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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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  • Ford Model-T with snowmobile attachment
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Ford Model-T with snowmobile attachment

Object Details

Description
Rural Free Delivery (RFD) carrier Harold Crabtree of Central Square, New York, used this 1921 Ford Model-T. The front wheels were interchangeable with skis and the rear tires accommodated tank-like treads, allowing the vehicle to move more easily over snow and ice. The attachment, named Snowbird, was manufactured by F.S. Manufacturing Company of New Holstein, Wisconsin. The company advertised it as the “mailman’s special.” Manufacturers advertised the snowmobile attachment as easy to install.
Northern carriers who had purchased automobiles for their routes learned quickly that their new cars were often no match for deep snow. For many, the only option was to use their horses and old wagons during bad winters. The Snowmobile Company of West Ossipee, New Hampshire, was talking to those carriers when it asked them to consider if they could “afford to own and feed horses 12 months in the year simply for use during the winter season?” Just as they had done with their wagons in years past (switching the body of their RFD wagon from wagon wheels to runners for the winter months), carriers began using snowmobile attachments on their automobiles.
Reference:
Postmasters Advocate.
Credit line
Gift of Connie S. Smith in memory of her husband and prior owner, Seymour Smith (d. 1987)
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
1921-1930s
Object number
1990.0207.1
Maker
Farm Specialty Manufacturing Company, Inc.
User
Harold Crabtree
Associated Organization
New York Vehicle Maintenance Facility (USPS)
Patentee
Virgil D. White
Type
Transportation Equipment & Models
Medium
metal; metal (iron); wood; plastic; glass; rubber; synthetic fiber; leather
Dimensions
Height x Width x Depth: 73 x 60 1/2 x 145 in. (185.42 x 153.67 x 368.3 cm) Weight: 1800 lb.
Place
New York
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Topic
The Roaring Twenties (1920-1929)
Transportation
Record ID
npm_1990.0207.1
Usage
CC0
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8dd9e0d08-4107-4c84-a7f6-9c1c8a0c93cb

Related Object Groups

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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Plan a Visit

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

Learn more
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Owney, the Railway Mail Service Mascot

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