best tractor
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11293
Printed Date: 24 Jan 2025 at 12:22pm
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Topic: best tractor
Posted By: Nick in MI
Subject: best tractor
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2010 at 11:08pm
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On another website i frequent the question was posted asking what the best tractor ever was. Most say that the 4020 and 1066/86 are the best but i think the 190xt is right there with them, am i right? also some are claiming how innovative the farmall m and jd 4020 are. Which makes me laugh cuase it seems like 90% of farm machinery inovations came from allis. But that made me wonder what allis tractor was the most inovative? any thoughts? ------------- Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if it weren't for John Deeres our tools would rust |
Replies:
Posted By: roosky01
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2010 at 11:12pm
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IMO, if we are going to have a "best tractor ever" from Allis it would be the D-17 (or one could argue the WD45). The 190xt wouldn't even show up on my radar......
------------- Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets. Ronald Reagan |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 6:43am
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Maybe the best in their day should be the question. Early 190's had their troubles but for comfort and performance I think they were the best in their day. I proudly admit I am biased. Some old timers tell me the WC was the all time best. My Dad say's the WD45. None could beat it. For all around use in todays world I'd say the D17 Series IV, 170, 175 for their size, power, features and reliability. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: gary ny
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 7:20am
| A yr or so ago a freind of mine who has a multy color collection was reading in one of his magazines that had a list of the most popular tractors of all time.The 4020 was first and the wd45 was 2 or 3 which he was shocked at so he bought one for his collection ,it is one of the next ones I am doing over for him. he thought the the farmall h or m would be ahead of an allis or even the ford 8n 9n but the 45 was ahead of them all.I will ask him for a copy of the list next time I see him.I have no idea how the list was compiled or who even did it but I was glade to see the 45 right up with the 4020 |
Posted By: Dale-OH
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 8:42am
| A couple years ago our local club had a tractor drive and one of my friends borrowed our AC 200. This friend is JD all the way, his grandpa was a JD Dealer before he was born, by the first stop (10 Mile) we could not beat him off of that tractor. Now everytime he is over helping me he heads straight for the 200 (I also have a 4020 which used to be his favorite). |
Posted By: Kcgrain
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 9:14am
| The 4020 JD............ALL HAIL.......... Is the most overrated tractor that ever was, the only reason people rate it so high is because of John Deeres relentless marketing and brain washing of the general publics minds that the 4020 was such a legend. What was so great about it???? A hard starting gutless 404 engine that had an hour meter running a 45 minute hr??? A front end that breaks off at the knee, a hydraulic system that was complicated and prone to problems, a draft control that wouldnt work, a 3pt hitch that fell apart, a 24 to 12 volt sytem that set them on fire a operating platform that was dusty and poorly laid out, a power shift that they copied from fords selectospeed????? The 4020 was a right sized tractor at the time that had power brakes a true live power and a diff lock, and thats it. A 190XT was far more comfortable, laid out better stronger built, way way more powerful.The flaw in the 190 was the 2 pinion diff, which wasnt a problem if the tractor wasnt running to high a hp or was loaded down with weights, I have the only factory built 190XT series 3 with 24.5-32 rubber on that my uncle bought brand new, the neighbors and competitive dealers told him the tractor would tear itself up with those big tires, but yet after 40yr and 8000hrs the rear end and transmission are just as nice as when it was built, the front end didnt brake at the knees the 3 point didnt break apart, the draft works like a dream, the brakes have there hands full with the big tires and fluid, and diff lock would have been nice. I have a friend that is in love with 4020's his Dad had all AC equipment including a 200 they pulled 5-18 plows with the 200 and worked about 400 acres a year with a 20' AC disk and a 22 ft pony drag behind, they worked land for years like that, when my friend bought his 4020 he went over to get his dads disk with the pony drag dropped it in the ground and sat right there, couldnt pull it, unhooked the pony drag, still couldnt pull it, flipped up the wings of the disk and than he could pull it, so every time he brings up the great 4020 and what an awesome tractor it was I remind him of 25 yrs ago and his dads 200 and thats the end of that conversation. ANd to everyone that thinks the JD powertrain was so tuff or great, and that AC were not, all I have to say about that is bolt a 301 turboed engine in a 4020 and see what happens to the rest of that tractor, that little engine was grossly under estimated and that was the main reson the early 190 had trouble. JD had there powershift transmission because they had no power and needed to shift on the go, where the 301 would power through. My uncle was one of the first in his area to chop a 12ft windrow of hay and 2rows of corn, because that 190 had so much power, FOX choppers even used it in advertising of there choppers because 2r heads were not common back than, specailly behind a 100hp tractor. His neighborhood where he farmed had 4020's and some Case and IH tractors back when he bought the XT and back than neighbors worked together (unlike now) and all but one of his neighbors switched to AC tractors because of that 190 and its power and performance.And for anyone out there that wants to argue the resale value of the tractors before someone mentions the high resale value of the 4020, in the real world real life sales of the 4020 around here around 6500 will buy one, but 190xt specially the Series 3 are not far behind it.The odd 20,000 or more for a 4020 I cant prove but I think Deere is doing that to bolster the legend and get tons of free advertising and more "proof" of John Deeres Value. |
