MTFCA Forum

Any idea what a chassis, with motor and rad with fluids, plus tires weighs?

Thinking of looking for a very light trailer.
Thanks,
Rob

Maybe 950 lbs?

Rob wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 07, 2022 11:41 am

Any idea what a chassis, with motor and rad with fluids, plus tires weighs?

Thinking of looking for a very light trailer.
Thanks,
Rob

Use this link and scroll down to WEIGHTS also has car, chassis wheels etc
https://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/U-Z.htm
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Tim, somewhere in that neighborhood I'm sure. I once saw a table that showed shipping weights for the 1914 models. The runabout was listed at 1050#. I'd think body with top and lighting equipment would come in well over a hundred pounds. Then there's fenders, splash aprons and running boards. Bare chassis wouldn't be a lot, would it ?

Caught between posts. Thanks for that information ! No question the later cars were heavier, and self-starting equipment and demountable rims added significant weight.

Skimming the tables Rob posted, there seem to be discrepancies.
Interesting !!

Rich P. Bingham wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 07, 2022 1:06 pm

Skimming the tables Rob posted, there seem to be discrepancies.
Interesting !!

Rob didn't post any tables I did and they are from the Model T Encyclopedia.
Can you point out the discrepancies so we can get them corrected?

Frank ! My sincerest apologies for the mis-identification. No excuse, sir !

I don't presume to know, this gets complicated pretty fast, but it would seem the numbers don't provide consistency. Just in the first three lines, chassis with starter and clincher rims gains 70# from 1919 to 1920.

Figures for 1922 indicate another 20# gained for fenders and gas tank. Perhaps the 1920 figures also include the sheet metal, but not the tank ??

Moving to the column of no starter, clincher rims, figures for 1919 indicate the starter and generator add only 30#. Perhaps battery is not included ? 1920 figure shows 85# for starter, which appears more reasonable for starter, generator and battery. The 1922 notation indicates a 12# gain over 1920, annotated that sheet metal and a 15# gas tank is included. That doesn't add up !

I didn't look further. It would be a thankless task to parse all this out, especially if the apparent errors come from original documents. In the day, these weights would have mattered a lot in terms of freight charges. It doesn't matter much nowadays I don't think - it's probably enough to estimate a rolling chassis at 11-1200 pounds.

One thing I gained by this discussion is that the figure I read that posted a weight for my 1913 runabout at 1050# is likely wrong !

Are you looking for a trailer to pull behind your K with the Model N on it?

Thanks guys. Bill, actually, I’m considering a double ultra lite enclosed motorcycle trailer to haul out Ford racer, and possibly our N, behind a Prius. A local hitch company/welding shop have a class I receiver hitch system for Prius, and I found these trailers. Prius are rated up to 2,000 lbs towing capacity. Besides, now I know they make a good camper…..
I’d like to attend some vintage racer events on the west coast next year, as well as have an inexpensive way to take one of our two smallest cars to events with less fuel consumption.

Rich P. Bingham wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 07, 2022 3:55 pm

Frank ! My sincerest apologies for the mis-identification.

Was not offended in the least - I didn't bother to scrutinize the data since there was lots of number rounding. Best we can say - ball park numbers. I did consolidate shipping weight and there too are some strange differences - also no definition of what Shipping weight encompass
Ambiguity rules!

Thanks for that, Frank. It's a lot of work to sort through. I'm willing to bet "shipping weight" accounts for discrepancies. Likely there were different methods used to secure cars for rail shipment, bolts, dunnage, etc.

Shipping weight would be "dry" as opposed to "curb weight" with crankcase, gas tank and radiator topped off, which for a T would add roughly 100 pounds.

Brass era shipping weights from the Model T Encyclopedia. Data looks like estimates till 1915.

Thanks guys. I think the racer motor weight is more. Aluminum crankcase but 300 cu in cylinder jug area make it heavier. Going with a T flywheel should make it similar but a little heavier. Now to see if it will fit in a smaller trailer. The frame is 2” longer than standard.
Cheers,
Rob