Agco Archive
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=143470
Printed Date: 07 Apr 2026 at 6:41pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Agco Archive
Posted By: Spiege
Subject: Agco Archive
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 3:30pm
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I just got a model U into my shop to restore. It is one of the high speed tractors that Harvey Firestone commissioned for doing demonstrations with these tractors sometimes doing 60+ MPH. I would like to find as much information about this tractor as I can, so I'm starting here. Thank you for your input and help. |
Replies:
Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 3:32pm
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I also meant to ask if Agco has an archive department, or if the records might be somewhere else? |
Posted By: Nathan (SD)
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 5:48pm
| Do a information request to AGCO headquarters. Let us know what you hear. |
Posted By: Gary(WI)
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 5:57pm
| Post some pictures please is it a continental or um engine |
Posted By: DougG
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:01pm
| Doubt you get a positive response from Agco, but you never know |
Posted By: Mikez
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:08pm
| More important. Welcome to the forum. Good luck |
Posted By: DiyDave
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:14pm
Check out Norm Swinford's book, Allis-Chalmers Farm Tractors, 1914-1985, it has a good account of the history, as well as several sources...
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Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:31pm
| Wait...this is one of THE U's they did the tests/demonstrations with, or it's just a regular U? |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:34pm
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I may be proven wrong but my guess is AGCO will say they never heard of Allis. They have done their best to bury Allis Chalmers history. When the new leadership, some years ago denied that AGCO stood for Allis Gleaner Company........ well, I'll never forget that and their insistence of dropping one color, orange, of their many colors, pretty much the only color they wanted gone. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: psheridan
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 8:42pm
| my father, who is 97 has told me the story of watching Barney Oldfield race a Model A at the Clay County fair in Nebraska. His father was a Allis dealer in Sutton Nebraska from the late 20s until the war was over. I am not sure if he won the race but the story is a good one. Pretty sure that it was a U allis Great story |
Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 9:09pm
| Thank you for the welcome. Yes, it is one of the U's used for the demonstrations. It has a 5th gear added to it. |
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 9:30pm
Wow! You gotta post some pics! Have you tried out the 5th gear?
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Spiege wrote:Posted By: Bill_MN
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 9:39pm
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Inquire with Firestone as well, they would probably have quite a bit of history on that ad campaign being it was the first rubber tire on a tractor. You'll likely get zilch from AGCO ------------- 1951 WD #78283, 1918 Case 28x50 Thresher #76738, Case Centennial B 2x16 Plow |
Posted By: garden_guy
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 10:06pm
Interesting... In one of my old Allis Chalmers tractor books, there's a picture of an experimental WD with a 5th gear added to it. Always wondered how well it worked and how fast it went and how many they made and where they went! |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 8:34am
------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: caledonian
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 8:55am
| Dad said one of our neighbors put a 5th gear in a WC so he could get between some of his farm ground faster. I also don't have much faith in AGCO being any help. But it doesn't hurt to try. If you do let us know how you come out. |
Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 9:53am
No, I haven't tried it yet, the tires are dry rotted. I have to get it running. I just picked it up on Saturday.
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Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 9:56am
We are working with Firestone, they really don't have anything in their archieves about these tractors. We are trying to figure out how many were built, along with other things. As a matter of fact, I restored Harvey Firestones's McCormick 22-36. It sits in a little museum at their test farm in Columbiana, OH. The gentleman that own's the Allis U, bought the land that was Harvey Firestone's orginial homested.
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Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 10:01am
I have it stored at another location right now. I need to clear a spot in my shop for it. I will post some pictures as soon as I can. I will also be putting it on my website and facebook page. I don't know if I am allowed to give my website here. Admin, please advise. Thank you.
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Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 4:41pm
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Start looking for the leather jacket and goggles for the future finished photo opt ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: DiyDave
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 5:53pm
No one should bother you, about linking to your website, its not like you are spamming the site, with a site that sells chinese sports shoes...
