is long gone. All that remains is the chassis you see here and the very scarce opera window equipped 1929 Model A Ford Business Coupe body and some lesser parts that I will list on a separate listing here on eBay.
This chassis has been extensively modified to make it drive backwards. Any vehicle with rear wheel steer is way more maneuverable than the same vehicle with front wheel steer. That is why almost all fork lifts in the world today have rear wheel steer. The down side of rear wheel steer vehicles is that they are dangerously unstable at speeds over 7 or 8 miles per hour or so.
This machine would have had only 1 speed in the new forward direction. Therefore, the differential was taken apart and the carrier and gears turned upside down to reverse the direction of this gem. After doing so, this vehicle then had 3 speeds forward (formerly reverse) and one speed in reverse (formerly forward).
A road grader blade was bolted across the frame rails in front of the rear axle assembly. One inch round bar stock was welded to both ends of the grader blade to make pivots for the arms that went out to the hay head or "basket" as some ranchers called them.
The steering gear and column assembly were turned around and moved backward a bit with braces running from the top of the column down to the above mentioned grader blade. The steering drag link is now several feet long and was prone to flexing at times when there was a lot of stress on the steering system.
A seat bracket and seat assembly was fabricated and installed above where the clutch and brake pedals originally were. The brake pedal was relocated to the brake cross shaft and the clutch pedal was installed on the brake cross shaft too with linkage hooking it up tho the clutch throw out shaft.
A fuel tank from another vehicle was installed on the carburetor side of the engine. A pair of support arms extend the frame rails in front of (now behind) the radiator. There must have been a group of cast iron weights there or perhaps a weight box with rocks in it. This counterweight helped to hold the engine end of the vehicle down when a heavy load was on the hay head.
Thanks to our very dry climate here, this engine is not stuck and turns over with good compression. It should not take long to make it run but I do not presently have the time to do so.
If you have ever riven a rear wheel steer machine such as a fork lift, grain combine, swather or some front end loaders, you will understand how maneuverable this machine might be. This Model A could be the hit of your next car show or Model A Ford meet.
I have been trying to figure out what to use this highly modified Model A Ford for for fun but have not yet been able to come up with anything. If you want a very special Model A Ford to add to your collection, you might do well to give some very serious thought to hitting the "Buy It Now" button before some other sharp collector exercises that option.
This Model A Ford was originally delivered as a mid-1929 Business Coupe that had a fixed cloth top with a pair of oval quarter windows behind the doors. This car had a trunk rather than a rumble seat. I have nearly all of the body that came on this chassis and will be offering it soon on another listing here on eBay. The last photo of this listing is of a beautifully restored car that shows what this car might have looked like when it was new. I am NOT selling a complete car here. That photo is included for reference purposes only because a Business Coupe like this is a very scarce if not rare automobile. Very few people have ever seen a Model A Ford Business Coupe.
Thanks for looking at this listing and good luck with your car hobby. Bob Woodburn in Bozeman Montana USA        4O6-799-1847