Allis Chalmers Tractors

Anyone growing up on a farm in the last hundred years is familiar with Allis Chalmers tractors and Allis Chalmers harvesters. Painted their distinctive orange color they were out plowing and harvesting the fields of countless American farms. There are still thousands of these Allis Chalmers tractors still around, some doing the work they were designed to do and some in antique Allis Chalmers collections. The gasoline powered tractor was the most popular form of farm tractor which was used almost exclusively in the twentieth century.

The history of the American company Allis Chalmers started in the 1800s. However the Allis Chalmers company did not start manufacturing farm equipment until 1914 when they came out with a line of tractors that grew into a long line of tractors and harvesters that stretched into 1985 when, due to economic conditions, Allis Chalmers was sold to a German company K-H-Deutz AG. Through a series of sales and name changes the company became simply AGCO which is still a huge viable American company. This is very important to know because AGCO supplies all the parts needed for used Allis Chalmers tractors and all the parts needed to restore and refurbish Allis Chalmers tractors. Incidentally the Allis Chalmers name and logo lives on in an oil and gas energy drilling company based out of Texas.

Modern tractors now have enclosed cabs, heaters and air conditioners to shield them from the elements. New tractors have enough lights they can turn night into day and farm 24 hours a day, which can be important when crops need harvesting. The old farmers would probably have benefited from that innovation as they were always out in the elements with the open seating arrangements. For some reason the tractor industry was slow to adopt this innovation along with the roll bars and lights and remained a basic implement into the last part of the twentieth century.

There are collector and nostalgia groups now for all antique Allis Chalmers tractors. The service manuals are readily available for antique Allis Chalmers tractors and used Allis Chalmers tractors. The repair and replacement parts are also readily available from the aforementioned AGCO which supports the whole line of the Allis Chalmers tractors secondary market. Because of the Allis Chalmers clubs and the sheer numbers of Allis Chalmers tractors made, the Allis Chalmers tractors are sure to show up in antique tractor shows and fairs for many years to come.