Woodies on Caterpillar Tracks

I recall seeing a picture of a Ford woodie with caterpillar tracks posted on this website a number of years ago. I think it may have been a picture of a New York State police vehicle used in the Adirondacks during the winter. Does anyone have a copy of this (or similar) picture? Were track conversion kits sold for cars before four wheel drive became available?

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

Merry Christmas!

Tracked vehicles and all wheel drive vehicles serve similar, yet different purposes. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

Ray

 

The rural mail carriers used tracked conversions for model T's and A's in the northern snow belt states back in the day. There are still a few of them around in collections and museums in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Probably in a lot of other snowy states also.

 

Seen this one last night.

 

That’s it! Thank you! How difficult would it have been to swap put the read wheels for tracks?

 

Even "Altereds" in the Great White North are so equipped

 

That is awesome! I would like to build a tracked hot rod. Where caj you buy the tracks?

 

They make conversion kits for UTV's or maybe convert snowmobiles over, but I'm thinking the typical hot rod's
horsepower may be a bit much for something like that.

 

Not tracks but

 

https://www.mtnequipment.com/tracks.html

 

Those conversion kits were made by a handful of manufacturers. I’ve seen a couple around these parts and we hardly get any snow nowadays but eighty years ago it was a different story. I’ve heard that some postal delivery trucks were outfitted with them as well as various other uses.

 

A guy would need to have Popeye arms to drive that Model A.

 

It just needs power steering....

 

Are those flotation tires?

 

Goodyear All Traction farm implement tires.

Mid 1950's vintage.

 

That's amazing! How did they lower the front skis on that wagon?

 

That is cool, my guess is you would leave them as they are. If there was enough snow the skis would be on top of it and you could steer?

 

How'd they gain entry?

 

It would be something if they made ab overtire track for cars!

 

I wonder how the police got into the woodie, it looks like the doors won't open because of the track's.

 

Or a very large steering wheel..

 

That's a very good question. Was thinking just that myself.

 

Ski,s were fitted to a hefty attachment that went over the original spindle. They went up and down about 4 inches on a lever that rotated said attachment. Some cars had the doors sliced about 8 or 10 inches up from the bottom edge. Maybe the police woodie had a tilting system with levers on the middle guide wheels.

 

As has been said there were several companies that built conversions for T's and A's. There is a nat'l club for them, called snowmobile something. Several years ago I saw a guy at Hershey car show wearing a hat from the club. Made the mistake of commenting. It took an hour to get away, he was cranked up recruiting. It's a nitch market, you should be able to find stuff on the net. There's good video on utube for them.

 

The '39 Standard Ford came with wide 5 bolt pattern, but the rearend of this woody has been changed to the smaller 5-1/2 pattern with Model A wheels...this wasn't just a 'bolt-on".

 

Here are some early conversion skis I have

 

Nice thread

 

^^^ If you meant it, well done, very funny. If you didn't mean to do it, you should have..........