MTFCA Forum

I’m thinking the Fordson tractor is about 3000 lbs. What was the weight limitations on a TT truck. Probably no more than 5-6 thousand?

If that's where I think it is, Suisun City, California, it is in the bay area east of Vallejo. One of my sons lived there for about 24 years. Those trucks were slow, but could carry a lot of weight. It was, many years ago a farming area. Now Fairfield as next to it and Travis Air Force base nearby.
Norm

John kuehn wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 24, 2023 9:06 am

I’m thinking the Fordson tractor is about 3000 lbs. What was the weight limitations on a TT truck. Probably no more than 5-6 thousand?

Just look at that photo and think about what we are looking at,A 1 ton truck,hauling a tractor that weighs more than it is "supposed " to carry.
Sure the truck frame is made of steel.
BUT the bed is made of WOOD. the spokes in the wheels are wood . That tractor is sitting wood!

Maybe the bed is an aftermarket bed for heavy duty use. Backing the tractor off would have been something to see. Hopefully the tractor has good brakes or some type of ramp they carried along to back it down from!
It wouldn’t be like backing down a 8 or 9N Ford tractor! That is for sure.

Laugh it up, ... these beasts may be slow, not stop well, but they
CAN carry a lot of weight ! Two units of 3/4"" CDX plywood at 2,460lbs.
each, about to begin a 35 mile run home from Idaho. Gotta be careful
with traffic, but the weight is not an issue.

===========

Tires aren't even flat.

My Name is Cap Weir.. My Dad was Jim Weir, a Poster on this forum. His dad, was also Named Cap Weir.. Cap worked for Union Oil in the Early part of the 1900's, until his retirement in late 1970's
'Cap Weir' was a 'Pipe Line Welder' for Union Oil. and also was a machinist who was able to fix or make anything.. This was how he was able to Survive during the Depression. I still have some of his Machine Shop Equipment and T-Tools.

Sometime in the Early 1930's, Cap Weir ( My Grandfather) took a Union Oil Co TT Truck from the San Luis Obispo 'Tank Farm Depot', up to San Jose Ca, A distance of about 180 Miles, Up the old highway 101.

You can look of the Details on the Cuesta Grade.

While Cap was in San Jose, he Purchased a 'Landis Grinder'. This is an Overhead Line Shaft driven Grinding Machine. It's an 'OD' Grinder that grinds between Centers. It weighs in at About 4,000 LBS. Cap needed it for a Project he had, to be able to Rebuild Diesel Fuel Injector Pumps for some of his Customers.

To get back into San Luis Obispo, Cap had to bring the Overloaded TT DOWN the 'Old Cuesta Grade'. This was a two lane concrete road, VERY windy, and about 3 miles Long. It's about 1200 ft Climb. It's a 7 Deg Slope.

At the Peek of the Grade, Cap weir Stopped the TT. Adjusted the Low Band to be tight all the time. This prevented the TT from running Away as its going to always be in Low Peddle. He the then Started the TT and drove down the Grade. VERY VERY Slowly..

He would tell the Story, with a 'Twinkle and a Chuckle', "By the Time I reached the Bottom of the Grade, Half the Cars in the State of California Were Behind me".. He was not a Happy Person, but he would smile when telling this story.

As I was 'Learning' Machine Shop Stuff, I operated this Grinder. and thought it was HUGE.. I was about 13/14 at the time, and had no Idea how small a TT Truck is.. so the Story did not hit 'Home' for me until my dad got his TT in 2006.

As long as you did not 'Hurt' the TT, you could get them to do lots of things..

Cap Weir

Looks like the rear tires of the TT truck are solid rubber tires.
Oh yes! The TT trucks could haul and carry heavy weight but I still wonder how they got the Fordson tractor off the truck. With that bed it much have backed off when it was backed up next to a dock or ramp. Those of you who are knowledgeable about the beds is it a tilt bed or?? Just curious that’s all. And a 9N tractor is about a 3rd of the weight of that Fordson tractor. Now that would be much easier it would seem.

Not an uncommon occurrence for delivery to dealers:
:

I wonder if they would jack up the frame to raise the 2 rear spring eyelets about an inch then insert a hard wood (oak) between the eyelets and axle housing. This would save shackle bushings but place the load on the axle tubes.

Ahhh memories! I remember bringing home my 1919 Fordson F tractor on the back of my little truck too - although it wasn't on a TT truck!
It's our little Chinese Foton Aumark! That poor truck has been places it should never go! But still keeps going!

I picked my Fordson up from a quarantine yard in Sydney after her 20,000 mile journey from the UK via the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean!

Wow! That's a long way to go. Never heard of that Foton Aumark. We have a few TT's here and a few Fordson tractors. I would like to invite you to our National Tour in June. Here in the San Diego area we drive on the same side of the road as you do, only we are upside down so it seems to be on the opposite side!
Norm

I’d hate to be in the driver’s seat if that load broke loose and ended up in the cab. I’ll bet it has happened. Not many ways to escape except for diving through the windshield. Jim Patrick

Looking at the lower of the 2 pictures Adrian posted, thats a very early ‘18 or ‘19 tractor. I can tell by the 6 strap iron spokes in the rear wheels and “ladder side” cast iron radiator shell. And looking closely; how did they load it ? The TT has no bed per se so it must’ve been somehow hoisted on.

There are still parts of the old Cuesta Grade visible from the new 101 road. I always like to look at those portions, and wish the state would open up some of it for us old car guys to drive on, especially for taking photos. The road was cement.

Back around 1953 or thereabouts when I was in High School, I got a job working for a company which made church pews out of hardwood. We worked out of Alhambra Ca but the contract was for a church in Salinas Ca. One of our trucks was loaded up with the disassembled parts and went up the highway. When they got to the grade, it was too heavy to pull up the hill, so another truck was dispatched to take part of the load. I was on the installation crew, so I was along with them. That grade was just north of San Luis Obispo.
Norm

J.L. Clark Manufacturing Co. of Oshkosh, made a body to haul .Fordsons.