Saturday, January 20, 2018

My grandpa's tractor, an Allis Chalmers B


It had a big power take off wheel on the drivers left side for a long canvas belt that would spin a buzz rig

By the way, directly behind the tractor is the garage my grandpa built in the 70s, and it was fantastic... 2 cars deep at least, so the tractor could spend the winter behind the truck.

The building way in the back, the small white one? That's the chicken coop, and the tiny brown building is an honest to god outhouse from when this was a homestead with a big log cabin.


In the early thirties, Allis-Chalmers tractor division manager Harry Merritt studied the farm census figures and discovered that of the nearly seven million farms in America, some four million were of 100 acres or less.

Furthermore, the million or so tractors at work on American farms were nearly all on the larger ones. Although the Fordson tractor and then the first-generation row-crop tractors, including the Farmall, Allis-Chalmers's own Model WC, and others, had been gaining significant market penetration and making mechanised agriculture ever more popular.

 Merritt concluded that there was a need for four million small, inexpensive tractors to fill the needs of the small farmers still using horses. Merritt set out to build the tractor that would finally put the horse out to pasture.

The Model B was Allis-Chalmers' second-generation row-crop tractor. It was small, light, and versatile. The combination of an excellent tractor and effective marketing helped the B to become a commercial success.

Early sales literature for the Allis Chalmers B was devoted to convincing the farmer that the new B required less work to maintain than horses. It was also armed with government-supplied facts and statistics along with Allis's own research proving that the new B cost less to both buy and operate than horses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allis-Chalmers_Model_B

11 comments:

  1. That is an Allis-Chalmers B. Made from 1938 to 1957. The B has that distinctive arched front axle.

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    1. Thank you thank you thank you!

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  2. Looks like a Farmall.

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  3. Pretty sure it is an Allis Chalmers AC B tractor. Google it and look at the distinctive radiator and front axle. Probably around the late 30's or 40's. Can't tell from the pic but it should be orange.

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    1. Thank you thank you thank you!

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  4. Also here is a site where he is rebuilding an Allis Chalmers B tractor engine .Looks identical to your picture. His is 1950 and they do a nice job on it. www.squidsfabshop.com/Allis/ACBeng.html

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  5. See also http://www.tractorshed.com/cgi-bin/shed.cgi?br98_63.jpg

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  6. Out of these pieces of A-C equipment, B, CA, WD-45, D-17, D21, 185, 190, 6040, H3, HD6, TerraTiger, 918 backhoe, 645 loader, AD grader... The B was my least favorite to run... The D21 was a monster...

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    1. why your least favorite?

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    2. Just seemed to be the scariest... It was so shaky

      I forgot the G model on my list.

      I was working a pals "Gentlemen's Farm" with the D21. We put one of these hay rakes on it... The draw bar was so thick, we had to pound the hay rake on with a sledge hammer.
      I was having so much fun just driving, I really wasnt paying attention and after a few laps up and down the field, I turned to see a large pile of hay following me. The rake jammed up.

      https://d323w7klwy72q3.cloudfront.net/i/a/2015/20150429ag/BA9331.JPG

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