Allis Chalmers H4
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Construction and other equipment
Forum Description: everything else with orange (or yellow) paint
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=118384
Printed Date: 01 Apr 2025 at 4:25pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Allis Chalmers H4
Posted By: pipester13
Subject: Allis Chalmers H4
Date Posted: 31 Jan 2016 at 10:02pm
| So. Hi to all. New member here from Indiana. Well, about a year ago, my father in law died and left my wife as the executor of his estate. He had a 1968 (I think) H4 that neither my wife or her brother want, so we need to sell it to settle the estate. She has an approximately 5 foot bucket on the front and a 14 foot Mark V backhoe (according to the manual) on the back. She starts and runs, the bucket goes up, down and dumps, the backhoe moves side to side, and everything seems to function as it should. I couldn't tell you the condition of the undercarriage and I can't get anyone local, who might be able to tell me anything, to come look at her and give me any clues as to whether she's ship shape or old and worn out. If paperwork is to be believed, he "rebuilt" her in 1991, but I have no idea what he rebuilt. The tracks are pretty worn down, but with a charged up battery the old engine fires up and runs like a champ. I've had several people ask me to price her, but I have no clue where to start and they won't make me an offer. Without seeing her, and assuming she is pretty worn out, what would be a good starting price to ask for her? Yes, she's a lady and her name is Flossie. She lives in a barn and has a pretty easy life the last few years. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. |
Replies:
Posted By: Randaleky
Date Posted: 31 Jan 2016 at 10:35pm
| Can you post some pictures ? |
Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 31 Jan 2016 at 10:47pm
| I'll try to get some on here tomorrow around lunchtime. They're on my work computer. It's got a bigger hard drive than the one that I use at home, so I store a lot of my pics there. |
Posted By: darrel in ND
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 8:48am
| I am looking forward to seeing some pictures of it. Darrel |
Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 11:17am
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Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 11:19am
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Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 11:20am
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Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 11:20am
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Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 11:32am
| There you go, folks. Flossie in all her glory. She's built roads, dug ditches, put in septic tanks, set mobile homes, she even helped set the rafters of the barn that she lives in. Lately she's just hung out in said barn, but I think she needs to find a loving owner who will use her for all she's worth. So, can anybody tell me what to check out so's I can tell people whether she's good to go? I've worked on trucks, cars, motorcycles, tractors, and everything else,so I know about mechanical stuff but I know nothing about dozers. |
Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 2:28pm
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Looks to have been well lubricated by the grease runs, grill guard is gone, rails could use adjustment. If it runs, drives, steers easy, shifts and will push until the rails slip then it is probably in decent running order. Measure the rails across four links(five pins) with them at nominal tension
and divide by four, do this at two or three spots around the track will give a average sense of rail wear.
Oil change last? coolant condition/age and if has a-freeze or not, age of remaining fluids/filters? Then pin wear in the arms and buckets, how much slop? Looks otherwise to be pretty straight machine.
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Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 2:50pm
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Grill guard is there, just removed. My father in law always said that you had to turn the crank over several times with a wrench before you tried to start her, and i just didn't put it back on. All of the fluids that I know how to check are fine, couldn't tell you when they were last changed. Yes, definitely, on the anti-freeze. What are the "rails" that need adjusted and might slip while pushing? Thanks for the info. If it stays warm here, I'll get over there in the next few days and check her out. |
Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 4:40pm
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'Rails' are the tracks, known as rails as they form a running circle rail to roll on as you move. The pitch of the track is 6", that is the distance from the face of one pin to the face of the next or roughly center to center but measuring face edge to face edge is easier/cleaner. Measure across five pins measures four links and will give a average for those four links for pin to bushing wear. When speaking of rail slip that is when the tracks no longer push and slip or spin free as a tire on the soil against a load with the bucket down. |
Posted By: bryani289swmi
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 6:32pm
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Hey pipesetter13, Looks like a pretty nice machine, looking forward to the track measurements. Where are you located in Indiana? Thanks. Bryan ------------- Sticks and stones may break my bones but hollowpoints explode on impact. |
Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 10:24pm
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A little west of Bloomington in a little town named Hendricksville. It's basically just a sign where a town used to be, but it is still listed on most maps. Gotta put brakes on my middle son's car tomorrow night, so I won't get the measurements until Wednesday. I hope you can wait. |
Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 10:29pm
| Thanks, DMiller. That explains a lot. I haven't taken her out of the barn yet, because as soon as it leaves the barn, it's on the nice grass that my wife has been mowing, and if it get's torn up, which I know it will, she'll drill me a new you-know-what. I gotta wait until it dries out. |
Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2016 at 6:13pm
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So I measured in 6 places, 3 on each side. 5 times I got 24 inches, and 1 time I got 24 1/16 of an inch. I'd say that's pretty good? Is a 6" pitch standard for all dozers, all AC models, or just this model? I've got my battery charger on his old truck right now, so I'll try to get it fired up over the weekend and check the rollers for wear. |
Posted By: bryani289swmi
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2016 at 6:00pm
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Hey pipester13, Just wondering if you had any luck firing it up yet? Thanks. Bryan ------------- Sticks and stones may break my bones but hollowpoints explode on impact. |
Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2016 at 7:26pm
| Not in the last few months. I had her running last spring, then my wife and kids used the battery up by using her to jump start the riding mower every week, and nobody ever fired Flossie up to keep her battery charged. My mother in law, the divorced wife of Flossie's deceased owner, just passed away last week, so for the past several days we've been busy settling her affairs. This Friday it's supposed to be 60 degrees here, so I'll get her running again. Maybe I'll even try to learn how to operate the backhoe so I can get her out of the barn. I'm sure she misses the woods. She just needs her battery charged and 5 gallons of gas and she's good to go. I think. Actually, I hope. |
Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2016 at 7:33pm
| Oh yeah. I had a local guy come and look at her, and he told me if she started, he'd pay $2500 for her. Then a guy e-mailed me from Washington State who offered $800. I politely told the Washington guy that I had a better offer, but would remember him if the deal fell through. Does $2500 sound pretty fair? I mean, she is almost 50 years old and parts are hard to come by, if I understand things correctly. |
Posted By: JohnCO
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2016 at 11:35pm
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Fifty years old or not, if it runs well and everything works, it should be worth more then $2500. There is one on the Denver CL with a backhoe for sale for $7,000, which I think might be a bit high but $5000 doesn't seem out of line. You can always lower the price if you get no interest.
------------- "If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" Allis Express participant |
Posted By: Randaleky
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2016 at 11:37pm
| i think it is a fair deaL . I looked at the pics you posted and thought running between 2000 and 3000 running. |
Posted By: Coke-in-MN
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2016 at 6:07pm
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I sold the hD4 I had for $7000 years back and kept the backhoe (AC 655 detachable hoe) I want to sell the hoe by itself for $2000 - Hoe is a 14' and standard bucket is 24" - looks same on that machine 2 stick valve body - cessna rotary cylinder - the other cylinders are also the same as used on the AC715 machines - ------------- Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something. "Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." |
Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2016 at 9:11pm
| It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that the offer was accepted and Flossie went to her new home on Tuesday. The new owners came over in 38 degree weather while it was pouring rain. She wasn't afraid of the move, as she fired up quick and crawled(no pun intended) out of the barn, right up the hillside and onto the lowboy trailer. Now I'm wondering what I could buy to put in her empty spot in the barn... |
Posted By: pipester13
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2016 at 9:14pm
| Oh, yeah. I forgot to say that not only did she fire up, everything worked like a champ. |