Imagine that you have to walk five kilometers to school and back every day, that a shopping trip to nearest city- a whole event in your life. When Henry Ford built his first car, the Tin Lizzie, millions of people were able to buy a cheap and reliable car.
(1863-1947) invented the conveyor. He turned the automotive industry into the leading branch of the world industry.
Henry Ford was in his early twenties when, in 1885, a German engineer Karl Benz created the world's first gasoline-powered car. The car had three wheels, was slow, uncomfortable, difficult to drive. Who would have guessed that he would give rise to a powerful automotive industry that will change the face of our civilization?
Thirst for the new
When word got out about Benz's invention, Ford was working as a mechanic in Detroit. More and more new information about the work of Benz and his competitors appeared in the press. Ford was so interested in these publications that he soon set about building his own gasoline engine, and then in 1896 assembled the entire car. The car had four wheels from a bicycle; Ford named it "The Quadricycle".
In 1903, having already gained experience (he worked for several years on car factory in Detroit), Ford founded his own company, Ford Motor Company.
public car
Ford turned out to be not only a brilliant engineer, but also a talented businessman. He noticed that most car manufacturers are targeting the rich, who need a car for fun. They preferred expensive and speed models. Ford was able to look into the future and understand that soon many families will want to buy a car. It should be relatively inexpensive, easy to operate and repair, and not require a lot of fuel. Ford decided to produce cars for ordinary people, for those who today are called "mass consumers".
There were other automakers who made cars for the poor, such as Russell Olds, who made the famous "Oldsmobiles". But Ford found his customers - millions of ordinary American farmers, like his father.
iron workhorse
These people needed reliable workhorse, which would help them do a lot of work: look after the cattle grazing on a remote pasture; deliver grain to the market; pick up mail go to the nearest city for shopping and take the family to visit the neighbors.
A simple farmer does not need luxury speed car. He needs a reliable, easy-to-maintain car so that he can easily fix the breakdown. And besides, the price should not be too high. Henry Ford set himself the goal - to make a car that meets all these requirements.
The first car of the Ford Motor Company was the Model A, which appeared in 1903. Others followed. Ford constantly improved the design of their cars until they reached the goal.
Ford's Highland Park factory, which opened in 1906.
In 1906 the company moved to a new building. Here it was possible to arrange the production of the car that Henry Ford designed. On October 1, 1908, the plant began production of a new car. It was a Ford Model T.
Don't miss out on success
The first " T models cost $850. It wasn't cheap, but the car was more powerful, more economical, easier to maintain, and more versatile than other cars for the same price.
Orders for a new car rained down, but production did not have time to cope with them. The car was a success, and Ford did not have the opportunity to satisfy all applications. To deal with the situation, Ford announced in 1909 that his factory would switch entirely to "Model T" production, and that the buyer could paint the black car any color he wanted.
Facts and events
- In 1922, for the first time, more than a million "Model Ts" were produced in a year.
- A total of 15,007,033 Model Ts were produced, not counting the millions of spare parts needed to service these machines.
- The record for the production of cars of one model - 15,007,033 pieces - lasted until 1972, when it was beaten by the Beetle model of the Volkswagen company.
- Production methods pioneered by Ford were adopted in Europe after
like Giovanni Angelini from Italian company Fiat visited Highland Park in 1912. Shortly after his return to Italy, Fiat set out to build a new factory near Turin.
But, despite these innovations, the company could not make as many cars as required. Ford was sorry to miss out on the profits. He understood that people who couldn't buy a Model T would buy a car from another company. After all, many manufacturers, large and small, sought to break into the market. He also realized that if he could increase the number of cars produced, then it would be possible to reduce the price and buyers would increase.
Mass production
To solve the problems facing him, Ford began to improve the technology mass production. Previously, the same items, such as watches or shoes, were made from start to finish by one person. All parts were made separately, and therefore the finished products differed little from each other.
In mass production, finished products are assembled from prefabricated identical parts, each of which can be replaced by another. This not only speeds up production, but also simplifies repairs: spare parts are always at hand.
The figure shows the initial stage of assembly line production at the Ford plant. The entire process of manufacturing a car is divided into sequential operations. This simplifies and speeds up assembly. The body of the car with already fixed on it back seat slides down an inclined plane down to the running gear of the car moving along the conveyor. Workers standing on the sides set the body in place, and the conveyor delivers the car to the next stage of assembly.
"ModelT" 1913, assembled on the conveyor.
Mass production has been known for a long time. This method has been used since 1800 in the manufacture of guns and pistols, and then watches, sewing and printing machines. In 1902, Russell Olds began to assemble his "Oldsmobiles" according to this principle.
