Before snowplows and four-wheel-drive trucks roamed the backroads, winter transportation in rural America often meant ingenuity, and nothing represents that spirit better than this 1918 Ford Model T snowmobile conversion. Listed on Facebook Marketplace, this nearly 110-year-old machine is said to run better than many modern cars and comes complete with removable skis and tracks.
Based on a standard Ford Model T, this snow-going variant uses a conversion kit that dates back to the 1920s, when aftermarket companies like the Snowmobile Company of West Ossipee, New Hampshire, offered kits to transform the ubiquitous T into a winter workhorse. This particular setup includes skis up front and a rear track system that’s fully removable, allowing the car to revert to wheeled operation for the warmer months.
The seller describes it as running “better than most new vehicles,” a bold claim that hints at both confidence and solid maintenance. Ford’s rugged four-cylinder engine, paired with the iconic three-pedal planetary gear system, remains intact. In classic Model T fashion, one pedal controls low gear, the middle engages reverse, and the third activates the transmission brake. The throttle, as with all Ts, is managed via a steering-column-mounted lever.
Cosmetic details are light in the listing, but vehicles like this are typically less about concours-quality sheet metal and more about function, charm, and sheer novelty. Whether used for parades, trail rides, or simply as an unusual centerpiece in a vintage collection, these early snowmobiles are a conversation starter everywhere they go.
Model T snowmobiles are part of a small but passionate niche within the vintage Ford and prewar collector community. Their seasonal versatility and mechanical simplicity make them an appealing project for tinkerers and early-motoring enthusiasts alike. And unlike many vintage vehicles, these snowmobile conversions remain surprisingly usable in today’s world, especially for those with access to snowy property and a healthy sense of fun.
So what would you do with a running, drivable 1918 Model T snowmobile? Park it in your living room—or use it to make winter a whole lot more interesting?
You see it all at Barnfinds. ❄️
I’d have to think the letter carrier and all the mail would look like a sugar cookie. Actually, in 1918, mail obviously wasn’t what it is today, but mobility was needed year ’round, and Old Dobbin just couldn’t handle it. These were used by rural doctors, and saved many lives. They were also used for exploration, and even in sand. Unless grandpa left a detailed message on how to start and drive this, may as well put a rope around it. I used to put tracks on skid steers, it’s not a job for a girly man. I’m sure more than once these “threw a track”.
Another good lesson in our transportation history, Scotty. Good find again!
Should you be in Polson, MT. give yourself a break and check out the “Miracle of America” Museum there-but give yourself some time because you’ll need it even if just you walk around the eclectic collection of vehicles like the one here that you have written about-
https://www.miracleofamericamuseum.org/MoAM/HOMEPAGE/ThinkSnow/Think-Snow.html
https://www.miracleofamericamuseum.org/MoAM/HOMEPAGE/Galleries/Transportation/Transportation.html
https://www.miracleofamericamuseum.org/MoAM/HOMEPAGE/Galleries/Militaria/Militaria.html
Anyone remember this in ” Santa Claus is coming to town. ”
This brings back good childhood memories. Awesome find !
Thank you Elizabeth
Yep that’s exactly where I remember a rig like this from.
Howard is right on the spot!!! I have sen several pictures in museums of Rural Mail Carriers (RFD), especially in the northeast USA, using a similar conversion kit od some kind to get the “Pony Express” to your doorstep.
Howard is right on the spot!!! I have seen several pictures of these conversions in northeast museums.. They were a “Must Have” for the rural mail carriers (RFD) and the farmers to get their milk to the creamery.
I would a cool display for a sky lodge
Love this old T model. I’m wondering, what is the shift lever looking stick for? I had a 1919 ton truck with a ruxtel two speed rear, but didn;t have “Stick” lever like this one???Leon
Stick was to put tranny in neutral.
those tracks look heavy, all metal.
Dont worry bout gettin cold. It goes purdy slo
(25/35 MPHs).
Leon
I am thinking that there were several different auxiliary transmissions available for the Model T as well as the two speed rear you mention???
I am not surprised to see this in Maine. The only place that I have seen one of these in person is the Owl’s Head Museum.
I have been to Owls Head and have a picture of the one on display there. It has a roadster cab and an open box. BUT I do not know how to post the picture here??? Toby Stinson, the curator, gave my wife and I a ride in their Model T touring car.
Brocky, since you are a member, you can post a picture. When you hit reply, there will be a “Choose File” button just above the reply box. Click on that and then navigate to where the picture is located.
That’s the way you do it on a computer, it should be close to the same if on a phone.
Please post the picture, I would like to see it.
Didn’t the mail carrier drive this on the cartoon “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer?”
Owls Head Maine click on the picture to enlarge..
There it is – thanks!
What a great museum. The day I went was the day after their annual auction. The museum was actually closed that day, but they left us in anyway. The cool thing was that we could still look at the cars in the collection, but also get up close to the auction cars that hadn’t been picked up yet.
There was a Superbird 440 with auto on the column that had sold, along with all sorts of other classics.
Here was one that I would have bid on had I been there. It went for cheap $$.