MTFCA Forum

In the Canadian province of British Columbia in 1922 they switched from driving on the left to driving on the right.
Curiously While I have seen/found RHD hogsheads in both aluminum and cast iron, I have not seen one with a starter.
Perhaps ford switched to selling LHD cars there in 1919 anyway!

Maybe, they were driving on the left but with right hand drive cars before that? Could be because being out west, it was easier to get cars from across the border in the US?
Vancouver’s conversion was delayed a year due to the time it took to retrofit the streetcar system, so it wasn’t until 6 A.M., January 1, 1922, that Vancouver drivers finally made the switch to the right. Vancouver has the distinction of being the last city on the continent to abandon the British left-driving system.

Ford Canada actually lobbied Canadian to change to LHD in 1919 as they wanted to only make LHD Model T's to save costs. Which they agreed in both Atlantic and Pacific provinces which had RHD making it universal for the whole of the Dominion of Canada. So it was actually the Ford Company of Canada which was responsible for LHD in Canada.

There is a RHD hogshead with starter for sale in the classifieds right now.

Apparently by those in the know of Australia's T history, we never got a starter model T until late 1921 for the 22 model because of the steering issue needed to be sorted for RHD. Although parts books do back date the starter to 1919.

I got a RHD 25 Roadster Pickup. Suppose to have come from NZ. But it is a Canadian car. Dan

I seem to recall reading that Ford Canada built some cars with generators mounted on the left side of the motor for about a year? I don't know if they were belt or chain driven. But it had to do with an interim fix until the steering issue was resolved to clear the regular generator.

Wayne no exactly correct, Ford had no intention of producing the RHD Model T after they added the starter lighting system. The steering theory is just that a theory or an assumption, Model T's with starter and generator were converted by others without any great problem at the time, if that was possible for them then Ford Canada engineers would have been able to do so also. Fords intention was to stop production of RHD to save on costs and simplify the parts and service side of the company.
At one point Ford announced that RHD would not be produced after a certain date ( don't know exactly what that date was) but they were then told by some countries that if there was no RHD then the Ford would be prohibited, this led to the quick decision to do a belt drive version till Ford Canada could tool up for RHD with the starter and generator.
You might remember Ford USA had control of the British Ford business and they were just sent LHD ones without any consultation. Britain did not ban LHD ( though there was moves to do so) but they were threatened if they did American companies would move to have British RHD banned in the USA.

One of our club members has a RHD 1926 Touring that came back from New Zealand.

Another of our club members has a 1928 RHD Model A that came back from Australia.

Canada continued to build both LHD and RHD vehicles for export long after the USA stopped making them.

The RHD engines appear to have been USA made longer than the vehicles.

The book, "Ford in New Zealand", by John Stokes, goes into some interesting detail about Canadian production. Included are a few pages about the LHD/RHD controversy.
Apparently it was around 1918 that Canada decided to become entirely LHD, although the last province didn't change until the 1940's. Ford wanted all export markets to be LHD also, to simplify production. NZ and Britain allowed LHD cars in but Australia didn't, forcing Ford of Canada to re-engineer the generator mount. The belt drive generators were short lived, until the conventional layout became available in 1920.

Interesting JohnH, thanks....n,

Les,
I have a cast iron right hand drive hogs head with starter. I believe it came from New Zealand a number of years ago. I also have a right hand drive frame bracket for the steering gear. That bracket I got at Fred Loucks auction a number of years ago.

As I'm not going to use them they are now for sale.

brasscarguy

All Ts built in Trafford Park for the UK had RHD hogsheads with starters from 1922 - when they had finally sorted the steering conflict.
I presume that Canadian Ts for the British Empire (Australia, NZ, India etc) were the same.
I have also read that Canada had previously implemented its own solution for RHD before the 'proper' design emerged.

Dick
Thank you for the offer, but I am not actually looking for a hogshead and I have cast a one off Ross cam and lever steering gear box!!