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Spiege View Drop Down
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Joined: 15 Oct 2017
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Agco Archive
    Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 3:30pm
I just got a model U into my shop to restore. It is one of the high speed tractors that Harvey Firestone commissioned for doing demonstrations with these tractors sometimes doing 60+ MPH. I would like to find as much information about this tractor as I can, so I'm starting here. Thank you for your input and help.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 3:32pm
I also meant to ask if Agco has an archive department, or if the records might be somewhere else?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nathan (SD) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 5:48pm
Do a information request to AGCO headquarters. Let us know what you hear.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gary(WI) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 5:57pm
Post some pictures please is it a continental or um engine
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DougG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:01pm
Doubt you get a positive response from Agco, but you never know
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mikez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:08pm
More important. Welcome to the forum. Good luck
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DiyDave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:14pm
Check out Norm Swinford's book, Allis-Chalmers Farm Tractors, 1914-1985, it has a good account of the history, as well as several sources...Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CrestonM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:31pm
Wait...this is one of THE U's they did the tests/demonstrations with, or it's just a regular U?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lonn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 6:34pm
I may be proven wrong but my guess is AGCO will say they never heard of Allis. They have done their best to bury Allis Chalmers history. When the new leadership, some years ago denied that AGCO stood for Allis Gleaner Company........ well, I'll never forget that and their insistence of dropping one color, orange, of their many colors, pretty much the only color they wanted gone.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote psheridan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 8:42pm
my father, who is 97 has told me the story of watching Barney Oldfield race a Model A at the Clay County fair in Nebraska.   His father was a Allis dealer in Sutton Nebraska from the late 20s until the war was over.       I am not sure if he won the race but the story is a good one.   Pretty sure that it was a U allis          Great story
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 9:09pm
Thank you for the welcome. Yes, it is one of the U's used for the demonstrations. It has a 5th gear added to it.

Edited by Spiege - 15 Oct 2017 at 9:12pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CrestonM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 9:30pm
Originally posted by Spiege Spiege wrote:

Thank you for the welcome. Yes, it is one of the U's used for the demonstrations. It has a 5th gear added to it.
Wow! You gotta post some pics! 
Have you tried out the 5th gear? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bill_MN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 9:39pm
Inquire with Firestone as well, they would probably have quite a bit of history on that ad campaign being it was the first rubber tire on a tractor. You'll likely get zilch from AGCO


Edited by Bill_MN - 15 Oct 2017 at 9:41pm
1951 WD #78283, 1918 Case 28x50 Thresher #76738, Case Centennial B 2x16 Plow
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote garden_guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 10:06pm
Originally posted by Spiege Spiege wrote:

Thank you for the welcome. Yes, it is one of the U's used for the demonstrations. It has a 5th gear added to it.


Interesting... In one of my old Allis Chalmers tractor books, there's a picture of an experimental WD with a 5th gear added to it. Always wondered how well it worked and how fast it went and how many they made and where they went!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lonn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 8:34am
Originally posted by garden_guy garden_guy wrote:

Originally posted by Spiege Spiege wrote:

Thank you for the welcome. Yes, it is one of the U's used for the demonstrations. It has a 5th gear added to it.


Interesting... In one of my old Allis Chalmers tractor books, there's a picture of an experimental WD with a 5th gear added to it. Always wondered how well it worked and how fast it went and how many they made and where they went!
Isn't that experimental WD also a power shift?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote caledonian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 8:55am
Dad said one of our neighbors put a 5th gear in a WC so he could get between some of his farm ground faster. I also don't have much faith in AGCO being any help. But it doesn't hurt to try. If you do let us know how you come out.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 9:53am
Originally posted by CrestonM CrestonM wrote:

Originally posted by Spiege Spiege wrote:

Thank you for the welcome. Yes, it is one of the U's used for the demonstrations. It has a 5th gear added to it.
Wow! You gotta post some pics! 
Have you tried out the 5th gear? 
No, I haven't tried it yet, the tires are dry rotted.  I have to get it running.  I just picked it up on Saturday.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 9:56am
Originally posted by Bill_MN Bill_MN wrote:

Inquire with Firestone as well, they would probably have quite a bit of history on that ad campaign being it was the first rubber tire on a tractor. You'll likely get zilch from AGCO
We are working with Firestone, they really don't have anything in their archieves about these tractors.  We are trying to figure out how many were built, along with other things.
 
