Educate me on the B
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=168034
Printed Date: 14 Sep 2025 at 9:46pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Educate me on the B
Posted By: Parris001
Subject: Educate me on the B
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2020 at 3:01pm
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I recently inherited my Papaw McDaniel’s Allis Chalmers model B tractor. From the time I was old enough to climb up on it I’ve played with it. Papaw unfortunately passed when I was young so I never got to help him on the farm and using the tractor. The B has always been a runner. There’s never been a time when it fell into disrepair and wasn’t operational. I can’t decide whether to restore it or just get it mechanically solid and leave the patina. I want to know more about it as far as what year model it is. It has the small gas tank for gasoline but my uncle said they’ve never ran kerosene in it. Always just been a gas tractor. Someone please point me to a good source for researching these so I can know what it is I’ve got here.
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Replies:
Posted By: HoughMade
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2020 at 3:23pm
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Welcome! Here is an interesting read that covers the history, development and changes to the B (and related C and CA) over the years. http://www.frontiernet.net/~garosier/Little%20ACs.pdf" rel="nofollow - http://www.frontiernet.net/~garosier/Little%20ACs.pdf I'm sure someone will be along shortly, (Gerald, I'm looking at you) to give a link to the manual. ------------- 1951 B |
Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2020 at 3:44pm
Thanks so much for the rapid reply
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HoughMade wrote:Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2020 at 4:16pm
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The serial number is by the shift lever on the transmission.. Should say B xxxxxx . Tell us what the number is. Also give a picture of each side and we can tell you a lot about your tractor... Does it have a battery box under the gas tank ? Does it have foot brakes on the back, or two hand levers by the fenders ? Does it have a hydraulic pump at the back right side of the axle ? Does it have a generator on the left front corner of the motor ? The small gas tank is a plus......... probably not a lot of them left around after 70 years. ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2020 at 4:19pm
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Thanks!
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Posted By: DiyDave
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2020 at 5:54pm
Welcome to the site. Some good books on the subject, By Norm swinford, and C.H. Wendell. ------------- Source: Babylon Bee. Sponsored by BRAWNDO, its got what you need! |
Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2020 at 7:04pm
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Parris001, Welcome! The B is a nice tractor, and being a family tractor, anythings you do to keep it operational will be a good thing! Regards, Chris ------------- D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet. |
Posted By: mdm1
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2020 at 7:16pm
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As others have said welcome. This forum has been a great help to me. Always keep a family heirloom if you can. As far as restoring or just keeping it in it's working clothes is entirely up to you. Your tractor do as you please. After you find the serial number go to tractordata.com and you will find some basic info. Oh ya send some pics. If you can't post them email them to me and I would be happy to post them for you! Good Luck. ------------- Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK! |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2020 at 9:06pm
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I have a shop manual on line at: http://geraldj.networkiowa.com/Trees/Allis-Chalmers-G-B-C-CA-Service.pdf" rel="nofollow - http://geraldj.networkiowa.com/Trees/Allis-Chalmers-G-B-C-CA-Service.pdf And a military WW2 manual in that same directory: http://geraldj.networkiowa.com/Trees" rel="nofollow - http://geraldj.networkiowa.com/Trees Gerald J. |
Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 6:06am
This time of year I leave the house in the dark and return in the dark. So I won’t get to see my new little tractor again in the daylight until this weekend gets here. I did go out in the dark and the rain this morning though and try to get the serial number. I found the casting pad where it says “Tractor No” but I couldn’t make out the number that was stamped. I’ll have to bring sand paper next time. The battery box is not under the gas tank. It’s under the steering column right behind the electrical box. It does have brake foot pedals and not hand brakes. I’m not sure about the hydraulic pump, but it does have a generator on the left corner of the motor. Which, doesn’t gen so I’ve got to get it off and take it to Todd’s here in Nashville.
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Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 6:34am
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To help read the tractor number, shine a flashlight at a low angle. You may need to do that at several places but eventually you see the numbers. You can also use a dental pick or similar to remove paint from inside the 'numbers'. A QUICK pass with a wire brush may help.... there may be other 'tricks'..... ------------- 3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112 Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor) Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 6:43am
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Battery, Generator, Foot brakes........... all GOOD info ! ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: 1939Dodge
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 6:53am
| unless it’s a rust pile, clean it up and wax it. Patina is a badge of honor. |
Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 7:13am
I thought about cleaning it up and leaving the patina put laying a fresh set of decals on it. Kind of a contrast of the old and the new. I was also thinking about taking advantage of the novelty of making it run on kerosene. But it looks like maybe that took its own unique intake manifold? I realize it makes significantly less horsepower on kerosene (I had a buddy in high school that had a Rambler he ran on kerosene) but thought it might make the tractor a little more interesting. There’s no fuel line attached to the bottom of my little gas tank so it appears this was never used on this piece of equipment.
