Happy Birthday to Ford's new pickup

[DanTreace]

It's the birthday today of Ford's first pickup bed on the Model T runabout.

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Motor Age, April 1925

This is of course the granddaddy of all Ford pickups! Paved the way for the most popular vehicle in the USA.

Very stylist and practical for the delivery business or workers, garage, and farmers!


This couple just got their new 1925 pickup, factory windshield sticker with break-in info, and headed back to the farm.

[rnwilliams]

Thanks for posting Dan, I love a Model T Pickup.
Did you know the Model T still ranks 3rd in sales world wide for Ford Motor Company behind the F-Series Pickup and the Ford Escort?

[Allan]

Richard, I was interested in your note about the F100 and Escort eclipsing T model sales. I wonder? Is it a claim similar to that made by Toyota a few years back, that their Corolla had overtaken the model T. We all know that the first Corollas were small rear wheel drive sedans, which then went front wheel drive and came in a multitude of new models. The Corolla is in fact a brand name for a series of different cars. I suspect the same applies to the Escort. Here in Australia we had Ford Falcons from the XK in the early 60's up until 2015. There is no way they were the same car as they developed.

Allan from down under.

[Bill Robinson]

Ricky? A Model T Trivia question for next year?

[rnwilliams]

Actually Bill that was one of this years trivia questions.
I think the pickup is counting all F-series including F-100, F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, but that one little 1925 roadster pickup started it all.

[Original Smith]

Actually, I believe the pickup box for the 1925 roadster was introduced in March. They must have been working on this model in 1924, as the pictures I submitted to Bruce for his book are dated 1924. There are two errors that Ford overlooked on that bed. First the tailgate chains were too short, which didn't allow the tailgate to lay horizontally when half way down. Second, the bed strips were convex in the center, which seemed like a good idea on the drawing board, but after being installed in the bed, the carriage bolts interfered with sliding the payload out of the box.

[Thorlick]

Larry I would add the front stake pocket to your list of mistakes... you can't put the top down if you have anything in the front stake pocket. Ford fixed this for '26-'27 by moving the stake pocket a bit back.

TH[/size]

[DanTreace]

Plus, Larry

IMO Ford made the chain link short on purpose for the tailgate. The load was kept in check with the short chain, so the tailgate acted as a stop.

Riding on those roads of the day, a tailgate held horizontal with a chain would just bounce up and down.


Any load longer than the bed would have stuck out, and had to be secured with ropes, and the gate just swings free vertical, gravity will hold it in check.

Short chain for a reason...

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'25 bed

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[Original Smith]

The front stake pockets don't interfere with anything except on an early 1926, which Ford corrected at some point early in the year.