Lokelani/Shutterstock The Ford Model T debuted back in 1908 and absolutely revolutionized the auto industry, running for nearly two decades. And while Ford has tried in the past — and indeed in the present — to recreate Model T moments of importance, with over 15 million units sold, nothing has really come close in terms of significance. The Ford Model T mobilized America, with its rugged simplicity ensuring it worked well in a wide range of applications. Naturally, things have moved on a bit by now, and the Model T looks about as complex as a toy car in comparison to the hybridized, turbocharged, sensor-crazed infotainment stations we all drive today. That might lead drivers into thinking the iconic antique is a doddle to pilot behind the wheel, if not a little scary without seat belts, airbags, and so forth. Well, as it happens, that's not quite the case. The transmission is notoriously difficult to operate, for today's drivers at least, as it behaves differently to anything that's remotely mainstream by modern standards. It's a two-speed epicyclic transmission, with planetary gears, a reverse, three pedals, and a hand lever. When at the helm, drivers might look more like conductors of a one-man band, but nevertheless, that's the transmission of choice for one of the most popular cars of all time. How to operate the Model T's transmission betto rodrigues/Shutterstock For anyone that ever finds themselves behind the wheel of Henry Ford's most iconic creation, here's what they must know and do. That planetary transmission boasts two speeds, one high and one low, plus the reverse gear. All are controlled by the three pedals on the floor; the left pedal controls the forward gears, the central pedal gives reverse, and the right-hand pedal is your brake. Inside the transmission are the planetary gears and brake bands. Which gear the driver gets depends on which part of the gearset is locked by a brake band. Each brake band corresponds to one of the aforementioned pedals. Simple so far, right? Pressing the left pedal to the floor engages low gear, ideal for starting off. Elevating the pedal fully engages high gear. The right-hand pedal is the brake, but instead of directly acting upon the wheels, depressing said pedal causes another brake band to tighten around the transmission's brake drum, thus slowing the car. The central pedal controls reverse, and as there's just one speed, the process is fairly simple. To complicate matters further, accelerating was done via a hand lever. It wasn't that complex at the time Simlinger/Shutterstock With a transmission that involved, and all just for two speeds, it might be easy to assume that millions of motorists were simply too scared to get behind the wheel of their new Fords for fear of the complex design. There is actually some truth to that, but it relates to the pre-planetary Ford design, which was a sliding-pinion crash transmission. It involved sliding spinning gears into one another, merging them with much drama; many owners opted to pay drivers to take the helm instead. Henry Ford knew that, in order to change the world with inexpensive cars, he would have to find a more approachable solution. His answer was the planetary design most Model Ts were blessed with. Sure, it's not quite so easily mastered as the beloved PRNDL, but most buyers back in the Model T's day weren't actually accustomed to anything else. As a result, new owners found that a few minutes of training was all they needed to master the act of shifting a Model T. Ford actually advertised the car for women as easy to drive — a forward move for the era. Today, only enthusiasts of the marque (and now you, of course) are likely to be well-versed enough to take control of the iconic car, at least until we get a proper 21st century Model T.
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