Ford was the first to use a moving conveyor belt to assemble cars. At first, the body of the car was put on the conveyor, then the conveyor transported it to the next assembly stage, where wheels were attached to it, and so on. As the car moved along the assembly line, more and more new parts were added to it. Each worker stood in his place and performed one single operation. The necessary parts were delivered directly to the workplace. After the introduction of the assembly line in 1913, the production of cars increased sharply, but new difficulties lay ahead of Ford.
Trouble on the assembly line
The workers at the Ford plant did not like the assembly line. Now they were making twice as many cars and making the same amount of money. Soon they began to leave the factory: boring, monotonous work on the assembly line is very tiring. There were not enough workers - the number of cars produced decreased.
Then Ford developed a pay system in which workers were interested in the profits of the company. The more cars they made, the more money they got. At new system workers' wages doubled. Ford again found a way out of a difficult situation.
Since then " model T became more and more popular. By 1916, 2,000 cars were being produced every day, and the price had fallen to $360. In 1922, Ford overcame the million milestone - more than 1 million 200 thousand cars were produced. The "Model T" was discontinued only in 1927. By that time, there were already more than 15 million of these cars on the roads. Even in the 50s in America, you could still find "model T". Strong and reliable, they served their masters to the end.
Previous generations:
Ford S
| Ford T | |
| Specifications: | |
| body | Torpedo, coupe, sedan, etc. |
| Number of doors | 2 |
| number of seats | 4 |
| length | 3350 mm |
| width | 1650 mm |
| height | 1860 mm |
| wheelbase | 2540 mm |
| front track | 1420 mm |
| rear track | 1420 mm |
| ground clearance | 250 mm |
| trunk volume | l |
| engine layout | front longitudinally |
| engine's type | 4-cylinder, petrol, four-stroke |
| engine capacity | 2896 cm3 |
| Power | 22.5/1800 HP at rpm |
| Torque | N*m at rpm |
| Valves per cylinder | 2 |
| KP | planetary 2-stage |
| Front suspension | |
| Rear suspension | on transverse semi-elliptical springs |
| shock absorbers | lever |
| Front brakes | n.a. |
| Rear brakes | drum |
| Fuel consumption | l/100 km |
| maximum speed | 72 km/h |
| years of production | 1908 - 1927 |
| type of drive | rear |
| Curb weight | 1080 kg |
| acceleration 0-100 km/h | n.a. sec |
Like all cars of those years, Ford-T had frame structure. Frame - only four beams made of durable vanadium steel, a part closed in a rectangle. Throughout the years of release, it remained unchanged. Bridges were attached in front and behind on two transverse springs. Long stretching arms from the axles to the frame provided impressive suspension travel. The frame was very elastic and retained strength even with large distortions, so that the movement along bad roads the car was well adjusted.
From the first to the last year of production, the engine also changed little (2.9 l; 20 hp). Unless on the first copies there was a water pump with a gear drive. It was later abandoned; of the three pumps familiar to motorists of our days - fuel, coolant and oil, there was not a single one on that engine! Gasoline was supplied by gravity from a tank under the front seat to a simple carburetor.
Water circulation was provided by convection - such cooling is called thermosyphon, it is very reliable, but requires a huge amount of coolant. Engine and gearbox parts were splash lubricated (by the way, they worked in common crankcase) - for example, special scoops were made on the connecting rods that captured oil. It is clear that the level had to be monitored simply vigilantly. Contrary to the then generally accepted scheme, the cylinder head was removable - more technologically advanced, but also more demanding on manufacturing accuracy.
Gearbox "Ford-T" at first glance may seem strange. But this is only if you approach it as a mechanical one. It was of a planetary type, switching - by fixing band brakes, of course, there is no clutch ... It looks like hydromechanical "automatic machines", right? Two gears forward and one reverse, two shift pedals - "you can learn how to drive this car in two hours from any dealer." No grinding or jerking when switching, even for novice drivers. It remains to add only a fluid coupling and servomechanisms with a pump and mechanical "brains" - an automatic transmission of the late 40s would have turned out.
However, one more highlight: the service brake of the car (the third pedal) was also built into the gearbox and stopped, of course, rear wheels.
The design of the machine was simple and durable. The four-cylinder engine with a working volume of 2.9 liters developed quite 20 liters. With. Thermosyphon cooling, magneto ignition, gravity flow of gasoline are typical features of many of Ford's peers. But a removable cylinder head at that time was made infrequently. The spacious body was roomy and, by the standards of that time, quite comfortable.
Governing bodies:
1 - hand brake lever;
2 - ignition timing control;
3 - accelerator;
4 - control of the carburetor for starting;
5 - ignition switch;
6 - brake pedal;
7 - reverse gear pedal;
8 - gear shift pedal.
