As we transition from the questionable unusable cars from the 1920s into the almost daily driveable cars from the 1930s, we keep finding Model As...probably because Ford built 4 million of the things from 1927-1931. However, instead of featuring stock street versions (the Model A has a standard pedal and shifter layout...so anyone could drive one) I find myself inexplicably drawn to weird stuff...like the Doodlebug. Find this 1930 Ford Model A Doodlebug offered for $4,000 in Thief River Falls, MN via craigslist. This
post is part of DT's 2016 Birthday Celebration of 100 cars;
enjoy the ride!
The name Doodlebug was a colloquial name for Model As that had been converted into tractor-like things before and during World War II. At first it was because it was cheaper to get a used Model A and convert it into a tractor than to buy a new tractor. Later (namely after 1941), the impetus shifted a bit; automotive factories were busy cranking out tanks & planes so folks did the American thing and just built their own tractors from junk they had sitting around. The few that survive are a testament to the ingenuity and old school pigheadedness of middle America.
See another Doodlebug for cheap? tips@dailyturismo.com
I've seen things called a doodlebug before, but most of them looked almost like some sort of track-T or go kart, only jankier. This is the most tractor-like doodlebug I've seen, and by far the least scary looking one to actually use.
ReplyDeleteA Doodlebug in Thief River Falls. Talk about some great nomenclature.
ReplyDeleteI missed the location. That's the home of Digi-Key, one of the more well known electronics wholesalers. Yeah, it is a rather odd name for a town - I wonder what the story behind it is.
DeletePer a link on the City's own web site comes this magnificently written explanation from a 1908 newspaper article written by W. C. Smiley:
Deletehttp://thiefriverfallsmn.govoffice3.com/vertical/sites/%7BF0A915C0-82C2-43FC-93FF-B561AD75910F%7D/uploads/TRFNameHistory.pdf