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1950 Allis Chalmers WDs

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=174354
Printed Date: 23 Sep 2025 at 6:31pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: 1950 Allis Chalmers WDs
Posted By: T-Mo
Subject: 1950 Allis Chalmers WDs
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 7:29am
I found a couple of WDs on MachineFinder.  Their both at the same dealership, and the dealer isn't too far away from me.  I usually am a John Deere and Farmall guy, but the prices on these seem reasonable, and they appear to be about the size of a Farmall H, which I don't have yet.  One is just a parts tractor with remnants of a loader.  The other one looks to be in decent shape and is supposed to run.

I'm not that familiar with AC tractors nor the WDs, so any information would help, i.e. what to look for, what's good about them, what's not so good, what problem areas, etc.  Someone on the Farmall Cub forum mentioned about the low seat which I wouldn't care too much for.  I have a Farmall B that the seats too low, in my opinion.

This is my first post, so I hope it's okay to post links to the tractors in question.

https://www.machinefinder.com/ww/en-US/machines/1950-allis-chalmers-wd-tractor-7917614" rel="nofollow - https://www.machinefinder.com/ww/en-US/machines/1950-allis-chalmers-wd-tractor-7917614

https://www.machinefinder.com/ww/en-US/machines/1950-allis-chalmers-wd-tractor-7917634" rel="nofollow - https://www.machinefinder.com/ww/en-US/machines/1950-allis-chalmers-wd-tractor-7917634



Replies:
Posted By: caledonian
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 7:48am
A WD was closer in size to a Farmall M than a H. WD were 34.6 belt HP at Nebraska tractor tests. I believe the M's were 36. Correct me if I'm wrong.


Posted By: T-Mo
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 7:56am
The Farmall M was around 36-37 hp, while the later Super M was around 45 hp.  The Farmall H was about 26 hp.  I believe the weight and size of a WD, though, is closer to the Farmall H, while the M was a bit heavier and larger than the H.  I was basically comparing physical size and weight of the WD to the H.  I believe the Super H brought the hp rating to around what the WD had, though.


Posted By: Alberta Phil
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 12:35pm
I've got three of them here and they are the ones that generally get used the most.  One has a loader and one has the bush hog mounted.  Great tractors.  And those look like very good prices from where I'm sitting!


Posted By: allisbred
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 1:51pm
I might take some heat posting this— I would go after the Wd-45 for the same reason as the super M and spend a little more as they seem to hold value better. I have been at many sales and have seen some very nice WD tractors only sell around the 900$ mark. A Wd with added power steering would make a nice unit to rake hay with, doing small things if you are planning to use it. Don’t think I would jump on that one real quick though.


Posted By: allisbred
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 2:06pm
All yes— one more thought, you need a little longer left leg for these tractors! On the pros side— The hand clutches are very nice and maybe it’s best feature. Allis goveners make more fun with PTO implements over IH in my opinion as well. Negative side— hard on your back and very slow on the road.


Posted By: Hubert (Ga)engine7
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 2:55pm
If they were closer I would probably be hauling both home and I don't need either one. You might be able to get both for $1,000.

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Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God.


Posted By: Brian G. NY
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 4:06pm
Originally posted by Hubert (Ga)engine7 Hubert (Ga)engine7 wrote:

If they were closer I would probably be hauling both home and I don't need either one. You might be able to get both for $1,000.

Me too!

That first one is a pretty nice looking tractor with good sheet metal.
If the included 3PH is a good one, that in itself is worth about $300.
Having a parts tractor is always a plus. Who knows, you might  be able to get that one running too. 
Hard to tell but the rear wheels don't appear to be all rusted away.......another big plus.


Posted By: B26240
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 4:16pm
Like any tractor rims and tires cost a lot if they need to be replaced, the ones in the picture look good.   If it starts right up and runs good and has oil pressure about in the middle of the gauge $900 sounds fair.   WD's are one of my favorite tractors problem is they are around 70 years old, bound to need fixing.


Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 7:41pm
T-Mo,
 Welcome to the Allis TRACTOR forum. The WD in the first link should be a $900 to $1100 tractor. give or take your mileage may vary.
I also have a soft spot for these old tractors!
Regards,
 Chris


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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: Mikez
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 9:55pm
Welcome to the forum.
What made you choose a WD


Posted By: AC720Man
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2020 at 10:10pm
Although I have a WD, I have to agree with allisbred, a WD45 with power steering will make you happier with that one option alone. They do however fetch a higher price. The straight cut gears in the WD are noisy especially in 3rd gear. That was resolved in the WD45. Also have a few more hp. Either are good tractors, my WD is 70 years old but still works hard on our farm.