The car weighed 600 kg. A modern driver would certainly get confused by the controls of "Tin Lizzy" (the most common of the dozens of nicknames "Ford-T"). Three pedals performed unusual functions for us. Left - ruled two-stage box gears. The second gear was engaged with the pedal released, and having sunk it into the floor, the first one was engaged. Neutral "caught" in the middle. Middle pedal included reverse. She, by the way, could slow down without any damage to the transmission - after all, the gearbox here was of a planetary type. The right pedal acted on the band transmission brake. "Handbrake" stopped the rear wheels. The accelerator was controlled using a handle located on the right under the steering wheel. Exactly the same handle, installed to the left of the steering wheel, adjusted the ignition timing.
"Ford-T" has become a truly people's car. "Tins" were bought by workers and engineers, doctors and farmers ... The car withstood disgusting American country roads at that time. Sharp-witted mechanics successfully repaired the car with a minimal set of tools in rural sheds.
Since 1911, Fords have been assembled in England, since 1926 - in Germany. In 1913, a conveyor belt was put into operation at a plant in Detroit. Prices have been reduced. Circle of reliable buyers, strong cars became even wider.
On the basis of "Ford-T" they made coupes and sports speedsters, racing cars and extended tourist trains, trucks, delivery vans and even tractors. Until 1927, 15,007,033 (!) Cars were built. This record was broken only by the Volkswagen Beetle in 1972.
"Ford-T" of different versions and years of production can be seen in many museums around the world and in private collections. A copy of 1920 is stored in the Moscow Polytechnic Museum.
Ford T. History of creation
Definition
Ford T(also known as "Tin Lizzie") - a car produced Ford motor Company from 1908 to 1927. He is regarded as the first available car, produced in millions of copies, which "put America on wheels." This was made possible, among other things, by Ford's innovations, such as the use of an assembly line instead of individual manual processing, as well as the concept of paying high wages and the maximum reduction in the cost of the car. The first Model T was built on September 27, 1908 at the Pickett Factory in Detroit, Michigan.
Ford T history
1913 Ford Model T Touring fitted with an electric starter instead of a crank and electric headlights instead of acetylene gas
The Ford Model T car was designed by Childe Harold Wills and Hungarian immigrants, Joseph A. Galamb and Eugene Farkas
The Ford T (also known as the Lizzie Tin) was a car produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1908 to 1927. It is regarded as the first affordable car, built in millions, that "put America on wheels". This was made possible, among other things, by Ford's innovations, such as the use of an assembly line instead of individual manual processing, as well as the concept of paying high wages and minimizing the cost of a car. The first Model T was built on September 27, 1908 at the Pickett Factory in Detroit, Michigan. Contrary to popular belief, the Model T was not a small and primitive car: despite its truly simplified design for mass production, it was not inferior to other cars of its time in comfort, space and equipment, and belonged to the modern middle class in size. A specific American school of car design originates from the Ford T. In Europe, cars comparable in size to the Ford T subsequently formed only a small part of the fleet, while in the USA this class of cars is still the main one. The car was supplied four-cylinder engine displacement 2.9 l., two-stage planetary gearbox. The design features of the car also included such innovations as a separate cylinder head and pedal shifting. When the "Model T" was introduced, most cars in the US cost between $1,100 and $1,700. Ford's "T" at first cost only 825-850 dollars, that is, almost 2 times cheaper than the average car and almost a third lower than the cost of the cheapest in 1908-1910. And for those years, $ 400 difference is a lot of money. The average worker in the United States then received $ 100 a month. In 1916-1917, 785,432 cars were sold at a price reduced to $350. Model "T" was also the first "world" car, that is, produced in parallel in many countries of the world. In particular, there were Ford branches in Germany, Great Britain, France, Australia and other countries. In total, 15 million 175 thousand 868 Ford models of the T model were produced.
Characteristics of the car Ford T
The Ford Model T car was designed by Childe Harold Wills and Hungarian immigrants, Joseph A. Galamb and Eugene Farkas. Henry Love, CJ Smith, Gus Degner and Peter D. Martin were also part of the team. Model T production began in the third quarter of 1908. Collectors today sometimes categorize Model T's by creation years, and refer to them as "Model Years". The reverse classification scheme, the concept of model years as we understand it today, did not exist at that time. The nominal model designation is "Model T", although the design has changed over the course of two decades.
