Granddad's Truck

When my grandfather acquired an old, used Model A truck, it should have made life on the farm a bit easier. And had it not been for the fact any training that Granddad had was behind the wheel of a Model T, it would have been a straight forward improvement. Unfortunately the familiarity with the controls of the Model T and Granddads refusal to adapt to the "new" technology caused more than a few incidents which we can now look back upon with humor. Come to think of it, since no one was seriously injured in any of his mishaps, they were funny even right after they happened.

One of the differences between a Model T and a Model A was that the Model T had only a hand throttle. The Model A retained a hand throttle but additionally had a foot controlled throttle as well. Granddad never got the hang of using the foot throttle and always used just the hand throttle which stayed where you put it, sorta like a precursor to cruise control. Another difference between the T and the A was the transmission. In the T there were only two forward speeds; selected by either having the pedal pushed in (low) or left out (high), The A had three speeds and required moving the gearshift much as you would in any standard shift vehicle. This was too complicated for Granddad's liking so he rarely used anything but second gear and reverse if absolutely necessary.

Granddad's refusal to adapt to the modern conveniences of the Model A combined with the slowing reflexes we all encounter in old age came together in an unfortunate way one bright spring day about sixty years ago. Although it was seldom used, the outhouse was never removed from the farm and provided  a welcome relief station when the newer indoor plumbing failed or was occupied. Granddad was coming back to the house in the Model A from some chore sailing along as he usually did in second gear with hand throttle about half way down. Headed for the outhouse and unable to get on the brake in time, he hit the old outhouse a pretty good shot. The outhouse, having been pretty well built shuddered. The Model A bounced back, still in gear and still at half throttle. The second hit was too much and the outhouse collapsed in a heap. Fortunately no one had been in it at the time. Like I said, his mishaps were funny because no one was actually injured.

The outhouse, the Model A, Granddad are all just memories now. I like to believe that even in silly circumstances like these, we are protected by an all loving God. Granddad survived to have more misadventures with the "modern" truck. I was blessed to witness, dare we say be part of, some of those misadventures. Perhaps one of them will provide inspiration for a future post.