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1968 B-208, 1976 720 (2 of them)Danco brush hog, single bottom plow,52" snow thrower, belly mower,rear tine tiller, rear blade, front blade, 57"sickle bar,1983 917 hydro, 1968 7hp sno-bee, 1968 190XTD


Posted By: T-Mo
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 4:32am
Thanks guys.  You all have given me a lot to think about.  I learned a lot about the WDs reading through the comments here.  I'm about 85 miles away from this dealership, so I asked them to make a video of the nicer one running and driving, so i can make up my mind if I want to drive over there with a trailer.  In the meantime, if anyone here is close enough to pick them up, have at it.  I'm on the fence about adding an Allis or two, or another tractor of any color for that matter.  So it wouldn't bother me any of these went to a good home.


Posted By: T-Mo
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 5:16am
Oh, one last question.  How well can a WD handle a No. 8 Little Genius (IH) 2 bottom plow?  I believe the bottoms are 12 inch.


Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 5:39am
T-Mo,
 In the right soil a WD can put 3 14's. But they do real good with a set of 14 two bottoms in almost all soils. Yes the WD45 has more HP They were our big tractors on my Dads farm until the early 1970's. They did all the work in the fields, with very little maintenance.
If you take the trailer take the check book too. They have a way of pulling at the heart and wallet strings. Bring them home. Give them some time to grow on you. They are very different from the IH equipment, in how they feel. 
Having grown up on them, it's second nature to me. And yes my left leg has grown a inch longer for the years on them.
They are a lot of tractor for the size. 
Lots of them made and lots of good parts out there too.
Hope that helps.
Here is the thing with the tractors, lots of folks want a tractor and see the price compared to a brand new Kubota and think they will do the same job. No these are antique tractors made to pull plows and do field work, not made to do lawn work. There are a few of us old folks that have the funds and the interest to have them. My guess is if you make the dealer a reasonable offer you will own them.
Regards,
Chris



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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: Dusty MI
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 7:02am
My dad had a Little Genius 2-14 trailer plow. He put a pair of Oliver Rad-X bottoms on it, not sure Rad-X is spelled right.

Dusty


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917 H, '48 G, '65 D-10 series III "Allis Express"


Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 7:23am
I rarely sat in the seat with both feet on the foot rests on a WD. I sat with my left foot on the plate below the seat. Seemed more comfortable to me. I just used the hand clutch for nearly every action and it doesn't take much to swing my foot up to the foot clutch if needed.

The first tractor I drove was Dad's WD at about 9 years old. Easy to drive and you could hitch up the drawbar by standing on the ground and using the hand clutch to back up slowly..... not recommended these days!

For show everyone prefers the WD45 just because it's a WD45 and set a benchmark for the competition as far as performance goes but a good WD will do almost everything a good 45 will do but just one bottom less and if at some time in it's life someone put a WD45 crankshaft in it then it will perform right along with a WD45. As far as noise goes, if you are driving an M Farmall already then you are used to the noisy transmission. A late 1952 model WD or any 1953 WD will hav ethe same quiet transmission of the WD45. A curved shift stick should mean it has a helical gear WD45 transmission type.

One thing though. Don't expect it to keep pace with a Farmall M because IH way back in about 1960 discontinued the standard 3-7/8 bore low compression flat top piston kits and replaced them with Fire Crater kits that pushed the 36 hp M to about 50 hp. Allis provided the standard kits WD flat top kits until sometime in the 1990's or even early 2000's. My dealer would discourage customers from upgrading to a 45 kit and crank or D17 kit and 45 crank. They pushed standard kits. A 45 can tear up a PTO gear box in heavy use like a silage chopper.


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-- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... -
Wink
I am a Russian Bot


Posted By: T-Mo
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 8:04am
Again, great information and comments.  I keep swinging back and forth on this - I'm used to the Farmalls since I owned some, and have driven other Farmalls.  But I have heard some good things on the Allis tractors, so when I ran across these two, it got my mind swirling thinking about trying out an Allis.


Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 8:12am
I wonder what has "syncro" in a WD  LOL It sure ain't the transmission.


