Saturday, August 02, 2014

Allis-Chalmers Model G

1950 Allis-Chalmers Model G

Spartan saddle arrangements

Rear engine compartment

This was a new one on me. Near the back of the tractor array was this elfin little Allis-Chalmers G, a rear-engine, low-budget tractor intended for use on small farms and market gardens. I had never seen one before.
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16 comments:

og said...

We had one. Had a pto we used to run the sawmill. Big belly mower. The VW of allis chalmers.

Borepatch said...

That's Exhibit A on how we beat two races of Supermen a mere five years previously.

Awesome. Cato the Elder would nod approvingly.

greg said...

Talk about No Frills...

Wolfman said...

It almost looks like a takedown model- give it a quarter turn at the point where the front subframe attaches and the two halves will separate for easy, compact storage!

Anonymous said...

Cool. They gave it an aircraft style control yoke for a steering wheel and the rear mounted engine allows the heated air from the rad to be blown away from the operator. Best of all, no gearshift lever in the center waiting to squash the family jewels of little boys who are learning to drive it.

There was a variety of interesting little tractors for market farmers back then. I had a Gravely L model walk-behind tractor years ago.

Al_in_Ottawa

AuricTech said...

intended for use on small farms and market gardens

If XXX Corps had been equipped with some of these, they might have relieved 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem....

Wolfman said...

Also, it's always fun to see stuff with a crank start keyhole on it.

Will said...

" the tail-heavy design of the original tractor power train, which requires a visible nose counterweight."

4 cylinder for 10 hp! WHY?
My father was collecting a small tractor model about the same size, maybe a bit smaller, with a single cyl, rated at 12hp. It even had an optional front end loader, that worked well. Wish I could remember the name, sigh...

Tam, this post comes up only 5 listings below wiki, for a goog search for the G model!

Anonymous said...

Father-in-law had one. It was perfect for cultivating as visibility was unimpeded.

Will said...

Oh boy. If you click on the Model G listing in Popular Science '48, be prepared for an interesting time sink!

Kristophr said...

Dammit, now I want one. And a few acres to use it on.

Anonymous said...

They were made in Alabama and were initially intended for tobacco and truck farms. I'm guessing you didn't have much tobacco production up in Hoosier country.

The G had a series of attachments that mounted on the tractor just ahead of the seat. The operator was sitting over the top of the tillage or cultivation implement, and you couldn't go far wrong in steering the little G down a row of tobacco or vegetables, unlike machines where the implement is behind you, because you could see exactly where the implement was going without having to twist around and look behind you.

One of the attachments you could get for a G was a "tobacco setter," which would allow you to set tobacco plants in a nice, straight row and apply chemicals with the set as you went.

Many people today don't remember how much money a farmer used to be able to make on 40 to 80 acres of tobacco. 40 acres of tobacco used to provide a better living for lots of farmers than, oh, 2,000 to 3,000 acres of wheat or other small grains.

Anonymous said...

Will: 4 cylinders would produce a nice, even power to the drivetrain without requiring a huge flywheel. It helped keep the overall weight of the machine down.

Look at the JD "Johnny Popppers" for an example of how they used to do much more HP with only two jugs: there was a massive (hundred*s* of pounds) of cast iron flywheel on those beasts to carry the uneven power through the two exhaust strokes. The "Poppers" got their nickname due to the uneven sound they made:

"Pop, pop, chuff, chuff, pop, pop, chuff, chuff..."

Anonymous said...

Will, regarding your question of '4cylinder for 10hp, Why?.

Back then only huge concerns like General Motors had dynamometers to measure torque and rpm. Even aircraft engines were rated by using the PLANK formula, which originally was used to rate steam engines. Pressure, Length of stroke, Area of the piston, Number of power strokes/min, K = number (knumber?) of cylinders. I've always thought the PLANK rating was a bit on the low side as a nominal 450hp radial engine isn't all that off a measured 550hp turbine, especially in cold air.

Al_in_Ottawa

Rob K said...

Cooley farms east of Lafayette has one that I think they're still using. The one I saw at the Clinton county fair this year had 2 more seats hung in the implement area, so riders could plant sets.

Anonymous said...

Grandfather had a Model G's for his garden. The engine cowling likely disappeared when my mother was a child.