You must have heard of Henry Ford. A name now synonymous with the automobile industry, he entered the field even before people knew how to make cars, let alone think about their looks and efficiency. It wasn’t easy for him either, but he managed to overcome his obstacles before achieving success with the Ford Motor Company, one of the biggest names in the business now.
Born in a Dearborn farm to William and Mary Ford on July 30, 1863, Henry Ford hated farming and horses. His dad wanted him to go the family way and continue farming, but the only thing that tied him down to the farm was his mother’s love. Once she passed away when he was 12, it was only a matter of time…
Loves machines
Ford’s hatred for farming was only rivalled by his love for machinery. He would go on to devote a lifetime producing machines, but his beginning in the field was rather humble. Having had limited education, he stepped out of the farm when he was 16 and started working in machine shops at Detroit.
Ford returned to his family farm for a few years and got married to Clara Bryant in 1888, and the two shifted to Detroit in 1891. Ford started working as an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company in that same year and was eager to learn about electricity. By 1893, he was promoted as a chief engineer, allowing him financial room to personally experiment with gasoline engines. Egged on by his wife, Ford created his own gas engine in December 1893.
Horseless carriage
Ford dreamt of building a horseless carriage that was, instead of horses, powered by gasoline engines. He was certainly motivated, as he spent every minute of his free time on this project. The fact that he was available on call at all times for his company to ensure that Detroit had electrical service all 24 hours meant that he had a more flexible working schedule.
In March 1896, Charles King, another Detroit engineer, took his hand-made wood vehicle with a four-cylinder engine out for a ride and was able to achieve speeds of up to five miles an hour. This only heightened Ford’s desire to build his gasoline-powered model that would be lighter and faster.
Dream becomes reality
Ford, as was his nature, enlisted his friends, including King, and employed his powers of motivation, organisation and belief to get the work done. Despite setbacks, his dream was finally a reality after months of toil.
Ford’s creation constituted a light metal frame, fitted with four bicycle wheels that was powered by a two-cylinder, four-horsepower gasoline engine. On the morning of June 4, 1896, at around 4 a.m., Ford was ready to test-drive his Quadricycle.
On the roads...
There was another hiccup though, before the Quadricycle hit the roads. All the work had taken place in the shed behind Ford’s home and it was here that the Quadricycle stood ready on the said morning. When Ford and James Bishop, his chief assistant, tried to wheel the Quadricycle out of the shed, they realised that the door was too small when compared to the width of the Quadricycle. Not one to be deterred by such small obstacles, Ford took out an axe and employed it to make space for his vehicle to get out.
And then, Ford conducted a test-drive with the first automobile that he had designed and made. Bishop went ahead on his bicycle, warning pedestrians and passing carriages that Ford was coming through on his Quadricycle.
Ford’s Quadricycle had two driving speeds and could reach up to 20 miles an hour. Steered with a tiller, like in a boat, and with no reverse capabilities, Ford drove his 225 kg contraption down Detroit’s Grand River Avenue, honking with his doorbell button. There was one breakdown due to a faulty spring, but besides that, the drive was largely a hit.
Encouraged by the success of his Quadricycle, Ford was onto other ideas as his ambition grew larger. A number of failures followed, but Ford’s grit, determination and belief in his own vision meant that greater achievements with the Ford Motor Company were just around the corner. The rest, as they say, is now history...
Published - June 04, 2018 01:30 am IST
