Farm Equipment - Form Numbers on manuals

Print Page | Close Window

Form Numbers on manuals

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=192712
Printed Date: 10 Sep 2025 at 3:21pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Form Numbers on manuals

Posted By: Nebraska Cowman
Subject: Form Numbers on manuals
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2023 at 8:05am

Greetings all.

Our library at the Thresher Show has been gifted a lot of manuals and I have been trying to catalog them. I have searched online with no success, but is there any way to date manuals by the form number?

Thanks for any help.

Replies:

Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2023 at 8:39am

some companies would 'embed' the year IN the form number...

IE: 123-6811, would be form 123, printed in 1968,november

real, old books had the date of printing on the 2nd page ( might be called 'issue' ? )

-------------
3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)

Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water

Posted By: Gary
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2023 at 7:53pm

I have probably a couple hundred Allis Manuals.

I have never seen a date printed in the Form Number.

As a certain piece of equipment gets modified or revised, that was registered with sequential letters of the alphabet. Eg. TM 9a, TM 9 9c, TM 9e.

The date is sometimes printed on the face of the front cover.

Another means of dating was by a Serial Number Reference
Eg. prior to Serial 1234, or after Serial 1234

HTH

Gary

Posted By: Mikez
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2023 at 10:37pm

Allis books the form numbers don’t have dates. Most parts books have date printed on cover somewhere

Posted By: KJCHRIS
Date Posted: 04 Jan 2023 at 6:30pm

I looked at my D15 & D17 Oper manuals, they have no dates, just form numbers and starting serial number.

170, s/n XXXX, Oper man'l from Auction, only says ONE-SEVENTY TRACTOR and has FORM TM-462 on bottom right corner, nothing about serial #.

Then went to Op Man for my 180, 185 and 200. They are the ones with a heavier orange cover;

A. 180, s/n 36xx man'l came with tractor, is from selling dealer and has serial numbers written in delivery sheet. There is no date on/in cover.

B. 185, s/n 1333x, I got with tractor, it has no tractor info written inside. But it does have on rear cover Part # 261781 and below this, April 1980.

C. 200, s/n 934x, man'l came used from my local AGCO dealer. It has on front cover has form # 257211 and ( 1/73 ). The service manual; AGCO reprint says revised as of August 1997.

I'm guessing sometime in late 60's early 70's they started putting the printing date on manuals. Can't check other parts and service man'l on others at this time.

-------------
AC 200, CAH, AC185D bareback, AC 180D bareback, D17 III, WF. D17 Blackbar grill, NF. D15 SFW. Case 1175 CAH, Bobcat 543B,