Model T Fitted With Dump Box

Model T Fitted With Dump Box AG WORLD Ag World 23-3-24 "In all my years of going to antique power shows, I've never seen another rig like it," says Bob Riebel about his antique truck fitted with a rare old manual dump box. The Le Sueur, Minn., collector bought the 1917 Ford Model T truck in 1984, and it needed a lot of work. The cab was rebuilt, the 4-cyl. engine was overhauled, new bands were installed in the 6-speed transmission, new brake bands were installed in the rear, the skin was sandblasted and repainted, and new wooden wheel spokes were installed. He made new rear axle seals by cutting up the insulated felt liners from a pair of boots. Restoration took the entire winter of 1984-'85. A year later Riebel happened across the dump box at an auction sale at Winsted, Minn. "It was in mint condition," says Riebel. "All I had to do was sandblast it, repaint it and mount it. The mounting brackets fit the Model T perfectly." Patented in 1922, the "Mandt Auto Dump Body" was built in Keokuk, Iowa. It's built out of heavy 1/4-in. thick steel and carries 1 cu. yd. Chains secure it in place on the truck and it's dumped with a lever in front of the box and behind the cab. The box Riebel owns was used on a 1920 Model T between 1920 and æ25. It bears the original brass identification tag on the side. "I paid $125 for it," says Riebel, "and the name tag alone may be worth that much by now." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bob Riebel, Rt. 1, Box 163, Le Sueur, Minn. 56058 (ph 507 665-2868).

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