What can a WD45 do that a WD can't?
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=168520
Printed Date: 04 Nov 2025 at 6:54am
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Topic: What can a WD45 do that a WD can't?
Posted By: wide
Subject: What can a WD45 do that a WD can't?
Date Posted: 21 Feb 2020 at 9:12pm
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What's the difference in power between the WD and WD45? What implements can a 45 use that would drag a WD down? |
Replies:
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 21 Feb 2020 at 9:14pm
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One more bottom on the plow and/or a gear faster ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 21 Feb 2020 at 9:49pm
| I always used to say a good WD45 would start out with a load of hay or corn in 4th gear. A WD would get it rolling in 3rd and then shift into 4th. |
Posted By: Brian G. NY
Date Posted: 22 Feb 2020 at 7:34am
And....al the later WD-45s had the 3 disc hand clutch to help get that job done.
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DrAllis wrote:Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 22 Feb 2020 at 7:51am
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WD45 will burn more gas.I always preferred the gearing in a WD |
Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 22 Feb 2020 at 3:16pm
| About everything. Dad had a new WD with a 2 row AC planter. It was traded for a new wd45. Dad never liked the WD. Dad continued to farm for 50 more years. He always said the 45 was his favorite tractor. That is one of the reasons we still have it. Even though he purchased a new D17 in 1959, he continued to plant, seed, harrow make hay, etc with the 45. I do know from experience the 45 would out run the 17 going down the road. |
Posted By: Ted J
Date Posted: 22 Feb 2020 at 5:20pm
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Out pull, out push and out run the WD. Where I farmed, the WD would pull a two bottom and the 45 could pull a 4. Going down the road in the 45 in 4th gear was pure pleasure. ------------- "Allis-Express" 19?? WC / 1941 C / 1952 CA / 1956 WD45 / 1957 WD45 / 1958 D-17 |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 22 Feb 2020 at 5:37pm
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Dad grew up first on a DC Case, then when living with his step uncle an IH M, a new Super M and a new Super C. When he was 18 he left and later after marrying Mom, he bought a VAC from his Dad, who had an independent shop and sold some used tractors. Then Dad got a WC due to Mom's family influence, then a WD but it was when he bought a WD45 that he was fully converted to Allis. That was back in the late 1960's. Dad has always said nothing he hooked to the 45 could stop it. The family has been Allis ever since. Wish I had that 45 today. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: FREEDGUY
Date Posted: 22 Feb 2020 at 5:53pm
How much of a difference is there between a '45 and a gas D-17? That's where we saw the 2-4 bottom difference(WD-D17).The '45's "here" could only pull 3 bottoms. |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 22 Feb 2020 at 8:09pm
| Three tractors in the same field on the same day all mounted/semi-mounted AC plows with identical plow bottoms. WD with 2 x 16's or 3 x 14's. WD45 with 3 x 14's or 3 x 16's. D-17 3 x 16's or 4 x 14's. In fields where WD-45's can pull 4 x 14's a D-17 should pull 4 x 16's or 5 x 14's as they claimed in their early advertising literature. They didn't stick with that claim very long and the best plowing D-17's would be a series 2 or 3. Series 4's were 4 HP short and series ones (unless updated) had a Traction Booster that didn't work as well as series 2's and 3's. |
Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2020 at 1:28am
| Dr Allis I never knew that about the D17s. The D17 diesel I got off Allen R would pull a 3x16 plow in corn stalks in high side of 3rd gear. I did it 1 time, threw the dirt clear out of the furrow. I hope Allen doesn't turn the pump back down. |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2020 at 6:43am
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Bottom line is the WD-45 had more power and if the tractor is weighted do get the most traction it would out pull the WD. ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2020 at 7:02am
WD seemed to be geared slower so weighted the same the pulling power might be the same in a given gear but the WD would be slower,sort of like the RC and the WC.
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Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2020 at 7:46am
| So many early WD's only had 12.4 x 28 rear tires with 10 inch rims and so many more later WD45's had the optional 14.9 x 28 rear tires with 12 inch rims. That in itself added speed, weight and more traction to the 45's to better utilize the "bang" of the modern "Power Crater" combustion engine !!! |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2020 at 2:27pm
| When my 45 had 7.25: 1 M&W's and a 175 cam,it was very happy with a 4-16 semi mount 70 series plow in 2nd gear. Couldn't quite hack 4-14 in 3rd so I spread it out and dropped a gear. After the crank pulley got loose and the crank got cracked,I rebuilt it with new crank and Sealed Power sleeves/pistons which are M&W design but stock compression. You can tell it's got less.The 220 and 9 shank Soil Saver took over tillage so the 45 is now a loafer,but I still love it. |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2020 at 4:43pm
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We pull a 4-14" plow behind a 45, I'll put that on the WD this year and see how it goes! ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2020 at 4:46pm
| The legit M & W (SP-48 motor kit ?) 4 1/8" bore pistons were 7.4 to 1 compression ratio, just a tad higher than the 7.25 to 1 of an OEM D-17 engine. |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2020 at 7:20pm
Well that's what they were then....have that number inside....installed about 1982...have em in a box. They are scored some and ring lands have wear.
