Guest BillP Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 One Dead, Three Injured In Ford Model T Crash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Very sad, this made the local news here in Kentucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I wonder what kind of spokes he was running. There have been heated discussions on the MTFCA website about oak spokes. Oak is brittle and breaks exactly like the ones in the pic. Hickory is what Henry specified.Very sad story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Following the story with interest on the Model T club forum as well. It is a sad day for anyone who loves old cars. These folks were very active in the Model T world and knew what they were doing. The car incidentally was 1914, not 1915 as reported in the media. I'm sure a thorough investigation will pinpoint the cause of this terrible accident. I can tell you that having just completed the Vintage tour n Md with our 1914 Touring the one thing I was most concerned about was wheels. Just had two new ones built and checked everything daily, bearings, etc. but all that doesn't prevent the freak accident. Looking back at old period photos I'd have to suggest this kind of accident was not uncommon when these cars were new. It's a sad loss for the hobby and if any lessons learned come from it we'll know more later. Meantime, thoughts and prayers go out to the family and those who knew and loved them. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BillP Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 In lab testing Hickory is typically one and a half times stronger in bending than Oak. I don't know about how either holds up to automotive use, but the home-spun mechanic in me has always been leery of wood wheels on cars. I don't say this to detract or side-track from the loss and suffering but we ought to try to learn something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 The story says the wheel broke while pulling onto the road from the verge, at very low speed. There must have been something wrong with the wheel to have broken so easily. They were made to be tough and flexible, they could hit a rock at an angle, the wheel would bend away and spring back. See some old films of Model Ts and similar cars driving through rocky terrain, mud, ruts, sand etc that would stop any modern car short of a 4 wheel drive.Were the wheels original 100 year old wood? Or replacements made of something other than hickory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I've seen an old picture of a 1907 car that got stuck on a rocky trail. The rear wheels were jammed between 2 big rocks about 2 feet in diameter. The bottom of the wheels were forced inward and the upper parts bent outwards. The top of the tires were a foot farther apart than the bottom. I could not believe the wheels could bend so far and not break, but they got the car out with jacks and pry bars, the wheels sprang back and were good as new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I'm sure a thorough investigation will pinpoint the cause of this terrible accident...It's a sad loss for the hobby and if any lessons learned come from it we'll know more later. Meantime, thoughts and prayers go out to the family and those who knew and loved them. TerryI'm sure we all share the same sentiments for the victims and their families. Please post the results of any investigation here for the rest of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldenguy Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Seems to me something is wrong with the photo. The 1914 looks to have sustained much damage on the left side with very little, if any, on the side of the wheel collapse. Could the wheel collapse have occurred when the tow truck driver tipped the car upright? The police report inferred he was letting built up traffic behind him go by and was on the shoulder and the wheel broke causing the accident. On the shoulder, slowed down, right front wheel spokes shatter at the hub with jagged edges, and the car immediately turns over on it's left side. Oak or hickory spokes, something doesn't look right to me. It wouldn't be the first time the police and news media were misinformed or misanalyzed the situation. I personally would like a little more credible information before I would claim all the cars with wood wheels unsafe and shouldn't be on the road. Also like others above my thoughts and prayers go out to the family whom suffered this tragic loss. ---Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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