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http://www.ae-ta.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.ae-ta.com
Lena 1935 WC12xxx, Willie 1951 CA6xx Dad bought new, 1954WD45 PS, 1960 D17 NF


Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 8:28am
Sometimes the seat will bounce in syncro to the lope in the tires Wink


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-- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... -
Wink
I am a Russian Bot


Posted By: garden_guy
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 8:29am
$900 for a good running WD seems fair to me here in IL. If I lived closer, I'd probably bring that one home haha.


Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 1:33pm
There will always be a good deal show up later on. You should find a buddy who has an Allis and go play around on it for a spell and that would help sort out you decision.


Posted By: T-Mo
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 5:48pm
Dealer sent me a video of the one running and driving.

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Posted By: Tim NH
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 6:56pm
I think your getting orange fever T-Mo. Don't fight it just buy it. lol
  Tim


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1950 WD 1959 D14 1955 WD45 1976 7000 B 207


Posted By: AC720Man
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 7:52pm
3 pt, 12v conversion, sounds good, wheels appear to be in good shape. Tires are decent, yeah its worth $900 from what I can see.

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1968 B-208, 1976 720 (2 of them)Danco brush hog, single bottom plow,52" snow thrower, belly mower,rear tine tiller, rear blade, front blade, 57"sickle bar,1983 917 hydro, 1968 7hp sno-bee, 1968 190XTD


Posted By: captaindana
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 8:22pm
For the $900 to me it’s a no brainer.   Get it home!

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Blue Skies and Tail Winds
                          Dana


Posted By: T-Mo
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 8:38pm
If I buy this one, I might as well get the parts tractor also and maybe bundle them together to get a better price.


Posted By: Hubert (Ga)engine7
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 8:55pm
Originally posted by T-Mo T-Mo wrote:

If I buy this one, I might as well get the parts tractor also and maybe bundle them together to get a better price.

Exactly!!!


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Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God.


Posted By: Dave(inMA)
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2020 at 10:24pm
I agree with the advice you're getting. Someone trustworthy needs to own it and fix those front wheels - they're YELLOW!

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WC, CA, D14, WD45


Posted By: T-Mo
Date Posted: 15 Sep 2020 at 4:54am
Thanks guys, for the information.

Question:  On the farmallcub forum site, they have an area of free downloads for manuals, brochures, literature, etc.?  Does anyone here have a link that would have that for the Allis equipment?

BTW, after talking to the dealer on the phone yesterday, I'm pretty sure I bought from that dealer a few years ago when I bought an used 2002 John Deere 717 zero turn, which I'm still using today.

One thing I'm good at, or two things, procrastination and indecision.....Smile


Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 15 Sep 2020 at 5:57am
T-Mo,
 Your going to fit in fine. Keep your expectations low as in buying any old piece of equipment. As mentioned, these are 70 years old. 
If your going to do a drive prior to a buy then here are some things to look for:
- Grab the hand clutch and move it left to right. do the same thing with the foot clutch and the brake pedals too. Excessive wear or slop means the tractor has a hard life and many hours of field work.
- oil leaks, if they bring it out to you try to see where they had it parked. They tend to have leaks in all the right places, and mark their territory.
- All my WD series have some gear whine in low gear. It sounds like its coming from the rear end but the experts say its from the straight cut transmission gears. Some is ok and normal.
- Electrical. Looks to have been changed to alternator. Check visual wiring conditions. Does it charge?
- General sheetmetal dents and dings are normal. rusted out areas, well they may need some work but sure wont stop the tractor from preforming.
- engine, smoking? Starts good. oil pressure will bee at best 15 PSI average cold 7-10, hot maybe 5. They are low pressure systems, thats about as good as it gets, but it does the job.
-Transmyssion, clutch, The hand clutch should have a good "SNAP" whe you push it out and require some force to pull it back into the engaged position. If weak and soggy it might need adjusted or repaired.
- Main foot clutch, Use this to shift gears.
You might like to have a different color tractor in the herd. and If they throw in the parts tractor all the better!
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: Pfouts Family Farm
Date Posted: 15 Sep 2020 at 10:05am
Possibly salvagable, if not a ton of good parts on the "parts tractor" for $250.... Thats a good deal if you ask me.  If you buy the running one, I would definitely try to bundle and get the parts tractor,  I think it would probably be salvagable.  If not I already see $250 worth of good parts on it that would make the running one original and complete and still have a ton of good parts left over for future use.


Posted By: T-Mo
Date Posted: 15 Sep 2020 at 2:08pm
I guess I procrastinated too long - the dealer just sent me an email stating he sold the WD today.  There be another one.  I really wasn't in the market just yet, but this one did tempt me.  I hope the new owner enjoys it and puts it to good use.



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