New Book / Top 10 Allis-Chalmers Tractor

The UC needs a place in the sun because it could handle 4 row equipment. Built from 1929 - 1960 in some form or another.

Edited by Unit3 - 05 Feb 2018 at 9:19pm

If you are looking for the top 10 influential tractors to the industry that Allis built my list would be this. In no particular order and it will be more than 10.

WC - (1934 and the styled and electic lights and starter in 1938) and for other reasons I stated before.

B - (1937) for price and simplicity and streamlined styling and the "wasp" torque tube. It was copied my several manufactures.

E - (1918) because of the wet sleeve design engine and later E production because of installing an air filtration system, a fuel filtration system and an engine oil filtration system. No other tractor had all three.

U - (1929) (first known as the United tractor in 1928) for it's introduction of low pressure rubber tires in 1931 and installing tires as standard equipment by 1932. UC was the row crop version.

WD - (1948) for it's sales numbers that even surpassed the IH M at one point, for spin out rear wheels that everyone else eventually offered, and it's traction booster system that used lower linkage sensing rather than top linkage sensing.

WD45 - (1953) for it sales numbers that again surpassed IH at some point in it's class and surprising power in the field that made other tractors look stupid. For it's use of the helical gear transmission that quieted up the tractor a lot. Helical gears were first introduced in the CA in 1950 and before that in the AC crawler line in 1947.

D14 - (Spring 1957) for it's introduction of the extremely reliable Power Director two speed power shift. Reliability that no other power shift had for another decade or more. Also it introduced the Roll Shift front axle that allowed tread width adjustment using the tractor's power steering with out jacks. Keep in mind it also used the spin out rear wheels that allowed tractor power to adjust the wheel tread width without jacks that the WD introduced earlier.

D19 - (1961) solely for it's introduction to the agricultural world the turbocharged diesel engine. Oh and the first use of a dry type air filter.

D21 - (1963) for it's large "ballroom" sized operator's platform that took most manufacturers another decade to match, a 12 position adjustable seat, and one of the first to have tilt steering wheel. And for it being the largest row crop tractor at it's introduction with 103 PTO HP in 1963 and again when the Series II came out in 1965 with 127 PTO HP. The rest of the competition had to play catch up in row crop power and comfort. It also was the first to use an alternator instead of the finicky generator.

190/190XT - (1964/1965 respectively) again for it's surprising power punch in the field and it's untouchable fuel economy and torque reserve and the right hand console controls copied by nearly every manufacturer. The XT especially was a hot performer!

7030/7050 - (January 1973) introduction of the 7000 series and they introduced the pressure and flow compensated hydraulic system (PFC) that nearly every big tractor uses today including Deere. Unmatched reliability in drive line components, the quietest cab in the industry at the time (Acousta Cab), in cab hydraulic flow control to the remotes, quick removable hood side sheets, ground level fueling, swing out battery access. Serviceability matched by no other at the time.

7080 - (1974) Most powerful row crop 2wd tractor in the industry.

7040/7060 - they came out in late 1974 but introduced the extremely reliable 12 speed Power Shift in 1975.

The Black Belly 7000 series - (1977) a line which set new records for quietest cab once again with the Acousta Cab II.

The 8000 series- (December 1981) for it's unmatched cab design, roominess, ergonomics, comfort and visibility for its time.


If I had to pick 10 from that list it would be the E, WC, B, WD, WD45, D19, D21, 190/190XT, 7050/7030, 8000 Series. Really the D14 should be in the mix too. Maybe instead of the E as the E never hit a very high market share despite of how important the innovations were on the E.

without doubt the B has to be at the top of the list.

I was going to make a post but I think Lonn covered everything i wanted to say. Great post Lonn.