Bird of a Different Color
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=70271
Printed Date: 07 Sep 2025 at 1:58pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Bird of a Different Color
Posted By: Matt (WI)
Subject: Bird of a Different Color
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 11:13am
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Bird of a Different Color Now guys I know that its not an Allis but I thought it was worth sharing any way. This is My granddads old Fordson Power Major. I can always remember him having 5 or 6 Majors on his farm at one time and he just loved the old things. This old gal was the last working one of the bunch and I can still picture him at 91 years young and his pipe in mouth "clanking" around out for a little ride, he must have been reminiscing about the old days when he was still out in the fields. Since his death in 2001 it had sat with no attention given to it until one day in the fall 2012 I decided to bring it to my place and give it a proper home once again. With a new battery and a "tap" on the starting leaver that distinctive old diesel sound came back to life once again "clickty clack, clickty clack" I have plans of restoring it one day so it may be passed down to my boy. Thanks again for looking, old granddad would have loved to talk tractors with all you folks even though he liked "birds of a different color" |
Replies:
Posted By: tornado8070
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 11:30am
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Wow, that has some tall rubber on it. Nice looking for its age. ------------- 09’ DT205B, 08’ DT220A, 83' 8070 MFWD, 83’ 8070 85’ 8050 MFWD, 83' 8030, 82' 8010, 85’ 6080 MFWD, 84’ 6080, 79' 7020, 85' M3 RWD, 85' 920 diesel,AC C-50 forklift. |
Posted By: Steve in NJ
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 11:34am
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Wow! Talk about bigs n' littles! Now THAT is a cool Tractor Matt! Should be a pretty neat one to restore someday. Good idea, keep it in the family. Grandpappy would be happy...
mailto:Steve@B&B" rel="nofollow - Steve@B&B
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Posted By: FloydKS
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 11:37am
| Yes, keep the family memories going, even the birds of another color...good for you |
Posted By: Matt (WI)
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 11:45am
| Yes, they are "tall rubber" 13.6-38's Good for the row crop work here in Wisconsin. So Im told English are very fond of the 38's. Most of the Majors had the 30's. I don't know why the rims, fenders and fuel tank ended up being painted white over the years but someday it will be put back to right. -Matt |
Posted By: GlenninPA
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 11:50am
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Our Major has the 30's on it, it was our "Big" tractor for years, before Dad bought a Massey 175. They do have a distinctive sound! ------------- Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment. From listening comes wisdom and from speaking comes repentance. Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise. |
Posted By: GlenninPA
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 11:51am
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If you ever need parts, just look to the UK. They have just about EVERYTHING for those old girls. ------------- Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment. From listening comes wisdom and from speaking comes repentance. Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise. |
Posted By: Matt (WI)
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 12:03pm
| Thanks for the info, I have a lot of spare parts, when I say "a lot" it means "A LOT" ! LOL, boxes on top of boxes that old granddad stored away. He used to work on not only his but for other folks as well. One thing I can say about the Fordson Major is they are rough and tough and built like a brick you know what, that will work all day on very little fuel. |
Posted By: Embellem
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 12:48pm
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I always kind of liked those Fordsons. Nice pick up. |
Posted By: Stan IL&TN
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 1:10pm
That right there is a keeper! Nice view up on the hill.------------- 1957 WD45 dad's first AC 1968 one-seventy 1956 F40 Ferguson |
Posted By: JayIN
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 9:38pm
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Yes,that is very cool. I have never seen one in these parts in 58 years. Only at tractor shows! ------------- sometimes I walk out to my shop and look around and think "Who's the idiot that owns this place?" |
Posted By: Matt (WI)
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 10:47pm
This Is a photo of a one more of granddads tractors, a 1961 Fordson Super Major that my brother Edsel now owns. Ed started working on it a while back. This one runs super nice ! My Power Major as near as we can tell is a very late 1959 just before they switched over to the Supers. Left photo is the Super, right is the Power. Im looking forward to the day both these tractor are restored and re-united for a photo shoot. 
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Posted By: JohnCO
Date Posted: 15 May 2013 at 1:10am
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A good friend of mine, Stuart Anderson, had one he bought from his uncle's estate. His uncle had built a bit of a cab over the seat with a curved (side to side) top. I spent many an hour plowing with it and an IHC two bottom tumble plow. Not real fast, hard to turn around to get back in the furrow and semi loud but still a nice machine in it's own way. One of the most dependable starting diesels I've ever been around. Stu passed away a few years ago and the tractor has set in a shed ever since. Two years ago his cousin, the stepson of the original owner, borrowed it for his pumpkin patch display. The battery was dead but they pulled it 5 feet before it fired and ran. Another neighbor has one for sale with a good new paint job but needing a clutch and some other repairs. He started out at 9 or 10 thousand, last I saw it on Craigslist it was $2500. I probably should buy it if it isn't already sold. Then again it isn't related to Allis in anyway I can think of. Oh yeah, it does have orange wheels! ------------- "If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" Allis Express participant |
Posted By: Larry(OH)
Date Posted: 15 May 2013 at 5:26am
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wonder if those 6 lug rear wheels will bolt on a WC puller for 38's?? ------------- '40 WC puller, '65 770 Ollie *ALLIS EXPRESS contact* I can explain it to you, BUT I cannot understand it for you!! |
Posted By: B26240
Date Posted: 15 May 2013 at 6:49am
| Matt thanks for sharing, when I was young (in the 70's) I worked for a blacktopping outfit and they had one that looked like your brothers and they used it to pull a broom. I can remember in the fall when the weather got cold it was an easy starter. If I remember right there was a compression relieace lever and you would hold that over and get it cranking then move it to the run position and she would start right up. Also it was very easy on fuel. |
Posted By: Matt (WI)
Date Posted: 15 May 2013 at 9:05am
WOW ! $9000 for a Major ? I wonder if it had once been owned by the Queen of England ? LOL ! As far as the 6 bolt Majors wheels fitting a WC, My buddy had the same idea but after careful measuring he soon found out they would not work, I think even if they did you might have a difficult time finding a set of 38's for a Major, its my understanding that they are extremely sought after. As far as the starting goes, they are extremely good starters in the cold ! You can see the decompression leaver in the front of the valve cover. I have also included some photos of the injection pumps, the late Super uses a mechanical governor while the Power uses a vacuum. The throttle response time between the two is a night and day difference. 
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