Allis-Chalmers

Few farm brands left a mark as bright as Allis-Chalmers’ Persian Orange. From pioneering rubber tires in the 1930s to turbocharging row-crop tractors in the 1960s, A-C often zigged where others zagged—and changed the industry along the way. The company itself emerged in 1901 from a merger of Edward P. Allis & Co., Fraser & Chalmers, and others, building a huge works at West Allis, Wisconsin that lent the city its name.

Getting into tractors (1910s–1920s)

Allis-Chalmers’ first production tractor was the 10-18 (1914), followed by models like the 6-12 and 18-30 as the firm felt its way into a fast-evolving market. These early standards laid the groundwork for later row-crop designs that would define the brand.

Reinventing the wheel: rubber tires (1932–1934)

In 1932 A-C teamed with Firestone to put low-pressure pneumatic tires on tractors—famously pitting a rubber-tired Model U against a steel-lug twin in public demos to convert skeptical farmers. The idea stuck. By 1934, the Allis-Chalmers WC became the first tractor tested on rubber at the Nebraska Tractor Test and the first farm tractor to offer rubber as standard equipment, helping make the WC one of the company’s all-time best sellers

The “little A-Cs” for small farms (late 1930s–1950s)

A-C also saw an underserved market: farms under 100 acres. The answer was the Model B (1938–1957), a light, affordable row-crop tractor that sold in huge numbers and brought mechanization to places where horses still did most of the work.

Postwar innovation: WD, WD45 and the Snap-Coupler (1948–1950s)

After WWII, the WD (1948–1953) introduced a two-clutch setup that gave farmers “live” hydraulics and PTO using a hand clutch—great for baling or mowing. A-C’s Traction Booster draft-sensing system shifted implement weight to the rear wheels for better grip, a big selling point in the 1950s. The follow-up WD45 (1953–1957) added more power, factory power steering (1956) and, after A-C bought Buda Engine Company in 1953, a diesel option. A-C also launched its Snap-Coupler quick-hitch in the mid-1950s, a distinctive alternative to competitors’ hitch systems

The rear-engine oddball that farmers loved: Model G (1948–1955)

Not everything A-C built looked “normal.” The rear-engine Model G put mid-mounted tools in perfect view for vegetable growers and truck farms. Its layout made cultivating and specialty work precise and gentle on crops—an idea that’s kept the G popular with collectors and small-acreage growers (and even modern EV conversions)

The D-Series and a turbo first (1957–1960s)

The D-Series modernized the line with features like the Power Director hand clutch and diesel options. In 1961, A-C dropped a bombshell: the D19 diesel with a factory turbocharger, widely credited as the first production farm tractor to make turbo boost standard. Two years later the D21 arrived as Allis-Chalmers’ first 100-plus-horsepower row-crop tractor—an icon of the high-horsepower era.

The One-Ninety era and the 1970s horsepower race

In 1964, the 190 and 190XT pushed A-C into the thick of the 100-horsepower row-crop battle (the XT added a turbo). They were direct competitors for machines like the John Deere 4020 and set the stage for the 1970s’ bigger platforms.
The 7000-series followed mid-1970s with new cabs and drivetrains, and the early-1980s 8000-series (8010–8070) brought a refined cab and strong row-crop performers into a brutal farm economy.

Orange to green to… AGCO (1985–1990s)

The 1980s farm crisis hit everybody hard. In 1985, Allis-Chalmers sold its farm equipment business to Germany’s KHD/Deutz, creating Deutz-Allis; the last West Allis-built tractor (a 6070) rolled off the line that year. In 1990, a management buyout formed AGCO (Allis-Gleaner Corporation), which kept the heritage alive through AGCO-Allis orange tractors in North America before consolidating under the AGCO name.

What Allis-Chalmers left behind

Three ideas define A-C’s legacy on the farm:

  • Pneumatic tires on tractors: After A-C and Firestone proved the concept, rubber quickly became the standard, improving speed, fuel economy, and operator comfort across the industry.

  • Affordable mechanization: Models like the B put a capable tractor within reach of small farms and orchards, accelerating the shift away from horses.

  • Bold engineering bets: From the Traction Booster and Snap-Coupler to the turbocharged D19 and the rear-engine Model G, A-C often took a different path—and competitors often followed

Even though the Allis-Chalmers name left the tractor hood decades ago, the ideas it championed—smarter hitching, better traction, higher power in lighter packages—are baked into modern machines that still trace their lineage through AGCO’s family tree.