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| 1950 Allis-Chalmers Model G |
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| Spartan saddle arrangements |
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| 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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We had one. Had a pto we used to run the sawmill. Big belly mower. The VW of allis chalmers.
ReplyDeleteThat's Exhibit A on how we beat two races of Supermen a mere five years previously.
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Cato the Elder would nod approvingly.
Talk about No Frills...
ReplyDeleteIt 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!
ReplyDeleteCool. 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.
ReplyDeleteThere 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
intended for use on small farms and market gardens
ReplyDeleteIf XXX Corps had been equipped with some of these, they might have relieved 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem....
Also, it's always fun to see stuff with a crank start keyhole on it.
ReplyDelete" the tail-heavy design of the original tractor power train, which requires a visible nose counterweight."
ReplyDelete4 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!
Father-in-law had one. It was perfect for cultivating as visibility was unimpeded.
ReplyDeleteOh boy. If you click on the Model G listing in Popular Science '48, be prepared for an interesting time sink!
ReplyDeleteDammit, now I want one. And a few acres to use it on.
ReplyDeleteThey 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.
ReplyDeleteThe 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.
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.
ReplyDeleteLook 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..."
Will, regarding your question of '4cylinder for 10hp, Why?.
ReplyDeleteBack 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
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.
ReplyDeleteGrandfather had a Model G's for his garden. The engine cowling likely disappeared when my mother was a child.
ReplyDelete