[EN1 Sailor]

Having been a mechanic for over 40 years now, my understanding, from discussions with others more knowlegeable, is that the reason the Ford Model-T backed up a steep hill was that the carburator was gravity fed from the fuel tank (no fuel pump)and a steep hill made the carb lose suction thereby killing the engine.

[cripplecreek]

Having been a mechanic for over 40 years now, my understanding, from discussions with others more knowlegeable, is that the reason the Ford Model-T backed up a steep hill was that the carburator was gravity fed from the fuel tank (no fuel pump)and a steep hill made the carb lose suction thereby killing the engine.

That makes sense as well. Combine that with less than ideal transmissions and breaks and you get one dangerous car on a hill.