Posted By: ac45
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 9:26am
| AC was steps a head in a lot of ways, but they should have killed the handclutch and added true live PTO with the end of the d series, also have a syncro tranny would have help the transmissions live with poor operators. |
Posted By: Jeff Z. NY
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 9:35am
| Yea, The ones that tried to change gears without stopping. |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 10:02am
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I liked the hand clutch. I can inch into a snow bank without worrying about the clutch. I never had a beef with the hand clutch. Kcgrain, you are most certainly right about the performance difference between a 190xt and a 4020. Around here back when I was a kid the 4020 was known as fuel hog dogs. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: Good
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 10:45am
| I can't back this up but was told by a good source the 185 was noted to be the most trouble free tractor in/at it's time. |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 11:58am
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220/210 according to a guy I heard give a talk at an AC show years back. He worked on the tractors when they were being tested on the AC farms and he said they were the most bullet proof Allis had ever built. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: Eldon (WA)
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 12:33pm
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Well I will vote for the Allis 170/175 diesel. It is small enough to get in tight places and big enough to do some serious work. I like the fact that the pto stops when I use the foot clutch, at least on my tiller. I do a lot of gardens in a year, some hardly big enough to turn around in. It is great to be able to come to the end of the garden or field and use the foot clutch to kill the pto and stop the tractor at the same time. Saves time fumbling with another lever....and increases my production and is safer. The independent hydraulics allows me to raise the tiller at the same time, which is great.
The big stick gives me greater control when brushhogging, and I can easily operate it while standing, which is what I normally do when I am in rocky or junky areas. If I could get the 3pt control lever up where the D17 had it I would be in heaven.....
They are very fuel efficient...I average $1000 worth of custom work on every tank of diesel I burn...that's why I have 4 of them! ------------- ALLIS EXPRESS! This year: |
Posted By: KY
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 3:37pm
| WD- 45 hands down lots of power in a simple package. |
Posted By: Nick in MI
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 4:46pm
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One guy said that the farmall m was one of the most innovative tractors ever, ive only been around a farmall super c and if the M is anything like it i would completly disagree or is there something im missing? ------------- Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if it weren't for John Deeres our tools would rust |
Posted By: Brian G. NY
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 5:45pm
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When Lonn says "in its day" we should not forget the lowly little B (and, maybe the C);
These tractors replaced many, many horses and deserve much credit for the mechanization of farming. Of course they may not be the best tractor "ever" but neither was the Model A Ford the best car "ever" built but it sure was pretty great "in its day"!JMHO!!
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Posted By: Dave (NE)
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 6:25pm
| Boy, I sure like the D17 IV, which is very similar to the 170 which Eldon discusses and for the same reasons Eldon has. |
Posted By: BJ famfrm
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 7:05pm
| 6060 is my choice. True live PTO 2/3 of a 301 turbo motor, set up high out of dirt, handles great! Thanks BJ |
Posted By: Dale
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 7:57pm
| I'm an Allis fan to the core and always will be. However, this past winter I had my 210 on my big bale wagon loaded with about 20 4 x5 hay bales and couldn't make it up a slight grade to my shed (kinda icy ramp). Tried a couple of times -no luck (no differential lock). Ummm... my 4020 has differential lock so I went and started it. Unhooked the 210, hooked up the 4020 and it walked right up that ramp with the bale wagon first try, hardly any effort. I was really surprised and disappointed and attribute it to the fact of no differential lock on the Allis. I think deep inside I was hoping that the 4020 couldn't make the ramp but I have to give it credit. Again, my 210 and 220 are my favorites but neither starts as well as my 4020 which starts in almost any weather without heat or ether. |
Posted By: DREAM
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 8:25pm
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I'm with Brian, give the B and C some credit. They were the first small row crop tractors Allis had. They were affordable, dependable, and simple to maintain. They were also easy on fuel, and definitely beat walking behind a stinkin mule all day.(so my grandad said).
