While researching a special tool in his collection of antiques, John Oystryk of Canora found himself buying more tools and parts from a Model T Ford.
The original tool had been in his collection for 30 years. Oystryk recalls that it came in a lot at an auction sale. He really wanted another item in the lot, but when his bid was successful, he found he also owned an odd-looking tool and initially, he wasn’t even sure what it was used for.
Some years later, a friend recognized the tool as having been used to change tires on Model T cars, Oystryk said. A special process was needed to pull the rim down so that the tire and tube could slide off. When a tire was changed, it was not practical to take the whole wheel off, complete with the hub, wooden spokes and rim.
For many years, he has been looking to find a Model T tire and rim just to see how that tool worked. A few weeks ago, he was at an auction sale near Kelvington and he found exactly what he was looking for. He first noticed a pile of four Model T tires, but the first three did not have rims – the fourth one did.
In the same lot, there was a variety of other Model T parts, including a windshield which was complete with swivel balls. The windshield was able to swivel to allow airflow through the car as a method of air conditioning, he explained.
There was also a steering wheel and some other parts, but again it was a tool that caught his attention. Much like the one he had acquired three decades earlier, the tool had three arms that were meant to hook onto the tire rim for easy tire removal. This tool was considerably smaller than the one he had.
He soon learned that when Model T cars and trucks were sold, the smaller tool was sold with cars and the large one with trucks. Oystryk said it was usually private vehicle owners who had the smaller tools, while garages had the larger tool so that they could work on any size tire.
Oystryk is working at cleaning up the tools and making sure they function properly. He plans to hold on to them for a while but suspects that he will eventually donate them to a museum in the area.
