With our Michigan winter on the way, I took some time before the Lions' football game yesterday to get the 6-foot plow on the Allis Chalmers IB. The plow is original AC and very heavy making it very useful in deep snow. It has three forward speeds plus reverse. It had no rear fenders when I bought it but luckily, I found a beat-up pair after a long search. I also replaced the hood, which was remanufactured by a gentleman in Indiana, Roger McCall. The previous owner hacked a large opening in the hood to accommodate a muffler above the hood, so I ended that.
In this photo the tire chains were off the turf tires but I keep them on unless I'm going to a show. A bit of a struggle by myself to get the plow on, but use of a bottle jack did the trick. Converted to 12-volt with a GM one-wire alternator and electronic ignition, it starts anytime a fast as turning on a light and that's no exaggeration. According to serial number references, it's a 1956 model and could be the latest model on record. Records show this model to have ended in 1953 but back then hardware stores could still assemble some beyond that.
As an industrial tractor, the muffler is neatly hidden beneath the hood. Basically, an AC model B with a shortened torque tube and final drives turned 90 degrees with a straight front axle to get it lowered. In the off season, I use it to pull and it's quite good at that. I installed a custom hitch in the rear (it had none) so I can pull a trailer. It was designed to be a tug at airports and to operate various implements for municipal use. I believe it to have original rear tires based on the tread pattern. The 2017 restoration was thorough and included adding a hard steel hydraulic line for the plow, thus eliminating an unsightly hose running across the rear fender. The lift system has been redesigned and is much better than the crude original one. It also has rear wheel weights and NO loaded tires.
It was orange when I purchased it in 1997, but since Allis Chalmers offered it in yellow, what the heck. Let it snow; I can't wait.
In this photo the tire chains were off the turf tires but I keep them on unless I'm going to a show. A bit of a struggle by myself to get the plow on, but use of a bottle jack did the trick. Converted to 12-volt with a GM one-wire alternator and electronic ignition, it starts anytime a fast as turning on a light and that's no exaggeration. According to serial number references, it's a 1956 model and could be the latest model on record. Records show this model to have ended in 1953 but back then hardware stores could still assemble some beyond that.
As an industrial tractor, the muffler is neatly hidden beneath the hood. Basically, an AC model B with a shortened torque tube and final drives turned 90 degrees with a straight front axle to get it lowered. In the off season, I use it to pull and it's quite good at that. I installed a custom hitch in the rear (it had none) so I can pull a trailer. It was designed to be a tug at airports and to operate various implements for municipal use. I believe it to have original rear tires based on the tread pattern. The 2017 restoration was thorough and included adding a hard steel hydraulic line for the plow, thus eliminating an unsightly hose running across the rear fender. The lift system has been redesigned and is much better than the crude original one. It also has rear wheel weights and NO loaded tires.
It was orange when I purchased it in 1997, but since Allis Chalmers offered it in yellow, what the heck. Let it snow; I can't wait.