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Posted By: JohnCO
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2017 at 1:15am
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Or British furniture... My Cousin farmed some of the Firestone land, don't know if he still does or not, Brian Cadnum from Hinckely. ------------- "If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" Allis Express participant |
Posted By: CaseyCreek
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2017 at 12:24pm
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I am very glad to hear one of these tractors is about to be brought back into public view. I found a couple of old links on this site which refer to the U (and which have a picture): http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/ac-land-speed-record-tractor_topic53875.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/ac-land-speed-record-tractor_topic53875.html http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/harvey-firestone-congradulating-ab-jenkins_topic18007.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/harvey-firestone-congradulating-ab-jenkins_topic18007.html To the original poster, there is also the U registry here on this site: http://www.allischalmers.com/registry/registry_list.asp?model=U" rel="nofollow - http://www.allischalmers.com/registry/registry_list.asp?model=U A little background on the history of the rubber tire promotion from Firestone Farms: http://firestonefarms.org/the-farm-on-rubber/" rel="nofollow - http://firestonefarms.org/the-farm-on-rubber/ This article contains a detailed visual description of the racing U: http://www.farmcollector.com/tractors/allis-chalmers-rubber-firestone-tires" rel="nofollow - http://www.farmcollector.com/tractors/allis-chalmers-rubber-firestone-tires ------------- D17 Series III,D17 Series IV, 185 |
Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2017 at 7:42am
| I'm sorry that I haven't followed up with pictures. We have busy with getting farming things done. In the next few days, I will try to get some pictures. For anyone interested, my website is http://www.srstractor.com" rel="nofollow - www.srstractor.com and http://www.facebook.com/srsltd" rel="nofollow - www.facebook.com/srsltd |
Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 18 Nov 2017 at 6:49pm
Finally, I have pictures of the Firestone U.    
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Posted By: combinechris
Date Posted: 19 Nov 2017 at 9:15pm
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good luck on AGCO helping you out any. but never know they might. but unlikely. welcome to the forum . great looking tractor. ------------- 35 combines and 15 forage harvesters. mostly allis combines and equipment.WTB 2 row cornhead for a 90 |
Posted By: Leesok
Date Posted: 20 Nov 2017 at 12:15am
| https://bangshift.com/general-news/event-coverage/bonneville-speed-week-2014-1935-ab-jenkins-went-68mph-allis-chalmers-tractor-2014-theres-modified-8n-showing-blow-away/" rel="nofollow - https://bangshift.com/general-news/event-coverage/bonneville-speed-week-2014-1935-ab-jenkins-went-68mph-allis-chalmers-tractor-2014-theres-modified-8n-showing-blow-away/ |
Posted By: JC-WI
Date Posted: 20 Nov 2017 at 1:12am
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Hope you are restoring one of them, With 5th gear in it, probably is ...but I was comparing photos and looked at the shift sticks, the photos at bangshift.com shows shifter sticks nearly as high as the top of the fuel tank and this one is below that... and the racers were on round spoke wheels where as this one is sitting on cut off steel... but they could have been changed due to the old rims rusted out or something. Thanks for sharing. ------------- He who says there is no evil has already deceived himself The truth is the truth, sugar coated or not. Trawler II says, "Remember that." |
Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 9:02pm
| It does have the 5th gear in it. I also have the original factory round spoke wheels for it. |
Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 9:23pm
The second to last link above, is who I am restoring the tractor for, Firestone Farms. When you click on the link, the top picture on that page, the farmer is actually Harvey Firestone. The McCormick Deering in that picture, is the one I restored for Firestone, and it is in a little museum in the conference center, at the Ag Tire test farm. They wanted the fenders left off, that is how they used it when testing tires.  |
Posted By: 51ACWD
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 10:56pm
| Man that's awesome! I own a 1936 U and have been fascinated with their history. That's a great tractor to work on! |
Posted By: PaulRoidt(WI)
Date Posted: 21 Nov 2019 at 1:43pm
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Any progress? |