This dusty old 1929 Ford Model AA truck looks like lots of other old trucks that have been dragged out of bars and dark corners over the years but there’s a massive difference with this one. According to the seller, this could be the first Ford dump truck ever made with a hydraulically actuated dump bed. If you can imagine the scene on a worksite in 1929 when this thing pulled in and rather than the driver getting out and cranking a handle, he put the truck into position, dumped his load, lowered the bed, and drove off while never leaving his seat. People must have lost their minds. So what’s the story with this truck?
First we have to look at what a Ford Model AA is. Henry Ford was a lot of things but his roots as a farm kid never really left him and perhaps never was that more apparent when we look at the Model AA truck. Rather than design a whole new line of trucks when it was time to replace his much beloved Model T, Ford decided to take the Model A and use most of its construction to underpin the trucks which were dubbed the Model AA. Beefed rear suspension, different gearing in the transmission, bracing on the rear axle, heavier duty wheels, more spartan interiors, and oversized (mechanical) brakes were all part of the program. Two wheelbases were available. One at 131.5 inches and the other at 157 inches. This looks like a 157-incher to us, but don’t believe our lying eyes. Oh, and this particular truck was setup with a four speed transmission which is really rare in and of itself. We’re wondering if this transmission is present because it was modified with the addition of the PTO. We’re open to your thoughts on this.
The truck came off the line as what we would call a cab and chassis (obviously equipped with some interesting parts) and was shipped to the Galion and Wood Company which manufactured all of the dump truck bodies for Ford back then. For this truck they built a wooden grain style bed with high sides. They were apparently also the people who figured out the hydraulic setup on this truck as a prototype to shop with Ford. It is unclear to us whether they figured it out or Ford did. Either way, what they did has not changed a whole lot in nearly 100 years of use!
The amazing thing about this truck is that it has what look to be all of the original parts on it. The long running boards are another freak element. We have never seen another Model AA of this era with those long running boards. Perhaps another sign that this is a one off truck meant to show off different possible elements. The spoked wheels prove that this is a 1928-1929 era truck as they went to a more traditional wheel by Budd in 1930. Between the condition of the bed, the completeness of the truck on the mechanical side, the fact it has been part of stuff like the Harrah collection, and the cool look it has with all of the dust on it, we’re in love.
If this actually IS the prototype hydraulic dump bed truck for Ford, it is a pretty neat piece of working truck history and it must have seemed like some really futuristic stuff to the guys back in 1929. We’d love to trundle this one down the road, although with the mechanical brakes, we’d prefer to do it with the bed empty. Cool?
Scroll down to see photos and the hit the eBay link!
eBay Ad Link: This 1929 Ford Model AA Could Be The First Hydraulic Dump Ever
What, you don’t like the idea of the brake linkage rusting up with a couple of tons of rocks in the back and a 2×6 between them and your skull? Ford didn’t start using hydraulics until the late 30’s. Good times!