The Model T was the perfect vehicle at the perfect time for North American buyers.
Model Ts came in many forms because they were so versatile.
This 1926 Model T is a great example of how many versions they sold in the early 20th Century.
Jerry Sutherland
This is a 1926 Model T Smith Form-a-Tractor because it started life as a typical Model T, but it was converted to a tractor via an aftermarket kit. Farmers bought these conversion kits to turn their passenger vehicles into something more functional on a farm.
Karee Harms is the proud owner of this unusual Model T. She owns more of them, but this is her first Model T tractor. Karee saw it as the perfect blend between her dad’s antique tractor interest and her own affinity for Model Ts.
This 1926 Model T was in a museum before Karrie bought it. She is on a learning curve with these old classics, so she joined a local Model T club. Karee said her first club meeting drew a lot of interest from her fellow members. She said a woman mentioned her husband came home and said, “There’s a girl in the club”, but since then Karrie has become a valued member of the Model T world.
Karee’s biggest mission is to understand what she owns. She wants to learn everything she can about these ancient machines and the club members have been a huge asset to her learning curve. She plans on fixing the broken crank on the old Model T over the winter because it’s an asset even though her Model T has an electric starter.
The driving experience in a Model T is much more complicated than driving a new Toyota. Karee believes it was an asset to not know how to drive a manual transmission because she had no preconceived notions on how to run a Model T.
There are three pedals on the floor–but none of them are a gas pedal. The left pedal is clutch-like because right to the floor is low, all the way up is high, and the middle is neutral. The second pedal is for reverse, and the far-right pedal is the brake. The lever to the left of the driver is the emergency brake when pulled right back, neutral in the middle position and drive when pushed forward. The left lever on the steering wheel is for spark advance and the right lever is the throttle. Karee has mastered that on her ’26 T.
Karee said her ’26 T runs up to a blistering 11 miles per hour at full throttle—about a third of what her other Model T will do. Karee said, “It’s lot louder than a regular Model T”, but she likes the sound. The rear end has a massively low gear because these Form-a-Tractors were built to haul bales for cattle—not Aunt Edna to church.
The term ‘learning curve’ is the key to this story because Karee wants to be an expert on all things Model T, plus she plans to keep her ’26 T on the farm.
That’s where all Form-a-Tractors should retire.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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