Ford T engine
The Model T had a 177 cubic inch front fascia inline-four wholly flat engine for top speed 40-45 mph (64-72 km/h). The Model T with a valve engine was the first in the world to have a detachable head, making service like valve work easier. According to the Ford Motor Company, the Model T saved fuel on the order of 13-21 miles per US gallon. The engine can run on gasoline, kerosene, or ethanol. flywheel magneto electric generator who produced high voltage a spark is needed to start combustion. This voltage was timed to one of the four coils of the tramblrr, one for each cylinder. The coil creates a voltage that is directly connected to the spark plugs in the cylinder. The ignition was manually adjusted by spark using a pre-installed lever on the steering column which turned the timer. When electric headlights were introduced in 1915, the magneto was upgraded to power the lighting. In keeping with the goal of maximum reliability and simplicity, the coils and magneto breaker of the ignition system were retained even after the car was equipped with a generator and batteries for electric starting and lighting. Most cars sold after 1919 were equipped with an electric start, which was occupied by small round buttons on the floor. The car's 10 US gallon fuel tank was mounted on a frame under the front seat, one option was a carburetor (Holly Model G) modified to run on ethyl alcohol, to be supplied by a home-grown farmer. Because Ford relied on gravity to feed fuel into the carburetor instead fuel pump, Model T could not climb a steep hill when the fuel level was low. The immediate solution was to climb the steep hills in the opposite direction. In 1926 the fuel tank was moved forward to under the hood on most models. Previously, engine blocks were being produced by the Lakeside Foundry at St. Jean in Detroit. Ford canceled the deal. The first few hundred C models had a water pump, but this was eliminated early in production. Ford opted for a cheaper and more reliable heat-siphon system. Hot water, being less dense, will rise at the top of the engine and up at the top of the radiator, going down to the bottom as it cools, and back into the engine. This has been the direction of water flow in most vehicles that still have water pumps, up until the introduction of the transverse radiator design. Many types of water pumps were available as aftermarket accessories.
Ford T design changes
1913 Ford Model T Touring fitted with an electric starter instead of a hand crank and electric headlights instead of acetylene gas. Many of the first cars were open cars and runabouts, it's cheaper than making covered ones. Before 1911 model year USA - from open machine there was no door opening for the driver. Late models included closed cars (introduced in 1915), sedans, coupes and trucks. The headlights were originally acetylene lamps made of brass, but the car ended up with an electric light after 1910, initially powered by a magneto until electrical system was upgraded to a battery, alternator, and starter motor when lighting power switched to a battery source. The Model T manufacturing system, the epitome of Fordism, is renowned for representing mass-produced systems that were very successful in achieving efficiency, but which could accommodate product design changes with great difficulty and resistance. There were a few big, visible changes throughout the life of the model, but there were many small ones. Most of these were driven by design for technological reasons, but style and new features also played a big role. In fact, one of the concerns for the company regarding the design change was T's reputation for not changing and being "already right" which Henry Ford loved and which was a selling point for many customers who made it risky to allow any changes to actually not happened. By 1918, half of all cars in the US were Model T. Ford wrote in his autobiography that he told his management team in 1909 that in the future "Any customer can have cars painted any color, but he wants as long as that models will black." However, during the early years of production from 1908 to 1914, the Model T was not only available in black, but in grey, green, blue and red. Green was available for touring cars. Gray was only available in city cars and red was only available for touring cars. By 1912, all cars were painted dark blue with black fenders. It wasn't until 1914 that the "any color as long as it was black" policy was finally implemented. He often stated that Ford suggested using black from 1914 to 1926 due to the cheap cost and durability of black paint. production model T, more than 30 various kinds black paint have been used on various parts of the car. They were formulated to satisfy various ways applying paint to different parts, and there were different drying, depending on the part, paint and drying method.
