Saturday, June 13, 2015
why is a gooseneck trailer hitch, and the 5th wheel semi trailer hitch called a "5th Wheel"?
here is what the originals looked like, above, the mocked up prototype, below, a finished working replica for the 1914 model t. Made by Randy Shelton, a Ford powertrain engineer who is restoring the below truck
When Otto Neumann and August Fruehauf invented the semi-trailer in 1914, they created a version of a 5th wheel coupling which they used until 1916. Then they adopted an improved version of the fifth Wheel offered by the Martin Rocking Company in Massachusetts.
http://www.at.ford.com/news/cn/Pages/Ford%20Employee%20Restores%20Model%20T%20to%20its%20Original%20Splendor.aspx
above and below, the Martin 5th wheel
which was improved on until it became the common and ordinary hitch you're used to seeing
http://www.singingwheels.com/the-5th-wheel-and-its-origins.html
http://photos.metrotimes.com/44-historical-photos-of-detroits-fruehauf-trailer-company/?slide=30&5th-wheel-floating-coupler
Friday, June 12, 2015
thanks to Oscar Glenn March, Sr... he invented the mudflap, and has saved unknown millions of windshields
He was an inventor who didn’t bother patenting his inventions, and that includes mud flaps. He created the first rough version, then somebody else improved upon them and got the patent.
He was in the military during WWII. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged from both branches. He also worked at Tinker Air Force Base. He spent 40 years as a motor pool driver and clocked over 2 million miles, without a ticket or an accident, until he retired in April 1983.
His retirement was well marked by the community as he was honored with numerous awards; he received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the second highest civilian award given by the U.S. government; the Oklahoma Meritorious Service Medal; Oklahoma City’s Ambassador-at-Large award; and the distinguished alumni award from Langston University where he attended for two years prior to enlisting in the military.
He received a total of 87 awards of significant achievements and commendation. He was also a 32nd Degree Mason.
He invented mud flaps while working at Tinker Air Force Base. In an article written by Ellie Posey and published April 5, 1983, the interviewer wrote, “He made the flaps because the main drive wheels of big rigs kicked up rocks, mud, water and debris that damaged the delicate cargo. Much of the radar equipment he and other drivers delivered was sensitive to moisture and rock damage was common.
“To solve the problem, March designed tarps to trap the water and rocks. His mud flap was modified and soon every tractor rig operating at Tinker was equipped with them. Not only did his invention prevent damage to the cargo, but it prevented damage or injury to following vehicles and their occupants. The law now requires the use of mud flaps on big rigs.”
http://www.singingwheels.com/who-invented-the-mudflap.html
He was in the military during WWII. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged from both branches. He also worked at Tinker Air Force Base. He spent 40 years as a motor pool driver and clocked over 2 million miles, without a ticket or an accident, until he retired in April 1983.
His retirement was well marked by the community as he was honored with numerous awards; he received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the second highest civilian award given by the U.S. government; the Oklahoma Meritorious Service Medal; Oklahoma City’s Ambassador-at-Large award; and the distinguished alumni award from Langston University where he attended for two years prior to enlisting in the military.
He received a total of 87 awards of significant achievements and commendation. He was also a 32nd Degree Mason.
He invented mud flaps while working at Tinker Air Force Base. In an article written by Ellie Posey and published April 5, 1983, the interviewer wrote, “He made the flaps because the main drive wheels of big rigs kicked up rocks, mud, water and debris that damaged the delicate cargo. Much of the radar equipment he and other drivers delivered was sensitive to moisture and rock damage was common.
“To solve the problem, March designed tarps to trap the water and rocks. His mud flap was modified and soon every tractor rig operating at Tinker was equipped with them. Not only did his invention prevent damage to the cargo, but it prevented damage or injury to following vehicles and their occupants. The law now requires the use of mud flaps on big rigs.”
http://www.singingwheels.com/who-invented-the-mudflap.html
August Fruehauf and Otto Neumann, blacksmith and wagon makers invented the semi-trailer in 1914 for a local lumber tycoon in Michigan, hitched it to a modified Ford Model-T, and founded an industry
The Fruehauf Trailer Historical Society (FTHS) announced today the opening of an exhibit on Sunday, June 7, at the Detroit Historical Museum
http://www.truckersnews.com/history-of-fruehauf-trailers-on-display-in-detroit/
The Fruehauf Trailer Company operated from 1914 to 1997 across the United States, Europe and Asia introducing such revolutionary inventions as hydraulic dump trailers, bulk tanker trailers, the automatic fifth wheel hitch and the shipping container in 1956.
