Born in New Jersey, Aaron Montgomery Ward made his fortune in a Chicago-based mail-order company selling a wide range of items to rural customers whom he thought were being taken advantage of by local stores. The company’s catalogs sold almost everything, including recreational equipment. This 1971 Montgomery Ward T555 Three-Wheeler is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Delano, Minnesota, and the seller is asking $700. Here is the original listing.
Known as Wards by most of us, or Monkey Wards by some, mail-order catalogs were almost a miracle, as far as opening up another world for people, especially those outside of cities. Mail-order was as revolutionary as the internet and online buying are now, maybe even more so. Coming from literally pumping your water out of a well and cooking over a fire, these catalogs opened up a new world to customers, especially those in rural areas.
Mr. Ward started his mail-order business when he was 29 years old, which is a pretty amazing story. Having died in 1913, he lived long enough to see the invention of cars and other motorized vehicles to make life easier, but other than bicycles and some very early motorcycles, there wasn’t a huge call for recreational vehicles. It was a hard life just trying to earn a living and do your daily chores to keep food on the table.
Something like this T555 three-wheeler wouldn’t have been on his mind. Most customers didn’t have time for fun; they were too busy taking care of their family, the farm, the house, the transportation needs for their horse and buckboard or carriage, etc. I have a feeling he would have liked this era of personal time for just having fun and all of the cool machines his company sold in the 1960s and 70s.
The T555 was one of a handful of these machines sold between 1971 and 1975 or so, at which point the maker, CESTAD (Central States Tool & Die) out of Omaha, sold them under their name. The T555 comes apart almost like a Chrysler Sno Runner, so you can carry it more easily in your car or truck. Here’s a fun article and an ad at the end.
The front fender should be chrome, the rear tires would have had a more V-shaped directional tread, and it has a replacement engine, but otherwise it appears to be in mostly original condition. It originally came with a 5-hp Briggs & Stratton four-stroke single-cylinder and a torque-converter transmission; we don’t know what this engine is. This T555 is incredibly tempting; it would be a super fun little restoration project. Finding a vintage 5-hp B&S engine could be a biggest challenge, or maybe finding those original-type rear tires. Or worse, the original rear chain guard, which isn’t shown and I’m assuming was removed when the replacement engine was installed. Have any of you gotten anything from a Wards catalog? That would be a fun article, vintage motorsports ads from Montgomery Ward catalogs, hmmm…
The little kids in my neighborhood, riding around on their 2nd electric dirt bikes at ages 6 and 7, have no idea how our working class fathers in the 60’s and 70’s would never splurge over $300 for a kids toy.
And boy did we want one of these, or a go kart, or a mini bike.
But my dad worked all day as a carpenter, and nights a Moores lumber, so mom could stay home with 4 kids, when not working p/t.
I did have a riding lawnmower he brought home broken and fixed to ride around pretending it was a go kart.
All worked out, enjoying my current dirt bikes and ATV’s! Still a kid at heart.