Just bought a B
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=53114
Printed Date: 12 Sep 2025 at 1:57pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Just bought a B
Posted By: David G.
Subject: Just bought a B
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 5:45pm
| Just bought a bought a 1946 B. I got a couple of questions about it for you guys. First of all while it was sitting by the roadside for sale someone stole the battery out of it and cut the battery cables off. I was a little sceptical about hooking juice up to it because I didn't know if it was a positive or negative ground. It has been converted to 12 volt but still uses a generator. Is there a way to check for which type of ground it is without taking the generator off for a rebuild shop to check it out for me? Also it has hand brakes. Can that be updated to foot brakes without a whole lot of trouble. Once I get the tractor home I will post some pics. It's a decent looking tractor with very good tires all around. I gave $400 for it I don't think I got hurt too bad. |
Replies:
Posted By: FloydKS
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 5:49pm
|
Welcome to the world of orange...on second thought you do not say if this is your first orange...I am sure there will be others jump in here to help. I do not have a B and do not remember the answers to your quesions ,,even though I probably have seen them here. welcome again
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Posted By: David G.
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 5:56pm
| It's not my first A-C. I've got 4 of them now, but it is the first B I've owned. |
Posted By: GregLawlerMinn
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 6:02pm
|
Look at how the coil is hooked up to the distributor. If the neg term on the coil goes to the dist, you have a neg grd system; if it is the pos term to the distributor, you have a pos grd system. ------------- What this country needs is more unemployed politicians-and lawyers. Currently have: 1 D14 and a D15S2. With new owners: 2Bs,9CAs,1WD,2 D12s,5D14s,3D15S2s, 2D17SIVs,D17D,1D19D;1 Unstyled WC |
Posted By: allischalmerguy
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 6:23pm
|
Greg Lawler, that was a great answer! I never would of thought of that! David, you did GREAT on finding a B for that price! ------------- It is great being a disciple of Jesus! 1950 WD, 1957 D17...retired in Iowa, |
Posted By: David G.
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 6:28pm
| I wish I could have heard it run before I pulled the trigger on it. But not being able to hear it and drive it was factored in on the price I offered the guy for it. My daddy taught me a thing or 2 about jewing around on things. |
Posted By: JCSinPITTS,PA
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 6:59pm
| is that wire to dist remark really true?????? that would be a good thing to remember! |
Posted By: Bill Long
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 7:11pm
|
David, Thanks sooo much for saving another of my favorites. It always does my heart good to hear of another B saved. With my father we sold the B tractor for the lifetime of the unit. You will find it to be a very dependable, powerful, and simple tractor. Very easy to work on. Not up with the units of today with live PTO and Hyds but remember in it's day it was LIGHT YEARS ahead of the others. We sold enough of them. Listen closely to what Greg says. If you were converted to a 12 volt system that changes everything and Greg has the answer. You did not overpay for it. They usually go a lot more than $ 400. If you have pictures we would LOVE to see them. Again, thank you for taking such good care of my favorite. Good Luck! Bill Long |
Posted By: MilesGray (CO/KS)
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 7:12pm
|
it never ceases to amaze me the things I learn by reading the posts on this site! Thank you Greg!!! ------------- Miles Gray (CO/KS) 5 1938 B's, 1940 B, 1944 WF C, 1948 NF C, Gleaner A, White Top Rotobaler, 1957 IH Golden Jubilee... I'm either a collector, or crazy! |
Posted By: mtanut
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 7:15pm
Yes providing you have a battery ignition and not a magneto. ------------- I have a 185 Allis, 6060 Allis, Model K gleaner, SMTA ferg 35, ferg 20 (paps first tractor, Allis B (wife's)John Deere 240 skid loader and a bunch of the usual farm stuff. |
JCSinPITTS,PA wrote:Posted By: Alberta Phil
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 8:06pm
| He said it has hand brakes so I'm betting it's got a magneto rather than a distributor. |
Posted By: David G.
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 8:17pm
No, it is a distributor and not a magneto. I'm not sure if it was originally a distributor type ignition or not but that's what's in there now. |
Posted By: Hubert (Ga)engine7
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 8:30pm
|
Congratulations! Did you hold a gun on the guy so he would sell it for $400? LOL. A foot brake conversion should be feasible if you can find the parts. I believe the seat frame was different on the hand brake models. I would have thought a 1946 would have had foot brakes.
------------- Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God. |
Posted By: AJ
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 8:42pm
|
I'm pretty sure converting to foot brakes will be somewhat easy. ------------- Can't fix stupid |
Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 8:44pm
Only if it was hooked up right to begin with. An engine will run fine with the coil wired backwards. ANY TIME you have an open electrical system with a generator, FLASH the genny before starting the engine. It doesn't matter if you have pos ground or neg ground as long as you flash the genny first. If you don't flash the genny, you can let the smoke out of something that will cost $$'s to fix and it only takes a second to polarize things right first so you don't have to spend$ fixing it later. ------------- 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: Chalmersbob
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2012 at 10:00pm
| A generator system is usually positive ground, but it will charge with either polarity as long as you polarize it to the system. If your B has hand brakes it would be an earlier B, before 41. Foot brakes started in mid 41. Bob |
Posted By: David G.
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 12:30am
| I havent checked the serial# yet myself. The guy I bought it from said he was told it was a 46 model. However on the flip side of all of this, the guy didn't even know it was a B and knows nothing at all about tractors. He bought it to help clean up around his lake house pulling tree limbs and stumps he said. It very well could be an older tractor. My plans for it is too put my L59 mower on it and sell my super A that currently mow with. I think the B will make a far better mowing tractor than a super A because it isn't an offset tractor. |
Posted By: ACJohn
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 10:14am
| The only hang up on converting to foot brakes would be that there are loops...(7/8" ID?) welded to the seat/fender supports that the brake assembly pivots on. They could be easily fabricated. uploads/585/14-11-06_0732.jpg" rel="nofollow - uploads/585/14-11-06_0732.jpg |
Posted By: Goose
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 11:11am
| I thought generators only charged 6 volt systems. Can an original generator charge a 12 volt battery? |
Posted By: Goose
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 11:12am
| I thought generators only charged 6 volt systems. Can an original generator charge a 12 volt battery? |
Posted By: Ted in NE-OH
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 11:12am
|
There are 12 volt generators.
------------- CA, WD, C, 3 Bs, 2 Gs, WC, I-400, 914 |
Posted By: didgood
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 3:26pm
|
Just did a brake conversion this past winter. Besides the pedals and linkage to the brake bands, you need the foot brake style fender brackets. These could be fabricated fairly easily as ACJohn mentioned above. The seat pan sits higher as well, so that you don't have to do crunches every time you want to push the brakes. The worst part of the entire process was getting the pins out that hold the hand brake levers in place. I couldn't get one of them out so I sawed it off and used a bolt to press out the pieces stuck in the casting. Knew I was in for it when the first one pushed out with my pinky.....
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Posted By: B26240
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 6:25pm
| If the polarity is wrong the ammeter will read backwards. Greg is right about the coil primary wiring. |
Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 6:33pm
So you would start the engine and risk burning something up, rather than flash the gennny. Who's to say the ammeter is hooked up right? He just boought the tractor and it has no battery or cables. ------------- 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: B26240
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 6:57pm
| C.T. Are you sure it will smoke the generator? ( if hooked up backwards) I know it will definitely fry an alternator. |
Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2012 at 7:08pm
|
I don't know where the smoke might come from, just that ANYTIME the charging system has been opened for any amount of time, it is prudent to flash the genny. And an absolute MUST if you have no idea how it may have been hooked up B4.
------------- 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 |