Allis G - Strange creature?
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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=18881
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Topic: Allis G - Strange creature?
Posted By: GT in Indiana
Subject: Allis G - Strange creature?
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 2:03pm
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When reading about the G, it seems people either love them or hate them. It seems strange that such a successful company at the time (Allis Chalmers) would have missed the boat with this "out of the box" design or is there more to the story? Was there some trend going on in farming at the time that led them to believe that this kind of tractor was going to take off, or did some top exec's son come up with it and it got ram rodded into production. Might be an interesting poll: Love it?, Hate it? or indifferent... Just curious, Gerald------------- 1955 WD45 we like to call Ruby |
Replies:
Posted By: DonDittmar
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 3:11pm
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I want one, they are "cute", but not my favorite ------------- Experience is a fancy name for past mistakes. "Great moments are born from great opportunity" 1968 D15D,1962 D19D Also 1965 Cub Loboy and 1958 JD 720 Diesel Pony Start |
Posted By: morton(pa)
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 3:16pm
| Love it. For any produce or "truck farmer", they are ideal. I wish we had one for the produce section of the farm here at school. Those poor guys are out there with tobacco hoes all the time and it still hardly looks like they put a dent in the weeds sometimes. I feel bad for them. I'd have one and would have had one a long time ago if they wern't so darn expensive! I wish collectors would stop collecting so that some of us who would USE them COULD!!! ugh! |
Posted By: Dave Richards (WV)
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 3:37pm
| In the sixties we disliked them because real men drove big tractors. We used WDs and WD-45s along with farmall H and Ms in the field, and 9N fords in the orchards. My Uncle really wanted a G for his truck crops. He called it a "Gas driven hoe". As teenagers, you just couldn't look cool on one. And when school started again it was much better saying " I ran the WD-45 all summer" rather than "I operated the gas hoe". |
Posted By: AllisChalmers37
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 4:28pm
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Back in the day no one really cared about looks just performance. The G was one of the best tractors in it's class and has alot of copies. I used to think they were ugly but after seeing them in person I wouldn't care to have one. ------------- 1937 WC, 1950 CA, 1959 D14, 1967 190XT, 2006 Ram 3500 |
Posted By: DREAM
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 5:06pm
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I've always thought they were cool. perfect for cultivating. Low center of gravity. Great visibility. More power and versatility than a small, lawn tractor-based garden tractor. Good-looking little unit when fixed up.
Definitely not cool in the "i'm fixin to open up a can-o-whupa** on this back 40" sense of the word, as a WD-45, D-17, or D-21 is, but it's a neat machine still.
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Posted By: Chuck(ONT)
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 5:26pm
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Built from 1948-1956, almost 30,000 built. It was designed and built for a purpose, and fulfilled the spec. It has been converted to diesel power and electric power. It is still being sought after for work duties. What more could you ask for?
------------- Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway! 1C 1 WD45 1 AC180 |
Posted By: LouSWPA
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 5:35pm
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Well, there are people, including one that I know of on this forum that still make a living with them. Some have re-engined them to extend their life. Like others have said, for the truck farmer they were unbeatable. Sexy, maybe not, but with their unlimited visibility, low center of gravity, and maneuverability, they were/are very versatile. Remember, function before form........uh......except in women! LOL ------------- I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27 |
Posted By: Chuck(ONT)
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 5:40pm
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I meant to add, strange, no, unique, yes.
------------- Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway! 1C 1 WD45 1 AC180 |
Posted By: Dave(inMA)
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 5:59pm
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I'm looking forward to trying mine.... I fully agree with Chuck(ONT)'s last comment. I suspect that the design took some getting used to back then...... and there were competing small tractors. Also, the implements were unique to the G, so no ability to transfer to/from other tractor lines. ------------- WC, CA, D14, WD45 |
Posted By: JohnDNY
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 6:08pm
| They were fine if you aren't a big guy. I have a problem using my neighbors it is a hand lift and there is no room with my leg there. I also didn't like the steering wheel which was cut in half, I suppose so you could get on easy but turning on the head row it seems like something is missing. Not a bad tractor. Just not for me. |
Posted By: DREAM
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 6:08pm
| Hmm, just thinking about competitive models. If a Cub was supposed to be in the same class, I don't think they quite hit the mark. Not to offend anyone with one, but to me they were mostly a big lawnmower. I shouldn't judge. I know a lot of people have done a lot of work with a Cub. Just don't do anything for me. |
Posted By: Joe/NC
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 6:35pm
| I remember going to the Allis Dealer with my Dad and they would have 1 or 2 on the lot. I always thought it was neat and a size a 7 year old could handle. I bought 1 a couple of years ago and almost brought in in the house. I plow my garden and love it. Hope the D 10 feelings don't get hurt. I am a small framed person so it is easy to get on. I imagine a defensive lineman would have difficulty backing onto it. Last summer was wet. I don't think a Cub would have gone through the garden where the rear engine G went. |
Posted By: Warren(Oh)
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 7:41pm
| Mine set on the porch for a couple years before I decided to use it. Now, I wish I had 2 or 3 more and a farm to go with them ! I have so many ideas for things to do with them there's no way 1 can do them all ! And I am in no way a small person and I have no problem getting on and off. I can almost touch the ground while seated ! ha |
Posted By: Brad MI
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 9:19pm
| They are likely the most copied and most modified for current use tractor ever produced! I don't think the jury is out on the G's commercial success, they were and are one of the most useful and timeless tractors ever produced. If AC made a mistake with the G it was not keeping it and updating it. The only one row truck farm cultivator that could ever compete with it around here was the Hartford/Friday Wiggle Hoe, which the operator steered with his feet and wiggled the cultivator tines around the plant with his hands. The little lopsided Farmalls simply weren't in the game. |
Posted By: Bill Long
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 9:34pm
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With my father we sold the G for the life of the unit in Baltimore County Maryland just north of Baltimore, MD. In our area it was a highly successful tractor. In fact, when they were discontinued we were very upset.
