Note the guy cranking with the wrong arm.
I know this is a B&W photo, but it looks like the cabs might be a different color than the hood and fenders. Is it possible the cabs were painted a different color by the dealer; or are they painted with a less glossy black; or are the cabs in primer; or what?
Rick, they look like a different color to me too. Just a guess but they could be a replacement/expansion fleet for a local bussiness/utility, with a particular paint scheme. When It came to commercial vehicles, I don't think it was uncommon. Good catch.
Definitely a different color on the bodies. Windshield on first truck looks black too, compared to body color. A nice dark green maybe.
Yes Richard, I too am thinking Commercial Green. I speculate that none of those trucks have have Starter/Generator. Bill
No, the company that bought the fleet paid truck drivers to load manually all day, so why pay extra for expensive electrical equipment when their employees could do the cranking after they had done the loading just as well..?
The Ford enclosed metal truck cab shown in the photos was introduced Apr 1925 (ref: http://mtfca.com/encyclo/doc25.htm go down to Apr 29, 1925). The same TT bodies and fenders continued through 1927). So the photo would have been taken sometime after late Apr 1929. For Calendar Year 1924 (not model year) we do have records that show most C cabs were produced without starters. All numbers below are for USA production only and are from pages 466 and 467 of Bruce McCalley’s book (out of print) and are also listed on his “Model T Comprehensive Encyclopedia” available from Bruce or the vendors.
19,544 C-cabs and 19,296 C-cabs with some sort of bed were produced without starters in calendar year 1924
1,830 C-cabs and 3,819 C-cabs with some sort of bed were produced with starters in calendar year 1924.
So yes the man who loaded the truck also started the truck. And for just the TT chassis in calendar year 1924, 127,891 were produced without starters and 32,471 were produced with starters. For comparison 95,026 non-starter tourings were produced during calendar year 1924 compared to 602,266 starter equipped tourings during 1924.
Respectfully submitted,
Hap l9l5 cut off
I must have worse eyes than I thought, but what gives away that this is in Texas? Anyone have a clue where in the state there was a Patterson Motor Company?
Number five doesn't even have a cab. He must have got the boss upset!
Terry
It is Patteson NOT Patterson.
That did not go unnoticed my me.
Ron the Coilman
To Me it looks like they are getting ready for some kind of parade. It is kinda odd to have almost one of each model, a C cab chassis, Closed cab with express bed canopy, C cab with express bed, C cab with factory flatbed, Bare Chassis, (Can't make out the sixth), and two more cars. If you notice truck 2, 3 and 4 have poster style advertising on the side. Truck #4 also has people seated on the flatbed. It just makes me believe some sort of parade display. Just my own observations.
Love these old pics you, Jay and others post, Erich.
Paul maybe it was a new model year roll-out and they were showing off the various models?
Seems that most of the commercial bodies supplied were green. Here is a Field brand body, all the styles show green body hood left black.
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Seems that most of the commercial bodies supplied were green. Here is a Field brand body, all the styles show green body hood left black.
Seems that most of the commercial bodies supplied were green. Here is a Field brand body, all the styles show green body hood left black.
Seems like I messed up here is the photo
I love these old TT Photos. I read about these events a while ago and wanted to share some more info for you guys. This picture is from 1925 or 26 and it is taken in front of Brownsville Patteson Motors in Texas. This is a Ford sponsored event and would have been put on by the local Branch Plant in this case Dallas. The Branch would put together, as in this case, all the Trucks with the different options and take a road trip with this caravan within their service areas. These trips usually went for several weeks or even a month covering hundreds of miles. Their stops would include certain Farmers, Businesses and dealers along the way. It was a great way of advertizing and was encouraged by Detroit. I found that one of the part owners of this dealership was a man named J. Louis Boggus and still has family in Harlingen.
To my knowledge Ford never used any color on the steel cabs other than black. The lighter color on the cabs has something to do with Budd Manufacturing and a new paint called Proxolyin I think. Enjoy..
It looks like the fellow cranking with the right hand is priming the engine, not starting it, his left hand is forward and down as though it is on the choke.
Best
Gus
Nice detail from the 4x5 sheet film. That closest truck has no battery showing behind the running board, indicating hand start.
I don't know about the trucks, but the fenders and hoods on T's of that era are black japan, in other words dipped. I believe the TT trucks were probably done the same way. If the cabs were done like the cars, they were black varnish, and perhaps this is why they appear to be a different color?
That is interesting with the color green. In the flywheel gas engine hobby the green paint thing comes up also because most of the manufacturers painted their engines green or a shade of green. Was there a reason for the green paint? What was used for the pigment to get the green color? It usually comes back to a cost thing. Jim
Many years ago, I was told by a fellow that mostly knew what he was talking about, that most engines were painted either some shade of green or gray because leaking oil did not show up so much. I wouldn't have thought that would matter much. But that was what he said.
Since those were the common colors for engines for both automobiles and stationary use, anybody have any better ideas?
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Price of pigments? Today, reds and yellows are more expensive than others. You don't see this in spray can Rustoleum, but you sure do in aircraft finishes, and I bet automotive paint too.
My TT was painted the same color and paint scheme as found before it was restored.
And it looks mighty nice too!
Thanks Hal, but it was that way when I bought it. ;)
John