It was such a nice day yesterday in Kansas that I couldn’t pass up a Model T ride. I took some back roads from Wichita to Hutchinson (about 100 miles round-trip) to eat lunch and get a haircut. I’m sure you would agree, when you are poking along at 35 mph through the country, you see a lot of things you wouldn’t normally see. Out in the middle of nowhere I came across a relatively rare site…a herd of buffalo. They were up near the fence so I could see them quite well. But, you say, “Kansas is noted for its buffalo!?!?” As our state song, Home on the Range, goes…”Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam and the deer and the antelope play…” So why is it a rare site? The early settlers reported of great herds of buffalo but these herds are pretty much gone from Kansas. A buffalo is quite impressive to look at and I’ve heard of people trying to get inside the fence with them to get a better picture or to touch them. Word is, they are mean! As for deer, we have lots and lots of them. So many, in fact, they are a hazard on the road. Antelope are perhaps the most rare of all. I’ve never seen one in the wild. Wildlife and Parks has tried to re-introduce them to the Flint Hills along the Kansas Turnpike. I’ve talked to a couple of people who have seen antelope along the Turnpike but I’ve not seen them myself. I guess there’s one other thing Kansas is famous for and I’ve never seen one them in all my 55 years of residence…a tornado! I’m not really looking to see one them though!!!
Verne Shirk
Wichita, KS

That's a great looking car, No Bull.

I agree with ED. That is one good looking Model T!

Paul

A Model T is a great car for entertainment in Wichita, you can go and watch the Safeway truck unload.

Just Kiddin!!!

Not Safeway, Dillon's.

Speaking of Model Ts and buffalo: behind me and the T is a "petrified" bison (12.5 ton granite sculpture by John K. Daniels completed in 1948) that stands outside of Allianz Life's headquarters in Golden Valley, MN where I used to work.

Erik Johnson

Verne, I seem to recall revised words to a well-known song...

Oh, give me a home
Where the buffalo roam
And the deer and
The antelope play.

Where seldom is heard
A discouraging word,
For what can
An antelope say?

Dick

Funny that Dillons should be mentioned. One of the Dillons brothers were good friends of ours and they were quite avid antique car people in the Hutchinson area, which was home for Dillons Grocery Stores. The '14 shown above was one of he first cars in the Wichita Antique Car Club. It started about 1946 and later became a HCCA Regional Group in 1951. Wichita is actually a Mecca for antique cars. The town is small enough (350,000 people) that you can get from one end to the other for a tour, yet big enough that just about anything one needs for restoring a car is available in town. Our local T club has about 35 families, the local HCCA about 80, and the local Model A club around 200. Here's an old photo (1951) of the same T shown above. It was then owned by Guy Barney, who lived, of all places, on Shirk Street in Wichita! Shirk Street is only 1 block long. Now what's chances a person named Shirk would own the car some 50 years later? If anyone recognizes the folks in the photo, please let me know. The one driving is Guy Barney. Oh yes, neat Buffalo sculpture and T! And, I've never heard those words to the Home on the Range song!
Verne Shirk
Wichita, KS

Verne,

Since I became interested in Model T's I always thought that the 14 was the best looking T around. For more than 30 years I wanted a 14 touring. Last year I found and bought a very nice original 14 touring. The man who introduced me to T's, and to whom I was closer to than my father, was born on July 2nd. When I got the new touring home I looked up the engine number and it was "born on" July 2nd. What is the chance of that?

Paul

Strange how things work "Home on the Range" was written by a saloon piano player, name unknown, it was found where it had fallen behind the piano many years later.

Home On the Range was written by Dr. Brewster Higley.

Stan,
Thanks for the correction, got that off an old movie short from the 40's, like the internet, information is not knowledge.

Alex

Here's the Alaska version:

O Give me a home
Between Fairbanks and Nome
Where the moose and the caribou play

Where nothing will grow
'cause its covered with snow
From June to the middle of May

In Australia we used to sing!!

O Give me a home
Where the Buffalo roam
And I'll show you
a home full of Dirt

It looks like I've got to drive a few miles north to the Hauck ranch where "Dances with Wolves" was filmed to get a photo of my T with buffalo. Anybody going to the MTFCI tour in the Black Hills next year can get all the pictures they want in Custer State Park, which has it's own resident herd. Verne is right! Buffalo are wild animals and can be mean if they think you are encroaching on their space. More people are killed by buffalo in Yellowstone National Park than by any other animal. They can go from 0 to 45mph in 2 seconds, have short tempers and less tolerance of idiots trying to touch them or put youngsters on their backs. Stay clear of protective cows with young calves, or bulls, either lone or in bachelor groups.

