A-C Land Speed Record Tractor
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=53875
Printed Date: 06 May 2024 at 4:00pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: A-C Land Speed Record Tractor
Posted By: Kip-Utah
Subject: A-C Land Speed Record Tractor
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2012 at 11:02pm
I just watched a great documentary on Ab Jenkins and the many land speed records that he set on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats...Including vintage footage of him going nearly 70 miles per hour on an Allis-Chalmers U in 1934. This movie is called; BOYS OF BONNEVILLE: RACING ON A RIBBON OF SALT. It's a great movie even if it didn't include the tractor racing action! The movie DVD is available at http://www.boysofbonneville.com" rel="nofollow - www.boysofbonneville.com for $19.99. Kip ------------- HANSEN'S OLD ORANGE IRON. Showing, Pulling, & Going!! |
Replies:
Posted By: nsula_country
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 12:22am
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70 mph on a new, much less vintage tractor is wild! My Farmall 504 with 2 size larger (14.9x38) tires will exceed 30 mph. THAT is a wild ride... I can only imagine +70 mph!!! Thanks! CT ------------- 2014 LS P7010C, 1962 Farmall 504 Diesel (1st tractor) w/ 2008 Koyker 220 FEL, 1968 Allis Chalmers 180 Diesel, Komatsu PC38UU-2 Excavator, Various attachments for all! |
Posted By: tractorman
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 8:03am
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if that ab jenkins movie is out there someone must have it to put on here, and how about Barney Oldfield and his racing records and fair grounds racing? i had seen a tvcommercial featuring the tractors racingbut have no idea where it is. ------------- Play on 38 B 49 WF , working on D14, D15 B10, Bee 12 B110. use 185 and 190 |
Posted By: DaveKamp
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 10:39am
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The part that amazes me... is that one of the intentions was to demonstrate pneumatic tires on tractors... The centrifugal forces which occur on tractor tires (large diameter, not light!) spinning at that speed are incredible. A 50" diameter tire (157" circumference) requires about 400 revolutions to cover one mile. At 60mph, that's 400rpm... |
Posted By: KGood
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 10:50am
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Surely they used the leafspring front end option on the U's for racing. Still going around a circle at 70MPH on a 5000lb tractor would have been exciting. |
Posted By: Dave Richards (WV)
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 11:08am
 I'll bet he wore a cup!!
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Posted By: R.W
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 11:09am
And I thought going 20mph on a Farmall was fast! 
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Posted By: mdtractormechanic
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 11:14am
Here's an old photo of the record breaking event.
 ------------- Joe's 1939 Model WC, 1940 Model RC, 1944 & 1950 Model C's, B-125 PU |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 11:52am
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The first tractor tires were aircraft tires. Where they had to survive 50 to 80 mph landing and take off speeds. Gerald J. |
Posted By: Terry GA
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 12:11pm
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Well maybe he could cultivate at 40mph...lol ------------- I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder. |
Posted By: Kip-Utah
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 12:44pm
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I became aqainted with Ab's son Marvin while he was finishing the restoration of his Dad's Mormon Meteor III race car that set many land speed records on the salt flats. He was present when Ab raced the U on the salt. After the run Ab commented that it was like sitting on top of a charging buffalo! Ab was also often one of the celebrity drivers along with Barney Oldfield and others that raced Model U tractors on dirt tracks all over the mid-west. According to Marvin, Oldfield's contract with A-C & Firestone required him to win every time. Once on a fair grounds track somewhere in Iowa, Ab beat Barney in a three lap race and was required to forfeit his appearance money. He was also sternly warned to never let it happen again! ------------- HANSEN'S OLD ORANGE IRON. Showing, Pulling, & Going!! |
Posted By: BrettPhillips
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 9:58pm
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If he did, it was only to protect the seat from the Brass!! |
Dave Richards (WV) wrote:Posted By: tractorman
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2012 at 10:21pm
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i DON'T SEE NO SPRINGS ON THE FRONT AXLE! WHO ELSE HAS PICS, I SOLD THE ONES I HAD FROM ALLIS IN MY AUCTION LAST FALL. ------------- Play on 38 B 49 WF , working on D14, D15 B10, Bee 12 B110. use 185 and 190 |
Posted By: Spiege
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 9:11pm
| By chance would Marvin still be alive? If so, would it be possible to contact him? I have one of the racing U's. It is to be displayed at a museum where the Firestone homested was at, in Columbiana, OH. |
Posted By: oldways
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 10:03pm
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I agree with Brettphillips ------------- 1 Corinthians 1:18 1969-190xt-III. 1966 190xt gas. 1966 190xt Cab. 1948-G. 1937-WC unstyled. 1950-B. 1951-CA. 1966-D17-IV |
Posted By: Mikez
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 10:47pm
| That's neat |
Posted By: wildcat2
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2017 at 7:59am
| It looks to me like the rear tires have tread similar to what is used today on puller tractors. Wonder if that would help in keep in going in a straight line. |