Description Ford T
Ford T (also known as "Tin Lizzy") - a car produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1908 to 1927
"Lizzie's Tin", like its predecessor Model N, was built on a powerful supporting steel frame with two longitudinal beams and transverse elements rigidity from a steel sheet 1/8 inch thick. It was made for Ford at the Michigan Stamping Company. A 2.9-liter Henry Ford engine was attached to the frame along with a primitive but reliable two-stage transmission, leaf spring suspension and a body. There were many types of bodywork in those years, and automakers called them each in their own way. Tin Lizzie was originally designed with six body styles - Touring, Runabout, Landaulet, Town Car and Coupe, but in 1908 the Model T was produced only in Touring and Landaulet variants. The bodies were ordered from third party manufacturers in Detroit. The upholstery of open modifications was made of thick natural black leather of a special "diamond" dressing. Cloth top, which was sewn from canvas dyed gray, dark red or dark green color, was additional option. The closed Lizzies had only the seats trimmed in black leather, and the inner upholstery of the doors was made of leatherette. Contrary to popular belief that the Model T was painted only black, in fact, this practice did not begin until 1913 with the start of the assembly line. And before 1913, there were no black "Lizzie Tins" at all! Buyers could choose grey, dark green or dark red body colors. Windshield was not included in standard equipment, it had to be ordered separately. At the same time, in a wooden partition between engine compartment and interior, reinforced with bronze stripes, a transverse steel beam was installed for rigidity. Otherwise, the glass simply burst on potholes, because the body of the Model T began to creak within a few days after purchase. The interior equipment was, to put it mildly, Spartan. A large wooden steering wheel with a diameter of 36 cm with bronze spokes was tightly screwed to the end of the steering shaft. Beneath it on the right were two short bronze levers with hard rubber knobs. One lever controlled the fuel supply, and the other controlled the ignition. The first two thousand copies of the car on the floor had two pedals and two large levers to the left of the driver's seat, then there were three pedals, and only one lever. The left pedal included the first gear, the right - the rear wheel brake and reverse. The levers were responsible for reverse, the inclusion of the transmission brake and neutral gear. The driving process was rather complicated, and it took quite a long time to learn how to drive Tin Lizzie. In the instructions of those years, the driver for emergency stop it was recommended to press both pedals simultaneously and pull the transmission brake lever back until it stops. The car stopped dead in its tracks. Speedometer not included standard equipment Model T, Ford Motor Company purchased these instruments in Detroit from Stewart, National and Jones.
What's in the name Ford T?
Connoisseurs say that if this car was created not by Ford, but by someone else, then time would have long since erased any memories of it. However, to make a Model T, you have to be born Henry Ford. Why "Tin Lizzy"? On this score, historians of the auto industry do not give a clear answer. But there are two main versions. Americans often prefer nicknames to real names. At the beginning of the last century, the villagers usually called their workhorses by the female name Lizzy. Well, the word "tin" does not need additional interpretation. Iron horse, in general. The second version explains things a little differently. Lizzy - so the Irish called stubborn and wayward beauties. And although it’s hard to call the Model T a beauty, if you like her, then such an explanation will do. Very often, Americans called the Model T "Flivver", and all this legendary car had about twenty different nicknames. But in history she remained Tin Lizzie. Practical Ford, in principle, did not create anything new. After all, the main components of market success were well known to him - a strong reliable frame and transmission made of vanadium steel, a proven 2.9-liter engine and affordable price. The rest is trifles. The more buyers who can scrape together the money for a car that doesn't break down, the better. Cars, according to Ford, were supposed to be something like a hamburger. Cheap and satisfying, even if you subsequently get gastritis. When automotive historians write about the Model T, they praise its reliability in every possible way. You can't argue with that. The car was just unkillable. At the same time, not a word is said about the complete lack of comfort, poor design and inconvenient control system. Tin Lizzie was included in Time Magazine's famous list of the 50 worst cars.
Ford T brakes
The Ford T (also known as the Lizzie Tin) was a car produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1908 to 1927. It is regarded as the first affordable car, built in millions, that "put America on wheels"
Lizzie's braking system is a special topic. One of the most difficult moments in driving a car was the process of braking. Pushing the brake pedal and lever to a stop was not easy. The fact is that the Model T had two brakes - a steel transmission bandage that compresses the main shaft controlled by a floor lever, and a rear brake mechanism drum type in the hub, reacting to pressing the right pedal. Brake linings were cast from bronze. They wore out very quickly, and their replacement was very laborious. The Model T suspension, even by the standards of the Bronze Age of automotive industry, was a sample of the primitive. The front and rear wheels were mounted on simple movable spindles riveted to a transverse steel leaf spring. The wheels were turned using unregulated rods, one end attached to the steering column hinge, and the other to the spindle housing. It is interesting that in this unpretentious design there was not a single lubricated unit. Ford rightly reasoned that vanadium steel would not wear out soon, and the lubrication system would increase the cost of the car. The tires of the car were rubber, with a tube inside. The hub and long spokes were made of special "artillery" wood, reinforced in loaded places with bronze bandages. Paradoxically, Ford, a fanatic of simplification and unification, used different wheel sizes for the front and rear axles in the Model T! Owners had to carry with them not one, but two spares. However, at Ford's Canadian plant in Walkerville, the Tin Lizzies were produced with the same wheels. For the southern states of the United States, famous for egregious off-road, the gauge of the car was made a couple of inches wider.