My wife & I were just at Custer State Park six weeks ago and this fellow didn't even look up at us as we drove five feet from him !

Verne, what is the rod on the drivers side that appears to be connected to the front axle? Shadow or some type of front end bracing?

Once, when my wife and I were driving (an ordinary car) through Yellowstone Park, we actually had to pull over to let a herd of bison go thundering by--and yes, they are awfully fast. I guess there must have been over a hundred in that herd and the ground shook as they passed, raising quite a cloud of dust. The little ones bringing up the rear were absolutely adorable, but the bigger fellers up front were about the size of garbage trucks--must have had eyes like basketballs. My hat is off to the natives who used to hunt these monsters down, on foot, with bows and arrows!

I once heard comedian Mark Russell comment, "We live in strange times. The buffalo herds are increasing and the trains are dying out."

I wonder if the fact we don't see more buffalo is because they are mean and folks don't know enough to leave them alone! Perhaps a liability issue? There was a feed lot down in the south part of Wichita with a sign on it something to the effect..."These buffalo can make it across the pasture in 3 seconds, can you?".

I've thought about the Black Hills Tour next year. I think we were on a Natl MTFCI tour in Rockford, IL that the same folks put on and we had a blast!

Paul, great story on your '14. It sounds like that car was meant for you!

As for the radius rods in the front, Warren has a sharp eye! I have been told they were made by Houk for the oil fields around Tulsa. They make a T front end very stable. We have a set on all our T's.
Verne Shirk
Wichita, KS

Verne, what's the story on the wishbone attached to the back of the perch? Is that standard on the early cars? All my experience with T's is post-1920.

Verne WHERE did you find those front end Heavy Duty pcs, are they the ones I sold to you?? I have a set still on a 26/7 2 door sedan I got out around Fort Larnard Ks.

Untill about 19 the wish bone came out the back of the spring perch above the axle.
The added ones on Vern's car should be reproduced and added to evert T, aspecially the ones with the original radius rods above the axle.
When guys speak of 'Overcenter' they are talking about the radius rod slipping in the spindle whick=h allows the axle to tilt forward (negative caster) and it will jerk the steering wheel all the way to the right or left and you can not straighten it out untill you stop.
That is what caused the accident in the traffic circle about a month ago, that has caused a lot of accidents. I have seen it happen many times.
I drove a car that would do it on every turn. The car was not driveable untill I tightened the nuts on the front of the radius rods where they stick out ahead of the axle. Even then it would do it sometimes so the owner sold the car.
I helped the new owner put a 23 wishbone and spring perches on it and it never did it again in the six or so years since.
I know how the radius rod twists and causes the problem but I can not explain it.
I

Those radius rods appear to be quite a bit longer than the original wishbone. Wouldn't that create two different arcs of travel and cause binding between the two? Just curious. Other than that, it looks like a very good setup. Would those have been designed to replace the wishbone instead of being added to it? Dave

My guess is that it was designed to entirely replace the stock wishbone. I have one of these setups (which incidentally came from Kansas)and the rods are solid iron and very heavily built, way moreso than the hollow tubed Ford wishbone. This would be ideal if one wanted to add an extra oil sump. I was planning to do this for a future speedster project. Any concerns with NOT using the stock T wishbone in addition to this accessory sidebar setup?

I don't remember where I got all the accessory radius rods. The first set came on a grain wagon and one set came from a friend of mine here in Wichita. It could have been I bought a set from you, John. I installed the first set about 40 years ago. All my T's have both the original and these accessory rods. I've not noticed any problems. Where they tie onto the frame there is a heavy spring and a spherical joint so it can move in any direction except forward. I remember my dad broke one of the early style wishbones years ago. It broke where the welded joint is, right in front of the ball. He fixed it by welding in a gusset plate.
Verne Shirk
Wichita, KS

1911 ad:

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the discussion. Is it possible what's being said here is that ALL Model-T's running without the auxiliary radius rods are essentially ticking time bombs in that they are liable to suddenly and uncontrollably steer full left or full right at any speed? That sounds like an awfully sweeping statement, but if there's any truth to it, the problem has to be addressed. If I'm misunderstanding this thread, would somebody please set me straight?
Bob

Bob most problems occur with the early T;s that have the wishbone attached above the axle, all those T;s need an accessory like Rick's in calif is showing, so it also has a wishbone under the axle, doubled up. I just sold the last one I had, I try and buy them at auctions, I just got back from a large 40 yr collection Saturday, but did not see one there anywhere.