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Posted By: Brian F(IL)
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2020 at 8:32am
| When Dad stopped farming in 1967, the WD didn't do much tillage work anymore. It still pulled the JD 495A planter in the spring, had a the four -row front mounted cultivator in the summer, and pulled a flare-bed wagon with hoist in the fall. Heavier work was done with a JD 720 diesel, JD 70 gas, and the WD-45 I still have. |
Posted By: ac fleet
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2020 at 10:13am
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I use both here and don't see any difference in them. The good 45 only pulls the snap-coupler 3x14 plow in first gear and will kill the engine IF I am not quick on the clutch. This is some tuff ground so I never tried the 4x14 semi-mount that I have for it. The good wd gets the 6' KK tiller duty. --- runs too fast but a couple three passes and its not too bad. It also gets the Woods C-80 to chop sweet corn stalks----makes quick work of that job. --- Lot's faster that the C and a 59 mower! ------------- http://machinebuildersnetwork.com/ |
Posted By: FREEDGUY
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2020 at 5:26pm
| Dad pulled a 2/16 fully mounted plow with a WD, and pulled a semi-mount (snap coupler of course) 4/16 with a series 2 D-17. Our next door/farm over neighbor ran an Ford 801 Selecto-Speed and a WD 45 that he could only pull a 3/16 "mounted" plow slower than the '17 30' across the fence line?? Perhaps the semi-mount makes a difference?? |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2020 at 5:49pm
| Maybe he was plowing 1 inch deeper ? or didn't know how to fully use the Traction Booster... Semi mount is longer and should pull harder. |
Posted By: FREEDGUY
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2020 at 6:07pm
Now that you bring up the T/B, did a WD/WD45 have that feature? I distinctly recall the notched "under" lever underneath the main hydraulic lever on the '17, but seems like our WD only had a single hydraulic lever  .
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Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2020 at 6:35pm
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Yes all WD's and WD45's along with all CA's had Traction Booster using the same lever that raises the hitch. Adjustments at the pump determine in what manner the hydraulics work depending on what you want to do. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: truckerfarmer
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2020 at 9:54pm
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I'm in agreement with ac fleet. Have both myself and don't see much difference. ------------- Looking at the past to see the future. '53 WD, '53 WD45, WD snap coupler field cultivator, #53 plow,'53 HD5B dozer Duct tape.... Can't fix stupidity. But will muffle the sound of it! |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2020 at 11:07pm
| Trying to go only an inch deeper can be a deal breaker !! LOL! There's night and day between 6&8 inches. |
Posted By: tomNE
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2020 at 8:32am
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We went from a WD to a WD45 diesel and when you did that in the 50's; you never even thought about a WD again! ------------- AC from the start of my families farming career till the end! |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2020 at 8:38am
| Any of the posters who say they see little difference between a WD and a WD45, especially when it came to plowing, don't realize that MANY WD's got a HP uprate at overhaul time, making them closer to a WD45. Unless they are the original owner and actually know if this did or did not happen, it is total speculation on my part. The WD was 34 HP and many were uprated with M&W pistons and sleeves to 40 HP. The WD45 was 43 HP from the factory. |
Posted By: Brian G. NY
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2020 at 8:48am
WD: 34.63 Belt/30.23 Drawbar WD-45 43.21 Belt/37.84 Drawbar If both tractors are in equally good operating condition, that 25% increase is certainly noticeable! D-17 52.7 PTO/48.64 Drawbar Then.....the 28.5% increase of the D-17 over the WD-45 is pretty darn noticeable too. I have a WD with the 1/8" overbore kit and the WD-45 will still run all over it. My D-17 is a whole 'nuther world! |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2020 at 10:28am
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Dad always claimed that his 45 could keep pace with the D17...... he never owned both at the same time though as the 45 was traded for the 17................. Come to think of it I think he had his 45 overhauled at one point with bigger pistons so probably had more than stock hp. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2020 at 10:35am
| WD45 gas with M&W pistons/sleeves was 51 HP. |
Posted By: FREEDGUY
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2020 at 5:23pm
| I can't recall where dad's WD ended up after he started "updating", but it left with a MAG ignition LOL !! I know he traded the D-17 for a D19 and tried getting the '17 back but it was already gone :-( |