“Over 1,000 inventions, 150 for the military alone, helped the Fruehauf Trailer Company attain the rank of 75th largest company in the world
DHM exhibition will feature photographs and company memorabilia from the family’s collection focusing on the key Fruehauf patents and innovations to the trucking industry. The exhibition inaugurates a new DHM gallery and will remain on view for the next nine months.
Over at the Ford Piquette Model T plant they have a 1916 trailer on exhibit, and a Model T restored by Randy Shelton, a Ford powertrain engineer http://www.at.ford.com/news/cn/Pages/Ford%20Employee%20Restores%20Model%20T%20to%20its%20Original%20Splendor.aspx
Have a look at this incredible restoration project from Members Randy Shelton and Jim Basile. It's a Smith Form-A-Truck Model T and represents the world's first 5th wheel tractor trailer.
https://www.facebook.com/techshopdetroit/videos/995135267172890/
http://www.singingwheels.com/the-detroit-historical-museum-presents---fruehauf-history.html
After the company fell out of the family’s hands in the mid-1960s, Fruehauf began to diversify, eventually buying up subsidiaries such as Kelsey-Hayes. But by the 1990s, power struggles and financial problems within the company forced Fruehauf into bankruptcy, leading Wabash National to buy Fruehauf’s main U.S. business in 1997.
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/06/05/fruehauf-exhibit-to-highlight-the-history-of-semi-trailer-titan/
https://www.facebook.com/TheHistoryOfTheFruehaufTrailerCompany/timeline
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FruehaufTrailers/
Today, you can visit the birthplace of the Model T. The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is again open and evolving into a symbol of
Walk the plank floors worn smooth by hundreds of workers and thousands of cars. See Henry Ford’s competition, his early successes and false starts. Learn how volunteers saved one of the world’s most significant industrial buildings. And support the ongoing restoration and education projects in the mechanical heart of Detroit.
http://fordpiquetteavenueplant.org/
1924 Model TT motorhome
made by a Belgian coachmaker. Parked at Autoworld Brussels
Found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/Fordmodelt/
mobbed by admiring future leadfoots
Found on https://www.facebook.com/coolnvintage?fref=nf
in the background is the airport structure, and an airplane, so I'm wondering what all the boys were doing at Shelby's shop... at least 7 boys in this photo, so, school trip?
been a while since I've seen a theme chopper
I get a kick out of seeing how many items they can put on the motorcycle, and incorporate as things a bike needs/uses, like the cowbell exhaust tips, footrests from drum kicks, cymbals and skins for the tire/rim covers.
I think the handlebars and headlight are fugly on this one though
http://joyreactor.cc/post/1707415
following the tragic death of her son while riding his 1915 Indian Twin, his mother buried his wrecked motorcycle in the garden
in the above photo you can see the left handlebar forced through the gas tank by the fatal collision
A motorcycle enthusiast heard the story, and exhumed the Indian from the garden in Durban, South Africa.
Upon finding it, clearly the damp earth ruined the machine, and so the motorcycle was sprayed with a red-oxide rust inhibitor and put on display for all to see.
Posted by https://www.facebook.com/anibal134
Thursday, June 11, 2015
110 year old trolley car found by accident, disguised as a tiny cabin near Green Bay Wisconsin, and it needs a new home pronto
230 were made and used by the Chicago Surface Lines company, the predecessor to the Chicago Transit Authority, to replace the cable cars used from 1890s to 1910s... and retired in the 1940s through 50s due to the pressure to replace trolleys with busses. 100 of them were sold as scrap to returning soldiers after WW2 and used as homes, or diners, luncheons, or trailer park rentals. http://thetrolleydodger.com/tag/illinois-railway-museum/
http://fox11online.com/2015/06/04/weyauwega-couple-uncovers-piece-of-history-in-backyard/
The history of the trolley has made a big impression on Sharon Krapil, who is hoping to find someone interested in taking ownership of the train and restoring it to its former glory.
One was restored and is in the Illinois Railway Museum, here's what they looked like new:
Photos from the owner Sharon Krapil, and WLUK Bill Miston
http://thetrolleydodger.com/2015/06/05/lost-and-found-chicago-streetcar-1137/
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