The ability to reverse is something that a driver might take for granted, right until their car decides that having a reverse gear is too much work. Today, let’s talk about backing up. Specifically, I want to know what vehicle has the coolest or weirdest reversing setup on this planet.
I’ve been thinking about the subject of backing up ever since I wrote about airplane tugs. Cars make backing up basically trivial, something that you never really think about. I suppose some cars have some semi weird ways to reverse. A European-spec Smart Fortwo desperately tries to mimic a real manual transmission, and so you sort of have to engage reverse by slapping the stick over and down as if you were driving a manual. That’s sort of weird. Also sort of weird is engaging reverse in a vehicle with a column-shift manual transmission, but that’s largely the same thing you’re used to in a different form factor.
Here’s that Smart shifter:
I bet the weirdest ways to get into reverse in the car world would be to drive an early car. For example, the FordModelT.net enthusiast group gives this explanation for reversing a Ford Model T:
To reverse, hold the left gear pedal half way down in neutral with the left foot, gently press the reverse pedal to go backwards with the right foot. Relax the pressure on the reverse pedal and press the brake with the right foot when you want to stop. Alternatively, apply pressure to the left pedal to brake, bringing the car to a stop. This can also be accomplished by the use of the hand lever to place the left pedal in neutral, so that when the reverse pedal is released, the brake pedal can be applied. We only have two feet to operate 3 pedals.
Otherwise, let’s look outside of the automotive kingdom! The first non-car example that comes to mind is the Harley-Davidson Freewheeler.
This trike has a standard motorcycle engine and transmission, which means it cannot reverse on its own. However, heavy trikes are absolute units and would suck to push out on human power, so these things have little electric motors that engage to back the Freewheeler out. I have a friend with one of these and he told me you have to reverse sparingly because the motor will drain the battery surprisingly quickly.
Reversing ships gets pretty cool.
A ship with variable pitch propellers may reverse just through changing propeller pitch. Ships with azimuth pods can spin the pods around to achieve reversing action. Some of the world’s most famous steam-powered ships achieved reverse by redirecting steam from forward engines to reversing engines.
I have a feeling I’ve only touched on the wonderful world of going backward. What are the coolest or weirdest ways that vehicles get in reverse?
Top graphic image: Ford
The post What Vehicle Has The Coolest Way To Get Into Reverse? appeared first on The Autopian.
