In 2006, my dad, brother and I decided to take up a new hobby. Dad thought that getting some old tractors and machinery might be fun, and we could use them to make some small food plots near our woods. He bought a 1962 Allis-Chalmers D-17 Series II and, although we never really intended to, we started to… Continue reading D-19 Restoration
Tag: Machinery
History of the Blatz Brewing Company
The Blatz Brewing Co. history can be traced back to 1846 in the young city of Milwaukee. The brewery grew as one of the big 4 of Milwaukee and made significant contributions to the city's beer industry. Unfortunately, pressures of the changing times and competition shut down the brewery and led to consolidation with other big breweries.… Continue reading History of the Blatz Brewing Company
Allis-Chalmers Acquisitions & Growth
Here is a list of the factories and firms across the world that made up Allis-Chalmers and the vast amount products they made. This can be found in Norm Swinford's book Allis-Chalmers Construction Machinery & Industrial Equipment. I think there might be a couple more that should be added, but these are the ones that… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Acquisitions & Growth
The IV Series of the Allis-Chalmers D-17
A common question/problem people have with the Allis-Chalmers D-17 is identifying the differences between the 4 production series that were made. There are certain cosmetic and operational features that switched between each production. While cosmetic details can betray the untrained eye, the mechanical features don't lie. Let's take a look at the differences so that… Continue reading The IV Series of the Allis-Chalmers D-17
#4 Pittsburgh Works
The Pittsburgh Company was founded in 1897 by Frederick C. Sutter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1910, the Pittsburgh Transformer Company was officially incorporated and boomed during World War 1. In 1927, the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company acquired the firm for $4.5 million and began investing money into renovations and additional buildings. In 1928, the firm was officially part of… Continue reading #4 Pittsburgh Works
Allis-Chalmers Trademarks Through the Years
While reading through Norm Swinford's book, Allis-Chalmers Construction Machinery & Industrial Equipment, I came across a small blurb about the history of the Allis-Chalmers trademarks. There are several variations of the trademark or logo that the company used, and this little excerpt on page sixteen touched on them. The article must have been written by Allis-Chalmers unless… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Trademarks Through the Years
Allis-Chalmers Tractor Plant
Ever wonder what the Allis-Chalmers tractor assembly line looked like? Bet you wish you could have taken a tour of it when the plant was humming with activity and churning out the beautiful Persian Orange tractors they were known for. Let's take a tour back in time.. We will begin our tour with a… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Tractor Plant
#3 Terre Haute Works
The Terre Haute Works in Terre Haute, Indiana was constructed to build the compressor components for jet engines. Curtis-Wright had contracted the firm to build the components for their J-65 turbojet engines. Allis-Chalmers announced on April 28, 1951 that they would erect a $25,000,000 facility in Terra Haute. In August 1951 construction got underway to… Continue reading #3 Terre Haute Works
#2 Boston Works
The second Allis-Chalmers complex to be examined is the Boston Works in Boston, Massachusetts. This was one of the many other factories part of the Allis-Chalmers firm. In 1931, Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co. acquired the American Brown Boveri Electric Corporation and the Condit Electric Mfg. Co., together both specialized in turbines, steam engines, generators, switch gears and transformers. Allis-Chalmers… Continue reading #2 Boston Works
Allis-Chalmers Factory Complexes
I live and breathe Allis-Chalmers history. The story of the industrial giant, which was once headquartered in Milwaukee, has attracted many other followers and enthusiasts like myself. The story of the company’s achievements and innovation is worth studying. I have set out to locate and document the locations of some of the factories, ones that… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Factory Complexes
The Weekend Historian 