As a matter of fact, I restored Harvey Firestones's McCormick 22-36.  It sits in a little museum at their test farm in Columbiana, OH.  The gentleman that own's the Allis U, bought the  land that was Harvey Firestone's orginial homested.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 10:01am
Originally posted by Spiege Spiege wrote:

Originally posted by CrestonM CrestonM wrote:

Originally posted by Spiege Spiege wrote:

Thank you for the welcome. Yes, it is one of the U's used for the demonstrations. It has a 5th gear added to it.
Wow! You gotta post some pics! 
Have you tried out the 5th gear? 
No, I haven't tried it yet, the tires are dry rotted.  I have to get it running.  I just picked it up on Saturday.
I have it stored at another location right now.  I need to clear a spot in my shop for it.  I will post some pictures as soon as I can.  I will also be putting it on my website and facebook page.  I don't know if I am allowed to give my website here.  Admin, please advise.  Thank you.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lonn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 4:41pm
Start looking for the leather jacket and goggles for the future finished photo opt
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DiyDave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 5:53pm
No one should bother you, about linking to your website, its not like you are spamming the site, with a site that sells chinese sports shoes...Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JohnCO Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2017 at 1:15am
Or British furniture...
My Cousin farmed some of the Firestone land, don't know if he still does or not, Brian Cadnum from Hinckely. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CaseyCreek Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2017 at 12:24pm

I am very glad to hear one of these tractors is about to be brought back into public view.  I found a couple of old links on this site which refer to the U (and which have a picture):

http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/ac-land-speed-record-tractor_topic53875.html

http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/harvey-firestone-congradulating-ab-jenkins_topic18007.html

To the original poster, there is also the U registry here on this site:
http://www.allischalmers.com/registry/registry_list.asp?model=U

A little background on the history of the rubber tire promotion from Firestone Farms:
http://firestonefarms.org/the-farm-on-rubber/

This article contains a detailed visual description of the racing U:
http://www.farmcollector.com/tractors/allis-chalmers-rubber-firestone-tires



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2017 at 7:42am
I'm sorry that I haven't followed up with pictures. We have busy with getting farming things done. In the next few days, I will try to get some pictures. For anyone interested, my website is www.srstractor.com and www.facebook.com/srsltd
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Nov 2017 at 6:49pm
Finally, I have pictures of the Firestone
U. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote combinechris Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Nov 2017 at 9:15pm
good luck on AGCO helping you out any. but never know they might. but unlikely. welcome to the forum . great looking tractor.
35 combines and 15 forage harvesters. mostly allis combines and equipment.WTB 2 row cornhead for a 90
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Leesok Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Nov 2017 at 12:15am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JC-WI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Nov 2017 at 1:12am
Hope you are restoring one of them, With 5th gear in it, probably is ...but I was comparing photos and looked at the shift sticks, the photos at bangshift.com shows shifter sticks nearly as high as the top of the fuel tank and this one is below that... and the racers were on round spoke wheels where as this one is sitting on cut off steel... but they could have been changed due to the old rims rusted out or something.
 Thanks for sharing.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 9:02pm
It does have the 5th gear in it.  I also have the original factory round spoke wheels for it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Spiege Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 9:23pm
Originally posted by CaseyCreek CaseyCreek wrote:


I am very glad to hear one of these tractors is about to be brought back into public view.  I found a couple of old links on this site which refer to the U (and which have a picture):

http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/ac-land-speed-record-tractor_topic53875.html

http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/harvey-firestone-congradulating-ab-jenkins_topic18007.html

To the original poster, there is also the U registry here on this site:
http://www.allischalmers.com/registry/registry_list.asp?model=U

A little background on the history of the rubber tire promotion from Firestone Farms:
http://firestonefarms.org/the-farm-on-rubber/

This article contains a detailed visual description of the racing U:
http://www.farmcollector.com/tractors/allis-chalmers-rubber-firestone-tires



 
The second to last link above, is who I am restoring the tractor for, Firestone Farms.  When you click on the link, the top picture on that page, the farmer is actually Harvey Firestone.  The McCormick Deering in that picture, is the one I restored for Firestone, and it is in a little museum in the conference center, at the Ag Tire test farm. They wanted the fenders left off, that is how they used it when testing tires.
 
 
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