I’m pretty sure this is a “roll-on” transporter, which were used for short distance trips, as they were much quicker to load and unload, but could carry fewer cars.
Car Carrier of the Day: A Mixed Load of ’64s from FoMoCo
– Posted on July 13, 2020
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Curbside Classics Archives
The iconics alongside the forgettables…what a great contrast.
Is it me or do the Fords look longer than the Lincoln Continentals? #optics
Proportions and design: Full-size Fords 209.9″ OAL; Lincolns: 216.3″ OAL.
Deliver to one of the few Ford-Lincoln dealers at the time?
In late ’60s / early 70s our Lincoln-Mercury store was one door removed from the Ford store on an auto row across from a new shopping mall. I would imagine that a few carriers arrived with Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products.
They probably couldn’t get three Mercurys going in the same direction from a Michigan assembly plant. Pick up three Fords, then go to Wixom and pick up four Lincolns.
I’d say these cars and truck are at a rail yard/distribution center. That explains the building, which can take the trucks with trailers, if needed inside for servicing.
The tower of course is so the dispatcher has a better view of the yard.
I had the same initial visual processing response, that the Fords looked longer. Styling makes it seem that way, obviously.
There’s something about the wide-angle lens used to capture the shot. Using a caliper to measure the images, the Ford over the cab is the longest image of a car by some margin, and yes I only measured from the left front corner of the car. The Ford behind the cab, on the other hand, is much shorter and shorter than the Lincoln over it, and it should appear almost the same length as the image of the identical car over the cab.
My friend Justin has a 64 Galaxie sedan just like these, it’s long but not as long as it looks in person. I am surprised though, the Lincolns do look shorter, I guess it’s all that horizontal emphasis in the body sides on the Ford
Also as good of a time as ever to use this clip
I love these photos. I always try to figure out where they were taken, if that place is the same today, or not. This is an interesting picture because of the background.
The garage stall doors are quite large, and the markings on the pavement seem to indicate longer vehicle parking. Also, the building on the far left has angled windows, almost like an air traffic control tower.
The rear overhang on the car over the cab is epic.
The overhang made the load, there’d be one less aboard without it.
The truck driver certainly doesn’t have to worry about the sun in his eyes!
With three 5,000+ lb. Lincolns on the top deck, any evasive maneuvers on a highway, would likely not end well.
I had never noticed until recently how oddly elongated the rear doors look on this 1960-64 generation of Ford 4 doors.
I remember those dark blue Hadley F series transports. I think they were F-850’s, had Super Duty gas V-8’s in them. They were around for ever, and I think one ended up at M.G.M. studios. Used to see it on various T.V. shows back in the 70’s.
I’m trying to determine the exact point of articulation between the tractor and the trailer. I can’t seem to rectify the swing locus between the top and bottom tiers. Is that another trick of the camera?
Maybe they still have the lower floors set in loading mode and the operator will adjust the height of the trailer’s deck relative to the cab’s before driving off.
As I said, these are “roll on” units that allow quick loading and unloading without having to make changes on the trailer or truck. There is a mechanism visible under the tractor at the hitch; I assume it works to extend the hitch pivot point when the truck is ready to drive, and draws it back for unloading.