Mass production Ford T
The knowledge and skills needed by the workers in the factory have been reduced to 84 areas. When introduced, T used methods typical of the time, assembly by hand, and production was small. Ford's factory pickett could not keep up with demand for the Model T, and only 11 cars were built during the first full month of production. More and more more cars were used to reduce complexity in 84 specific areas. As a result, Ford vehicles rolled off the line at three-minute intervals, much faster than previous methods, reducing production time by eight times while using less labor. By 1914, the assembly process for the Model T was so streamlined it took only 93 minutes to assemble the car. That same year, Ford produced more cars than all other automakers combined. The Model T was a big commercial success, and by the time Henry made his 10 millionth car, 50 percent of all cars in the world were Fords. It was so successful that Ford bought advertising between 1917 and 1923; more than 15 million Model Zs were manufactured, reaching a speed of 9,000 to 10,000 vehicles per day in 1925, or 2 million per year, more than any other model of its time, priced at just $240. Model T production has finally surpassed Volkswagen Beetle February 17, 1972
Henry Ford's ideological approach to designing the Model T was one of getting it right and then keeping it the same, in his opinion the Model T was all the machines a man would have, or might ever need. Like other companies offering comfort and style benefits at competitive prices, the Model T has lost market share. Structural changes were not as small as the public perception, but the idea of an unchanging model saved. Finally, May 26, 1927 year Ford The Motor Company stopped production and began the retooling needed to produce the models. Model T engines continued to be produced until 4 August 1941. Nearly 170,000 were built after car production stopped, as engine replacements were required to service already produced cars. Model T used some Hi-tech for example, its use of vanadium alloy steel. Its durability was phenomenal, and many C. models and their parts remain in working condition almost a century later. Although Henry Ford resisted certain types of change, he always advocated the advancement of structural materials, and often also engineering and industrial construction. In 2002, Ford built the last batch of six Z models as part of the 2003 centenary celebration. These cars were assembled from the rest of the new components and other parts made from original drawings. The last of the six was used for promotional purposes in the UK. A standard 1909 4-seater open Tourer costing $850 (equivalent to $21,987 today). In 1913 the price dropped to $550 (equivalent to $12,933 today), and $440 in 1915 (equivalent to $10,108 today). Sales were 69,762 in 1911, 170,211 in 1912, 202,667 in 1913, 308,162 in 1914. And 501,462 in 1915. In 1914, an assembly line worker can buy a Model T with four months' pay. By 1920, the price had dropped to $260 due to improvements in line assembly technology and volume.
The car scored 742 points in the "Car of the Century" competition and took first place.
- In the work of Aldous Huxley "O wonderful new world» The chronology of the world of the future is from the creation of the Ford T.
Included in the top ten cars that changed the world according to Forbes magazine, as the first mass-produced car available to the middle class in the world.
- Ford Model T was the first car in Mongolia. It was presented to the ruler of the country, the "Living Buddha" Bogdo Gegen VIII, by the Swedish missionary Franz Larson, who writes:
“... When I got him the first car ever seen in Urga - Ford - he connected the electrical wiring to the car body, and called the higher lamas and nobility for tea. After tea, he showed them the car, and invited the guests to feel the polish of its wings. The first person to touch the machine recoiled as if burned. The others laughed at his timidity. Then the second brave man extended his hand - and pulled it back. Even more laughter, egged on by the Buddha. This tea party gave him the greatest pleasure, at which his friends were so shocked that no one expressed a desire to accompany him on a trip in this car - they were all amazed at his ability to sit in it and drive comfortably around the palace.
- There is a legend that Ford T was painted only black. In fact, such a statement is applicable, and then with reservations, only to cars manufactured in 1914-1926. Before and after that, serial Fords were available in a variety of colors. The shift to exclusively black bodies in 1914 was prompted by the start of assembly line assembly of the car, which left no time to dry any of the dyes in use at the time, with the exception of "Japanese Black". While paints and varnishes common at the time could dry up to two weeks, "Japanese black" dried in 48 hours. It should be noted, however, that such a policy was not an invention of Ford - for exactly the same reasons as Ford, at the same time it was adhered to by the majority in the slightest degree. major manufacturers cars. As a rule, the base color was black, while the rest were available only on special order. With the development of chemistry, it became possible to obtain quick-drying enamels of any color. In 1925 General Motors offered its customers a bright blue Duco nitrocellulose enamel from DuPont. Ford followed suit the following year. However, fenders, footplates and other chassis parts on mass-produced cars were usually made in black for a long time to simplify assembly (the body was assembled in a separate production area and mounted on an already finished chassis - so the need to select the chassis and body of the same color would greatly slow down the assembly - which is why most non-black cars produced in the 1920s - the first half of the 30s had a characteristic two-tone coloring with black bottom).
Some facts about the first production car that seemed interesting to me.
