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Big Al

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=44879
Printed Date: 11 Sep 2025 at 7:26pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Big Al

Posted By: redline
Subject: Big Al
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 10:18am

The folks over on the construction section have a discussion going about the Big Al truck engines, and a link to a video clip. I know I don't regularly check up on the construction section, although it is interesting, so thought there might be other "gearheads" like myself that might possibly miss this. This is a link to the video:

http://www.speedtv.com/video/tv-shows/american-trucker-robb-goes-vintage-1067919724001/16/" rel="nofollow - http://www.speedtv.com/video/tv-shows/american-trucker-robb-goes-vintage-1067919724001/16/

There isn't a tremendous amount of information, but the speaker acts like he has actually heard of Allis Chalmers before.

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If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done!

Replies:

Posted By: Calvin Schmidt
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 10:45am

Cool !! I wanted to go to the show last year but other things got in the way. Next time.

Love old trucks. I wish they would show smart guy shifting the twin sticks. Good old 16 speed Spicers double crash boxs.

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Nothing is impossible if it is properly financed

Posted By: redline
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 11:16am

There are some super nice trucks shown. I appreciate the work it takes to restore one of those babies. Just keeping my grain hauling semi up to snuff is enough challenge for me. I haven't witnessed any of the two stick trannies being used, but it looks rather complicated.

There is a big truck show at Walcott, IA every year that I keep threatening to attend. So far it hasn't happened, but one of these days I am going to see it.

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If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done!

Posted By: DonDittmar
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 11:34am

Dad drove an Oshkosh plow truck for the county.....200 Cummins, 5spd spicer main box with a 4 spd aux box.........he was busy with the twin sticks and the plow/blade controls

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Experience is a fancy name for past mistakes. "Great moments are born from great opportunity"

1968 D15D,1962 D19D
Also 1965 Cub Loboy and 1958 JD 720 Diesel Pony Start

Posted By: TimNearFortWorth
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 5:18pm

Don mentioning the plow reminds me of our township plows as a kid in NY. When they would open our road in the Mohawk Valley, they would turn around in front of our barnyard and were nice enough to open it up so we did not have to clear it for the bulk truck.

Standard procedure was to park the big Oshkosh or Frick FWD and have a cup of "coffee" with my dad by the wood stove to warm up. Us kids would get brave and look in the cab windows while the old gal sat idling and the controls were truly amazing. Driver also ran the left wings (sometimes doubles) and the main vee blade height and some were set up so the wing man operated the main vee along with the right wings. Plenty of hydraulic controls to keep em busy and it was an art to not take down fences or hit power/telephone poles while pushing massive amounts of snow. We still have video of these plows opening solid blown over roads with 6-8' of snow; one pass and done.

We would then take the snowmobiles and ride the wing ledges they left as a square shelf.

What a PITA to open a field with shovels after a deep snowfall, after they plowed the road and it would take us kids hours to cut a notch so we could get the tractor/spreader in the field.

Don't remember what engines thay ran but do remember how they would "beller" out of that 8-10" exhaust stack; you could here em coming from over a mile when we had deep snow.

Posted By: smokey
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 6:11pm

That would of felt good to let the clutch out on, and smash the gas on, I remember driving the GMC. ASTRO with the V12 detroit and I remember the power it had with a set of doubles behind it! thought I had the world by the tail back then, I was talking to the guy a drove for then just the other day and we was talking about the V12 Back then, I will have to ask him if he ever was behind the Big AL.

Great Video of some Great trucks

Thanks.

Posted By: tomdavison
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2012 at 2:43pm

I drive tanker truck for about 6 years. Most of the time I wass driving 2 stici Macks. When I started, I thought that I would never get the hang of it. After awhile, the 2 sticks are second nature and not difficult to drive. In may situations, they are better than other transmissions.