1962 AC factory tour
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=18555
Printed Date: 08 Feb 2025 at 6:29pm
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Topic: 1962 AC factory tour
Posted By: Ryan Renko
Subject: 1962 AC factory tour
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2010 at 7:51pm
| I was talking to my father tonight and he began discussing a factory tour of AC he and his uncle went to in the early 60s. It was some type of promotional thing and Uncle Louis buying a new D17 got him in. As he remembers, at that time AC had the largest metal turning lathe in the world??? It could turn down a shaft in the 60' or 65' in length??? Dad said the only other lathe of this size was in Germany?? Anyone have more info?? Thanks, Ryan |
Replies:
Posted By: Rick of HopeIN
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2010 at 8:02pm
|
I toured in 78 and the building across the street from the West Allis tractor works was used to assemble generators for hydroelectric dams. That stuff was all huge. I do not remember if they machined the parts but they had a spin test machine.
------------- 1951 B, 1937 WC, 1957 D14, -- Thanks and God Bless |
Posted By: Butch(OH)
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2010 at 8:03pm
| Dad got a trip for buying a D-15 and he brought back a book "Land of Power" that the step in-laws ended up with,, grrrrr. Would like to get another copy some day. The lathe must have been a big show because I remember dad talking about it. |
Posted By: Ryan Renko
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2010 at 8:06pm
| We still have that book!!! I didnt know the history about it!! |
Posted By: Dave (Mid-MI)
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2010 at 8:35pm
| My dad saved the brochure from his tour in 1962. The tour was broken down into stations. Here is the text from Station 2 "Largest engine lathe in the West Allis plant, and one of the biggest in the world, is this unit installed in the No. 3 Shop. Known as a 144-inch-diameter engine lathe, this tool can machine pieces up to 12 feet in diameter and more than 45 feet in length. The huge pieces machined on this lathe are placed in position by two 100-ton cranes installed especially for this purpose. This lathe, for example, could machine a 200-ton forging into a shaft weighing 160 tons, creating an almost incredible 40 tons of steel shavings in the process." |
Posted By: JoeO(CMO)
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2010 at 8:55pm
|
Now that is impressive!!
Some where I have a picture of a large lathe used by the Navy in a shipyard, but don't remember any spec's.
I would like to have a larger lathe but that is way too big. I don't think it will fit in my shop at the farm and I know it won't fit in my shop at home. ------------- |
Posted By: Allen Dilg
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2010 at 10:39pm
| Hello Ryan There is a picture of my son standing on the TOOL holder in the OAN either the spring or summer 2005 Our Coming Home committe had a tour of different buildings. Our Union Grove Club is going to feature THE CENTURY OF ALLIS CHALMERS FARM EQUIPMENT in 2014 with a day of activties in West Allis, and caravan to the show in Union Goive WI. I don't know if the lathe is still there, but it sure was IMPRESSIVE!!! Allen |
Posted By: Wes (VA)
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2010 at 10:49pm
| My granddad got to go when he bought our '62 D17 new. I dont have him to tell me about it or a book, but we do have a walking cane from there that reads: Allis-Chalmers Land of Power. |
Posted By: DougG
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2010 at 6:54pm
| What did happen to all the equipment ALLIS had in West Allis ?? Anyone have any facts on the - test pit -AC had ? I heard one time there was alot of concrete involved !! |
Posted By: TMiller/NC
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2010 at 7:12pm
|
In the late 70's I saw a lathe owned by Westinghouse at a repair shop that required 7 tractor trailers to haul. The headstock from where it sits on the bed was probably 7 or 8 ft tall and the operator had a chair mounted on the carriage. It was used to turn shafts for hydro-electric plants. |
Posted By: gleaner1
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2010 at 8:02pm
|
The test pit or Underbalance Bunker is still in the main bay of West Allis and is still in use, there is only two of its kind in the US, And as for concrete some of the floors in the buildings are over 10' thick, just imagine most of that was poured in the early 1900's. ------------- ALLIS CHALMERS "The color is orange" |
Posted By: wfmurray
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2010 at 8:10pm