It is generally accepted that the "Ford Model T" is the first stock cars that were assembled on the conveyor. Actually it is not. The first mass-produced car from standard set parts was the "Oldsmobile Curved Dash", which was produced in 1901. Henry Ford only perfected this method. By the way, the idea of conveyor assembly came up with one of the Ford engineers during a visit to a slaughterhouse in Detroit. The carcasses hung by hooks moved from "island" to "island", on which cutting operations were sequentially performed. This method, it turned out, is suitable for assembling cars.
Many European companies of the early 20th century, in an effort to reduce costs, produced cars with weak motors, small and tight. "Ford Model T", despite the simplicity and cheapness, was a complete big car. There is a tale that Ford cars were produced only in black. They recall Ford's words: "The color of the car can be any, provided that it is black." In fact, the first Ford cars were produced in dark green, blue, gray and dark red. There were no blacks. Black cars appeared in 1914, when the company's engineers decided to optimize the assembly line and began to use "asphalt varnish" for painting. The point is that the colors car paints dried for several days, and "asphalt varnish", or, as it was called in the USSR, "Kuzbass varnish", not only is it cheap, it dries very quickly, in just 48 hours. The rest is pure marketing. The consumer bought a black car and thought it was cool and prestigious. In the USSR, for example, all representative cars were exclusively black.
The power of the Ford T engine reached 22 hp, which was quite a lot for a car of this weight, so the gearbox was, in fact, a single speed. The transmission was constantly running in direct gear. First gear served only for starting off and for driving uphill.
From point of view modern driver, the driving logic of the Ford T is rather strange. Let's try to ride.
So, before starting the engine, we install the stalk levers for advancing the ignition and constant gas "by three teeth" and slightly close the carburetor damper with the handle on the right under the panel. Turn on the ignition by turning the key to the right a quarter of a turn. By the way, all Ford car keys were the same, that is, if you had a key for one car, then you had a key for all cars.
Vigorously turn the handle manual starter clockwise. An electric starter was installed as a separate option. Security measures: the handle should be pulled with the right hand "towards you", resting your left hand on the car part. Grab the handle so that all fingers are on the same side. Otherwise, if the engine is pushed into reverse side, you can injure yourself and break your fingers.
After the engine has started, we move the left ignition timing stalk to the middle position, and with the right throttle stalk we set the position at which the engine runs smoothly at idling. Open the carburetor choke completely.
The engine runs steadily. We press the left pedal (clutch) halfway, which corresponds to neutral and release the parking brake by moving the lever to the extreme forward position. Now, in order to move forward, you must press the clutch pedal to the end and hold it. The car will go "at the first speed".
When the car develops a speed of about 10 km / h, you need to turn on the second gear. To do this, simply release the clutch pedal. The ignition lever must be moved all the way to the position " early ignition". Everything is very simple: you press the pedal - the first speed, release it - the second. The middle position is neutral. The far right pedal is the brake, the middle pedal is reverse. The gas is controlled by the right steering column lever. The gearbox can also be switched to neutral with the lever parking brake by moving it toward you to the middle position. The left pedal will also automatically move to the neutral position.
The minimum price for a Ford Model T in 1924 was $295.
So, Ford T would cost in our time 4226 dollars, or 262,012 rubles. I would take.
It should be noted that the minimum price was offered for a two-seater roadster and in the "zero" configuration the car did not have a generator, battery, starter and awning.
PS: the photos in the text are mine (from the Museum of the History of Motor Transport in Verkhnyaya Pyshma and the Retro Auto Museum in Chelyabinsk), some information and screenshots are taken from I.V. Gribov " Ford car", NKPS Transpechat, Moscow, 1927.
I will supplement the post with one more fact: steel with the addition of vanadium was used in the manufacture of the car. This achieved strength and low weight of parts. It is noteworthy that cars have come down to our time, the transmission parts and engines of which are practically not worn out, despite a century of operation in difficult conditions and without proper care.
Model "T" was the most suitable for restless people,
seeking to populate the continent. Hugely addicted to her
the number of farmers. The machine was equipped with a rather elastic
cushioning, making it ideal for driving on the then bumpy
gravel roads.
After the First World War, Ford's position in the automobile market
will become so dominant that the "T" model will make up half of the cars
traveling all over the earth.
However, on September 15, 1909, just before the first birthday
Model T, Ford lost a patent infringement case. This
the case was related to the patent of George Baldwin Sedden,
legal inventor.
In the late 1870s, he focused his attention on the
while engine development internal combustion and set out to
develop a clearly articulated patent that grants him
the exclusive right to license all work on the design of future
cars in America.
