Looking at a WD45, have questions
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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=123771
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Topic: Looking at a WD45, have questions
Posted By: cs641
Subject: Looking at a WD45, have questions
Date Posted: 25 May 2016 at 9:53pm
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I'm looking to buy my very first farm tractor, a WD45. I know next to nothing about tractors but am very mechanically inclined and have been working on cars since my teenage years. I have a small hobby farm and am looking for an all around general purpose tractor that can brush hog, run a post pounder and possibly plow snow or knock down old stone walls between fields depending on the season. Also curious what else the tractor is capable of doing, attachments it can run etc. Unsure of the engine but I assume it to be a gasoline engine. The tractor also has a wide front end, 3 point hitch and 12V conversion. What are the important things I should be looking for? Stuff that breaks, red flags, etc... What are the big things that need to be done maintenance wise? Many thanks!
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Replies:
Posted By: DSeries4
Date Posted: 25 May 2016 at 10:08pm
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The WD45 is one of the best tractors AC ever made. The only week spot might be the transmission jumping out of gear if it was abused. After buying it, I would do the following things to ensure trouble free operation: change all the oils, flush the rad and fill with new coolant, clean the entire fuel system (carb, tank and strainer), check out the starter, generator and wiring for proper operation and potential issues and do an ignition tune up - plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points. Might not hurt to do a compression test first though. I do have some questions about how you plan to use the tractor: Is your post pounder operated by hydraulic hoses? If so, the 45 is not the best tractor since it has a low volume hydraulic pump (1.5 gpm). You would need a newer tractor (d17 series IV) to get the higher volume hydraulics. I would also like to know how you break down stone walls between fields. You have to remember that tractors are not bulldozers and should not be used as such! When used properly, a WD45 will do pretty much everything you want without costing a lot of money. Parts are easy to come by and they are easy to fix as well. ------------- '49 G, '54 WD45, '55 CA, '56 WD45D, '57 WD45, '58 D14, '59 D14, '60 D14, '61 D15D, '66 D15II, '66 D21II, '67 D17IV, '67 D17IVD, '67 190XTD, '73 620, '76 185, '77 175, '84 8030, '85 6080 |
Posted By: B26240
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 6:07am
| WD's/WD45"s are one of my favorites!! Things to look at for me would be tires and rims,oil pressure, brakes, trans jumping as stated above. Now as D4 said for the jobs you listed above looks to me that they would be for a skid steer. As for field work on a hobby farm a WD45 would work great. Welcome to the forum Mark |
Posted By: Stan IL&TN
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 6:58am
already having the 3-point conversion is a plus as it will allow the tractor to be connected to more modern equipment and the wide front end is also good. At one time dad's only tractor for a 200 acre farm was the WD45. it has good power and is sized to do most tasks. Good luck and show us some pictures if you buy her. Also be sure to get both an operators and a service manual for it.  ------------- 1957 WD45 dad's first AC 1968 one-seventy 1956 F40 Ferguson |
Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 7:05am
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Welcome and good luck with your choice. The WD45s and most tractors of that age were not designed to have the modern hydraulics and features of like a newer Kubota. They were designer for field work and to pull implements mostly. Yes check oil pressure should be near mid range on gage. Check under for serious leak, Look where it had been sitting for signs of oil/ fluid leaks. Check hand clutch for snap both in and out positions. Tires are a biggy they can co=st as much as the tractor to replace. Check pedals and hand clutch for wear, side to side if tight that's good. Maybe a low hour tractors. Also there is a x pattern on the foot clutch and brakes. If theses are worn smooth then it has had lots of action. Check fluid levels and for water. Pictures of the tractor in question would help us with your evaluation. Regards, Chris ------------- D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet. |
Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 8:10am
| Also the hydraulic system is a high pressure system. If memory serves me right they put out about 1000 lbs more psi than everything else did back then. Someone else that knows for sure please post back if this is wrong. |
Posted By: cs641
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 8:16am
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Thank you guys for the info. Currently don't own a post pounder. Just curious if it's within this tractor's abilities. After reading your post I guess I'll be renting another machine for the day to do move the walls and make room for the new fence. Guy up the road has a John Deere 620 with some sort of plow and I've seen him do things like that. Like I said I don't know much on tractors. Hopefully going to look today. One other question, for the pto is it driven from the rear axle(like a Farmall or Ford 8n) or can the pto spin while parked? Also what rpm does it spin at? Thanks |
Posted By: jkoby
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 8:46am
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The pto on the wd and wd45 is independent of the rear axle. You can run it while sitting still. With the hand clutch, if you are moving and get into thick stuff, the pto can continue running full speed while you creep along. Rpm of the pto is 540. |
Posted By: Dmpaul89
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 8:50am
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Its a 540rpm pto. And yes it spins while parked however it will stop when you depress the clutch. Thats where the hand clutch comes in for "live" pto. Id look at a d14/15 or a d17. Much more operator friendly. And handle 3 point implements better. Unless your right leg is a foot shorter than your left in which case you will fit perfectly on a WD :) |
Posted By: WF owner
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 2:09pm
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One very common problem with the WD/WD-45 that no one has mentioned is the (curved on WD-45) gear shift lever. They tend to wear with age and the lower end will come out of the rails in the transmission. The shift lever will flop around and the transmission can't be shifted until you get the shifter back in the rails. It's quite easy to get the shifter back in the rails by sliding the shifter boot up, removing the seal and snap ring and lifting the shift lever out. Align the shift rails, which shifts the transmission into neutral (make sure the tractor won't roll), and replace the shift lever. To permanently repair it there are a few options: 1. You can buy oversize aftermarket pins (that go in the shift tower and hold the shift lever). 2.Buy an aftermarket shift lever. 3.Build the shift lever up with weld and machine it down to original size. |
Posted By: cs641
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 3:34pm
| It appears the tractor found a new home before I could ever see it in person. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the d14/15 or d17 tractor. |
Posted By: OutlawACfan86
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 3:51pm
Please consider a D19. It has the power to push heavy snow around along with knocking down a stone wall, and can handle much much more than a D17. In upstate NY where we get lake affect snow, the D19 can go where the D17 can only dream of. ------------- WD45 nfe, D19 gas, 180 with rops & 500 loader |
cs641 wrote:Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 26 May 2016 at 3:58pm
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You would be much happier with a d serries. But just for the record a farmall pto is also 540 and will spin when the tractor is in neutral. The farmall doesn't have live power like the wd or d serries allis chalmers. So with the farmall letter serries tractors when you put in the clutch the pto will stop. You have to get up into the number serries farmall tractors for live power which means you can stop the tractor without stopping the pto very handy when you get into thick crops and the baler needs time to process a clump of hay. If you found an ac 170 175 180 or 185 you would have a very modern tractor with good hydraulics. Those are probably some of the best ones to keep an eye open for. Welcome to the forum good luck finding a tractor to meet your needs. Oh and if you use a post hole digger not a pounder it would run off the pto and 3 point hitch alot easier to do with almost any tractor. |