| Marion Machine in Marion NC had a lathe that they could extend the bed to 100ft between centers. Don't rememberthe swing ,They used about 50 or 60 ft .They had a 16ft boreing machine. They worked on rock crushers and stuff.It is Superior Machine now. PS They made the big gear to open and close the doors on canel locks. |
Posted By: clovis
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2010 at 9:40am
| This is a great thread. Very interesting. |
Posted By: Chris (swIA)
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2010 at 9:58am
| I used to work at a factory in pella, IA that had an old german ww2 lathe that could swing 120" by 20' long. They mainly used it for trueing grain elevator pulleys. They made some pretty big stuff mainly for the coal mines in WY that had to be broken down and shipped on individual trucks due to the weight. |
Posted By: Bruce Nelson
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2010 at 5:57pm
| I have seen the big lathe at the Allis Chalmers factory in operation. I was on a plant tour during service training in the 70's. I remember their was a big shaft with some turbine blades on it being machined. The machinist had stopped it from turning and was up on a ladder, 8 feet or so, measuring something. |
Posted By: M Diesel
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2010 at 6:07pm
|
About the Navy stuff. In the USAF we had a bunch of aluminum M114 armored personnel carriers given to us to use on the target ranges. (Seems nobody wanted them) We modified several as Soviet air defense simulators by installing a modified B52 tail radar to make it act like a radar guided antiaircraft weapon. To do that required a large circular hole to be cut in the top. Hard to do in aluminum several inches thick. Turned out the Navy had a big cutting rig near Long Beach and we shipped them down. Drove a unit onto this round platform. They lowered a big cutting bit. Spun the entire tank, cutting the prettiest hole you ever saw. It was cool. |
Posted By: Doug northern IL
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2010 at 6:27pm
| is there any buildings left in west allis that can be toured today. |
Posted By: AllisChalmers37
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2010 at 6:59pm
|
if you go to google maps and type in 6628 W Greenfield Ave, Milwaukee, WI You can see the entire complex in the satellite view but when you use the street view the only thing that is left is the smoke stack.
It's sad. ------------- 1937 WC, 1950 CA, 1959 D14, 1967 190XT, 2006 Ram 3500 |
Posted By: Allen Dilg
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2010 at 9:25pm
| Doug N IL From my knowledge the main erection floor is still in use by a company called Regenco, the East/West buildings have been converted to Offices etc. Our Club's contact said that he would work on our committee for acess in 2014 The Century Of Allis Show Doug MO What I saw in 2005 of the test pit was very inpressive, they would lower a rotor turbine into the pit get ready to test then put 12" timbers in place, then install 50 ton doors on top of the timbers. Also we had a 3'x12' Allis sign on a trailer that we placed by the out door of the parade for pictures. When we went back to get the trailer the workers were preparing to move a turbine pump with the overhead hoist that they set out for display, anyway standing in the rain ready to get in the truck I saw this turbine get lifted 15' in the air and travel into the building out of sight. That was the last time I have been there. PS looking forward to 2014 to see what is left and what is NEW Allen |
Posted By: B26240
Date Posted: 24 Sep 2010 at 8:21am
| Just think of the macinist's who operated those big machines, if they made a error then what? Im sure you didnt get that job untill many years experince. |
Posted By: HagerAC
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2010 at 6:55am
|
We also got a tour during the GOTO at union grove of the Regenco building and it was impressive. I like the plans for the 2014 show, that should be a good one. ------------- 30+ A-Cs ranging from a 1928 20-35, to a 1984 8070FWA, Gleaner R52 |
Posted By: Steve(SEMN)
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2010 at 7:00am
Here is my grandpa(off to the right) on the trip after he bought a D17.
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Posted By: Nathan (SD)
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2010 at 8:58am
| A suit coat for a vacation trip. Times sure have changed. |
Posted By: Doug northern IL
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2010 at 5:20pm
| what dose it take to go to the 2014 show membership; tickets, would like to see about going. |