In 1899, Selden entered into partnership with a group of investors. When
the syndicate he created decided in practice to try the effect of a patent
against some of the biggest automakers of the time, this
the attempt met with unexpected success. Instead of giving
Seldsn resistance, automakers, among whom was
Alexander Winton, decided to join him.
They did this because such an alliance saved them from a costly
litigation and gave them the opportunity in the future to keep under
control of all its commercial competitors. So in March
1903, a few weeks before the official registration of the automobile
Ford, ALAM was born - an association of licensed
car manufacturers.
Ford's first reaction to the creation of ALAM was to join the
her. However, having received a sharp rebuff, he continued to work on the production
machines. The president of ALAM warned him: "This Selden company may
ruin you, and they will achieve it.
“Just let them try,” said Henry Ford. When a few days
later ALAM officially declared war, Ford already had
statement to the Detroit Free Press.
“To all sellers, importers, sales agents and car owners!
the Ford Motor Company said in a statement. “We will protect you from any
allegations of so-called patent infringement.
Ford's statement boldly and openly rejected Selden's encroachments and
reported on what car designers and even members of ALAM itself
knew well without him: “The Selden patent does not apply to
manufactured cars, not a single manufactured car has been or has ever been
will be created under this patent.
Ford fought ALAM for nearly six years. But in September 1909
litigation ended favorably for Selden's patent
conclusion, according to which ALAM was owed millions of dollars.
The Ford Automobile Company suddenly found itself alone. Those
automakers who egged Ford on to win and
exemption from payments under the patent, were suddenly silenced, and within
a few months, 30 independent automakers relented and agreed
pay tribute to ALAM. But Henry Ford held firm. "On this judicial
the lawsuit does not end,” he said, promising, if necessary,
take the case to the Supreme Court.
"Here's a sample of a real man, a man with an unbending will,"
wrote the Detroit Free Press March 1, 1910, in an editorial
Ford Fighter.
Finally, on January 9, 1911, his perseverance was rewarded.
The Court of Appeal decided the case in his favor so clearly that
there was simply no reason for Selden's people to keep fighting. ALAM was
disbanded, and it was only thanks to Henry Ford that the American automobile
industry was saved from a daring encroachment on its freedom.
Like other cars of the beginning of the century, the first Ford cars were originally
were assembled according to a very logical scheme, allowing to reduce as much as possible
expenses from the start. Everything went according to the pattern that Henry observed in
automobile workshops in 1880 - 90 years: a sequence of stages with
high labor discipline, which saves time and money.
Innovators such as Isaac Singer, Cyrus Hall McCormick and Samuel Colt,
released their goods in large quantities, using a phased
manufacturing process. Sewing machines, reapers or small arms
collected in parts, moving them from one workplace to another
step by step.
In the case of cars, teams of mechanics assembled engines on
stationary stands in one of the workshops, and then they were transported to
another, where workers assembled the drive axle and wheels. Then ready
the undercarriage was sent to the finishing shop. The advantage of such
the production process was strictly phased, clearly planned
work, but it lacked continuity.
To make the car accessible to everyone, Henry Ford needed
only the largest, but also the best factory in the world. Purchased for her
new site: it was Highland Park with an area of 24 hectares on the outskirts of Detroit.
Ford and his architect Albert Kahn were truly related
souls, and the result of their cooperation was a spacious building,
lit by 4500 sq. meters.
But shortly after production began in 1910, the company
was no longer able to cope with orders, which doubled in a year
increased. There had to be some way to speed up the process.
The world's first moving assembly line appeared in the spring of 1913 in a workshop
designed to assemble a magneto. Prior to this, the magneto assembler worked for
table, where there was a complete set of magnets, terminals and bolts, from
which he could collect about forty full magnetos in a 9-hour
working day. Now each assembler needed to execute only one
or two of the many different operations in the build process: install
a magnet or a few nuts before the knot passes to a neighbor.
Under the old system, it took about 20 minutes to assemble one
magneto. Now the assembly time has been reduced to 13 minutes and 10 seconds.
When the low assembly table in front of each worker was replaced by
higher raised moving belt adjusting speed, mounting time
reduced to five minutes.
Ford has already created a consistent manufacturing process. And now he
put the engines on the conveyor belt. Gearbox production was
organized in the same way. The last to be installed was a moving
assembly line for chassis assembly. When all this was debugged, the time
required for the manufacture of the undercarriage, was reduced to 93 minutes from
12.5 hours, as it was before.
In just a few months, Highland Park spun in an intricate and never-ending mechanical ballet.
In 1911 - 12, 78,440 models "T" were produced with a number of
workers 6867 people. The following year, production increased by more than
than doubled, but the number of employees doubled. But, when in 1913-14
years, production almost doubled again, the number of workers did not increase.
