Allis-Chalmers Model B
{{Short description|Utility tractor}}
{{Infobox tractor
|name = Allis-Chalmers Model B
|image = Allis Chalmers GDO 569-at Driffield-P8100559.JPG
|caption = An Allis-Chalmers Model B at a UK steam show
|manufacturer = Allis-Chalmers
|production = 1952-1958
|length = {{convert|110.25|in|cm|abbr=on}}
|width =
|height ={{convert|76.75|in|cm|abbr=on}}
|weight = {{convert|4173|lb|kg}} (ballasted)
|propulsion = Rear wheels
| engine_model = Allis-Chalmers CE and BE (main production)
| gross_power = {{convert|17|hp|kW}}
| flywheel_power =
| drawbar_pull = {{convert|1473|lb|kg}}
| drawbar_power = {{convert|12.97|hp|kW}}
| speed =
| PTO_power = {{convert|22.5|hp|kW}} (belt)
|type = Row-crop agricultural tractor
|preceded =
|succeeded = Allis-Chalmers Model D10
| NTTL = 302
}}
File:Allis Chalmers B 1941 - Flickr - mick - Lumix.jpg
File:Allis-Chalmers Model B with a buzz saw.JPG-style buzz saw.]]
File:Allis-Chalmers Allis-Chalmers Model B tractor next to a Fordson.jpg behind it.]]
File:Allis Chalmers - Flickr - mick - Lumix.jpg
The Allis-Chalmers model B was a small agricultural tractor produced by the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing company from 1937 to 1957. With over 125,000 units produced, the model B became one of the best selling and longest-produced tractors for Allis-Chalmers. The B came in several different variations including the Asparagus B, Potato Special, and the IB industrial tractor, and gave rise to the larger Allis-Chalmers Model C. The Model B was styled by Brooks Stevens, an industrial designer and graphic designer.
Description and production
In the early 1930s, Allis-Chalmers tractor division manager Harry Merritt's study of farm census figures showed that-they have a lot of potential in the field and even in the yard, of the nearly seven million farms in America, some four million were of {{convert|100|acre|km2}} or less. Furthermore, the million or so tractors used on American farms were generally unsuitably large for such acreage. Although the Fordson tractor and then the first-generation row-crop tractors, including the Farmall, Allis-Chalmers's own Model WC, and others, had been gaining significant market penetration and making mechanised agriculture ever more popular, Merritt concluded that there was a need for four million small, inexpensive tractors to fill the needs of the small farmers still using horses.{{cite book |last1=Swinford |first1=Norm |title=A Guide to Allis-Chalmers Farm Tractors |date=1996 |publisher=American Society of Agricultural Engineers |isbn=0-929355-78-4 |pages=14–15}}{{cite web |title=Allis Chalmers B |url=https://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/000/0/0/3-allis-chalmers-b.html |website=TractorData |access-date=26 March 2022}}{{cite book |last1=Swinford |first1=Norm |title=The Proud Heritage of AGCO Tractors |date=1999 |publisher=American Society of Agricultural Engineers |isbn=1-892769-08-5 |pages=26–27}}{{cite book |last1=Pripps |first1=Robert N. |title=The Field Guide to Classic Farm Tractors |date=2020 |publisher=Motor Books |isbn=978-0-7603-6844-2|pages= 18–19}}
In common with other tractors of the time, the Model B received a styled body, designed by industrial designer Brooks Stevens.
The Model B was initially powered by a Waukesha {{convert|113|cuin|cc|adj=on}} four-cylinder engine, then from 1938 by an Allis-Chalmers {{convert|116.1|cuin|cc|adj=on}} engine. This was increased to {{convert|125.2|cuin|cc}} in 1943, all with three-speed transmissions. The Model B was adapted for a variety of specialty crops, with variants including a high-clearance Asparagus Special and a narrow-track Potato Special. As a row-crop tractor the rear and wide front axles were adjustable. A standard tractor version, the IB, with fixed axles, was produced as an industrial tractor, often used as a mower.{{cite web |title=Allis Chalmers IB |url=https://www.tractordata.com/industrial-tractors/000/1/5/156-allis-chalmers-ib.htmll |website=TractorData |access-date=26 March 2022}}
A total of 120,783 Model Bs were built at Allis-Chalmers factories in West Allis, Wisconsin and in Southampton, England. Selling price in 1958 was about $1,500.
Model RC
The Model RC was adapted from the Allis-Chalmers Model WC as a two-plow row-crop tractor using Model B components. It was an expensive stopgap, and in 1939 the more powerful Allis-Chalmers Model C was introduced, based on the Model B, as a more efficient upgrade.Swinford 1999, p. 27
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
- The Allis Chalmers Story. C.H Wendel {{ISBN|978-0-87349-927-9}}
- Antique Power Magazine July/August 1996
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20071031045029/http://www.antiquefarming.com/allis-chalmers-B.html Allis Chalmers Model B], Antiquefarming.com
{{Allis-Chalmers}}
{{commons category|Allis-Chalmers B}}