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Posted By: Gary
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 8:39am
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Some Specs. on the Allis Model B: https://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/000/0/0/3-allis-chalmers-b.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/000/0/0/3-allis-chalmers-b.html |
Posted By: ac fleet
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 10:32am
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IF you have or could ever find the kero. parts needed, you could convert it just for novelty sake. Does it have starter or hand crank? I have 3 B's here. 38, 40, and 48. Interesting little tractors. ------------- http://machinebuildersnetwork.com/ |
Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 12:26pm
It has a starter and I have the hand crank as well.
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Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 12:36pm
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Keep the little tank just for show... Run the tractor on gasoline for good performance.If your paint is half way decent, I like the new decals and polish the old paint ! ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: Boss Man
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2020 at 4:08pm
| Can't go wrong with a Little B. Mines been in the family since my grandfather bought it new in 48. First tractor he had on the farm |
Posted By: Ranse
Date Posted: 06 Feb 2020 at 9:04pm
| Welcome to the forum. It's good to see another middle Tennessee guy. I have a B as well, fun little tractors. Unless you just want to paint or it looks real bad, I'd say leave it be. Allis folks seem to appreciate them either way. |
Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 2:27pm
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Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 2:28pm
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Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 2:29pm
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Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 2:30pm
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Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 2:31pm
| So I finally got to see her good in the daylight. The serial number is B57153 so it's a 1942 if I'm reading it right. Started the tractor up and putted around the yard with it. |
Posted By: Gary
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 3:01pm
| that's right, an early 1942 |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 3:20pm
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what ever you do, SAVE that muffler.......... got to be a classic ! ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: chaskaduo
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 4:24pm
    ------------- 1938 B, 79 Dynamark 11/36 6spd, 95 Weed-Eater 16hp, 2010 Bolens 14hp |
Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 5:36pm
Really?
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Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 8:39pm
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NO........... just a bad joke ! ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: Bill Long
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2020 at 9:02pm
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As you all know I am always DELIGHTED to see another B being kept. I was pleased to sell the B for the life of the unit. Course I was only 4 when they first came out. It really opened a lot of doors for us. Always the imaginative salesman my father had them on small farms, small estates, golf courses, light industrial work, and any other application that he could fit it in. You will find it to be a very dependable, easy to maintain, easy to work on, powerful for it's size and in it's day state of the art. The fact that it is your GRANDFATHER's Tractor makes it even more valuable. Be sure to keep it. Let us know how it goes. Good Luck! Bill Long
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Posted By: JohnCO
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2020 at 12:05am
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I see it has a hole in the grill housing for the shutter control but I don't know if they all had that or not. The tractor needed shutters to keep it running hot enough to burn kero. It could be that the fuel tank was replaced at one point with the two tank one if the original one went bad. As for whether to repaint it or not, that is up to you. A little (ok, a lot) of pressure washing will make it a whole different machine, maybe in a few years you will decide to give it a new coat. Congrats on keeping another B in the family! ------------- "If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" Allis Express participant |
Posted By: chaskaduo
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2020 at 8:39am
More of that Classic Redneck Engineering.  ------------- 1938 B, 79 Dynamark 11/36 6spd, 95 Weed-Eater 16hp, 2010 Bolens 14hp |
Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2020 at 8:53am
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Parris001, Thanks for the pictures! I like the look as it is right now. And it runs too! Great tractor. Have fun with it. Regards, Chris ------------- D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet. |
Posted By: Dusty MI
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2020 at 8:59am
We had a '53 WD that had the radiator shutters. Dusty ------------- 917 H, '48 G, '65 D-10 series III "Allis Express" |
Posted By: Parris001
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2020 at 1:30pm
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Over the weekend I got the ol’ girl fired up and pulled up by my garage door. I got the generator off of it to have it repaired. My uncle told me it had started smoking some years ago and they just pulled the wires off of it and taped them up. What I found was rather comical. The generator belt is too long. The genny was swung out past the slot in the adjusting strap. But it’s bolt was in place and was clamped on the outside edge of the adjuster. I am going to replace the belt when I get the genny back. What size belt do I need?
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Posted By: wbecker
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2020 at 5:46pm
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I'm with Steve, get rid of that muffler ASAP! ------------- Allis B, IB, Low B, G, D10, JD M, 8KCAB, C152 |