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AC Fiat-Allis Springfield IL article |
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AC7060IL
Orange Level Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Location: central IL Points: 3323 |
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Posted: 30 May 2016 at 2:31pm |
http://www.sangamoncountyhistory.org/wp/?p=2646
The we link above talks about the history of the AC Springfield plant. After reading the main segment, please continue scrolling downward to read personal Facebook quotes about those whose families were employed by AC. I thought it was a good read. |
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ac89
Silver Level Joined: 18 Mar 2015 Location: maine Points: 325 |
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Enjoyed the read thank you
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steve(ill)
Orange Level Access Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: illinois Points: 80359 |
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in the late 1960s they built HD16s for the military in Viet Nam. In the late 1970s they build HD31 and HD41B crawlers - 400- 500 HP for the big mines in Penn and Wyoming. Sold a few BIG tractors to Siberia and South America also to work in the mines.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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AC7060IL
Orange Level Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Location: central IL Points: 3323 |
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You are welcome. I'd always heard about it being there, but never visited the factory when it was running. Wish I had given it more thought. |
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AC7060IL
Orange Level Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Location: central IL Points: 3323 |
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Thanks for the additional crawler points. One of the Facebook posts at the bottom of the weblink mentions that President Reagan's trade embargo helped cancel a large Russian order of HD41s. Post says that order along would have kept the factory going another 5 years. |
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steve(ill)
Orange Level Access Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: illinois Points: 80359 |
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Believe it or not, the US govt decided the US technology in final drive design might be an advantage to the Russians in building tanks. Final drives in the 31 and 41B were in the 5000 hours or better life... Tanks were often 10 x less than that...... LOTS of tractors had been shipped to them in the past and there were talks for MANY more when the embargo hit.... about the same time, mines in the US cut way back on purchases.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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DMiller
Orange Level Access Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 30772 |
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Hateful to say they built themselves into extinction building products we still use today some forty to 50+ years after they were built. Cat is feeling those same pains as is Deere today having bought up the competition that had better machines but the clones keep coming from Japan and S Korea to cut prices to the nub yet being unworthy of take over bids or part of such large conglomerates they cannot be bought up. I suspect we will see a rebrand of Cat much as we saw with Allis as someone in the Asian marketplace does exactly as Fiat did and buys them up while troubled. Deere may just grow more feeble and back away from HE market.
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Dan Hauter
Orange Level Joined: 06 Feb 2011 Location: Carlinville, IL Points: 1225 |
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I used to drive past the factory's former site in Springfield going to and from work. If you didn't know where it was you'd never guess. It's all fast food, offices, banks, & light commercial now. I clearly remember it when still standing but never set foot inside the gates. I know several guys who worked there. Lots of good jobs disappeared when the place closed.
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AC7060IL
Orange Level Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Location: central IL Points: 3323 |
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I wonder how the AC plant was supplied with heavy raw steel - rail car or semis? I can't imagine the Sangamon River allowed a deep enough trench for larger barge traffic.. |
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steve(ill)
Orange Level Access Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: illinois Points: 80359 |
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lots of rail road tracks in the area... and semis brought in vendor parts and shipped out tractors and AC parts daily.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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