And on the subject of innovation, I haven't seen too many Farmalls in the one, two row class with hydraulics. The C had hydraulics. They are pretty dependable too. If i'm right, a super C had hydraulics, but most folks I've talked to said they weren't much good. I may be off on that. I was not really impressed with the couple of old JDs that i've been on.(B and 40). AC is much easier to operate. Newer JDs are OK with live PTO and such, but I just don't have anything from Allis to compare it to. Wait, I used a friends' 160 for some bush-hogging and light tillage. Actually, it was a better handling tractor than my dads' 2040JD, and much more comfortable.
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Posted By: DREAM
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 8:26pm
| And I forgot to add, it didn't have parts come apart(frequently) and lock up the tranny/rearend. |
Posted By: darrel in ND
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2010 at 10:27pm
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I think that there would be about as many answers to this question as there were different tractors made. My own best tractor would definitly be one of my Allis's, probably my D 19. I grew up around the Deere worshippers, and was even one of them, until I got an Allis. Now I am ashamed of the fact that I used to sit in on and even contribute to Allis bashings in my younger, more foolish days. |
Posted By: Bob D. (La)
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 4:52am
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Any one of them with the Allis Chalmers label would be my favorite. ------------- When you find yourself in a hole,PUT DOWN THE SHOVEL!!! |
Posted By: JayIN
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 7:02am
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Ive owned and farmed with a 4020, 3020,190XT III, and Super M. Started out with a $200 WD that was stuck. Had 4 WD45 for a while. Still got Dad's 45. The best one of all time was the Super M. Loved it! ------------- sometimes I walk out to my shop and look around and think "Who's the idiot that owns this place?" |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 8:23am
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You have a special 4020 Dale. The ones I've driven have been hard starting pigs. When I was a kid our neighbor (one of the best neighbors we ever had) had to use our tractor for hauling manure one particularly cold winter because not one of his Deeres would start. He used it all winter. He had 4020, and a couple 30 series like maybe 4430 and such. After that he traded one in for a new 7040 PS and he just loved it. He boys hated it and would beat on it all the time. Then they went broke a few years later 1980. The radiator on the 7040 was smashed in and it looked rough but it's still in the area and happens to belong to a good friend of mine since the auction in 1980. The only thing major done to it is a final drive locked up plowing about 15 years ago. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: Harvey/pa
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 10:13am
| Everyone has different ideas about what they want/like on a tractor so you will have as many opinions as there have been tractors, as stated before. If you want mine, back up to Eldon's post and read again, Ditto Eldon. Thanks...Harvey |
Posted By: Brian Jasper co. Ia
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 12:30pm
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Farmall M innovative?? The early ones didn't have hydraulics or live PTO. I guess if you count rubber tires and electric start. Wait a minute, someone else got tires started first... ------------- "Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford |
Posted By: John (C-IL)
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 2:10pm
| It's hard to beat a D17IV with 3PTH in my opinion. That being said, back in the day even the JD and IH guys were buying WD45's for their power and plowing with the traction booster, still my favorite tractor. |
Posted By: Charlie175
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 3:00pm
Didn't the 400 have draft control on the fast hitch? or was that the 450? ------------- Charlie '48 B, '51 CA, '56 WD45 '61 D17, '63 D12, '65 D10 , '68 One-Ninety XTD |
John (C-IL) wrote:Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 3:02pm
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450 and it was a mechanic system that didn't work well at all. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: irlbeck A-C'S
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 5:48pm
| WC no wait WD and WD45, on second thought a D series Allis. Just can't make my mind up. Any Allis gets my vote. WHEW !!!!! that was tough. Happy to say it looks like another tractor will be coming home today. Just enough time to pick it up then get loaded for the trip to the GOTO in tennessee. |
Posted By: morton(pa)
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2010 at 10:06pm
| Of course I have to go with the B because it replaced the team of horses on the farm. It was way more economical and bought the farmer higher profits, easier work, and revolutionized the way the small family farm operated forever. |