We sold so many that we were visited by the Sales Manager and Engineering Executive on how we sold and what we liked about it.
The G was outstanding for vegetable gardens, second tractor on small farms, estates in Baltimore County, and only tractor on very small farms. In fact, some are still in uses today cause they just could not get anything better.
You should have seen my face when we saw the first one. Pop said my mouth dropped to my feet. I plowed with the unit and fell in love with it.
Great Job!!
Good Luck!
Bill Long
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Posted By: DREAM
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 9:34pm
| Brad, i'd like to see one of these wiggle hoes you're talking about. sounds interesting, though I would probably get confused with the hands and feet.LOL! |
Posted By: Rick of HopeIN
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 9:44pm
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I always heard the B would have competed better in truck farming and tobacco if it would only have had a good low or creeper gear. 1st on a B is not very slow.
------------- 1951 B, 1937 WC, 1957 D14, -- Thanks and God Bless |
Posted By: TramwayGuy
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2010 at 10:31pm
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Have to add that the entire engineering of the 'G' was ingenious; there is no better example of how to use existing parts (the B/C transmission) into a completely different tractor that I can think of.
I wonder how long it will be before somebody tries to put a CA transmission in one to have 5 speeds forward.
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Posted By: Brad MI
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 3:06am
Here ya go DREAM: http://centralmich.craigslist.org/grd/1915201623.html - http://centralmich.craigslist.org/grd/1915201623.html Like the G, these are still highly sought units for certain farming operations. My brother in law farms a couple thousand acres here in northern Michigan and owns a couple working Friday Wiggle Hoes for his truck garden operation. |
DREAM wrote:Posted By: Warren(Oh)
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 3:34am
| Just looking at the Wiggle Hoe, I'd say it's a failure. You can't see the cultivators, doesn't look like as much ground clearance as the G. Interesting but.... |
Posted By: Herb(GA)
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 8:12am
| Brad, thanks for sharing the pix of a "Wiggle Hoe". Looks very functional. Would have expected seeing one at Portland show, or did I miss it? Herb |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 8:19am
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Likely those rear mounted shovels are only for loosening up the wheel tracks, and the detail cultivators are missing and would be up front where you could see them. Many a bigger tractor's front mounted cultivator included optional rear gangs just for the wheel tracks since the purpose of cultivation is to leave a dry dirt mulch which would have been defeated by the tire tracks following the cultivator. Many a big tractor cultivator has been all mounted at the rear and its a pain to use and the crop tends to suffer from cultivator blight, e.g. crop cut off with the weeds from inattentive driving. But a front mount 4 or 6 row cultivator tends to stay on the tractor where a rear mount hitches and unhitches easily. Gerald J. |
Posted By: Bob-Maine
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 8:26am
| My G should be back together some time this year. Discovered a bad ring gear and pinion gear late in the restoration. But one thing I didn't see mentioned is the hauling issue. The G will fit nicely in the back of a 3/4 ton 8' pickup box. I'm looking for one now so that I can bring my G from Maine to Hutchinson, MN and Gadsden, AL next year and leave the trailer home. Bob@allisdowneast |
Posted By: Jim Lindemood
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 8:40am
| Got a G to do gardening duties. I do like it a lot. It is a little hard to get on and off, and the cultivator handle hits my legs, don't know where to put my feet to be comfortable. I'm not big, just the design of the tractor. She does what she is supposed to do - and sure beats a hoe. Ya gotta admit, they are kind of cute too. |
Posted By: singingpig
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 10:18am
Yep! I'll be using my G today. I have one with a 23hp Kubota diesel, 12vdc, live hydraulics and it is great. Only thing I would change is the seat...a nice big cushy one with a backrest. I'm 6'4" and 240 so it isn't especially comfortable but it does the job very well. I'm putting on a fall fert blend of lime, kmag, boron, copper, zinc and manganese...after I broadcast I'm cultivating with the G to work the fertilizer into the soil. Supposed to start raining on Monday so things will take off with lower weed pressure, rain and fertilizer. The G does exactly what it was designed to do and does it very well. I can cultivate about 1 acre/hour. With the live hydraulics, adjusting the depth of the hoes is a snap. I steer with my left hand and put the right front tire about 3 inches away from the row..cleans to within 1 inch of the row, with very little cultivator blight. I use the right hand to adjust the depth when needed and to support me on the right fender. I had an email from someone with a question about his G...he said he had broken a rear axle...I should have asked what the heck he was doing to break an axle on the thing. I usually have the throttle as low as possible for seedlings and then 1 or 2 clicks higher for more mature plants that are harder to bury than seedlings. That diesel will only use about 1.5 gallons in 8 hours of cultivating. To get a crew in to hand hoe and weed runs $500-800/acre. It doesn't take long to pay for a G at that rate. |
Posted By: rickwsomd
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 10:21am
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As Bill said, there are quite a few of them here in Maryland. I spent countless hours on a cub cultivating tobacco for over 30 years, and I wish I had the G that I have now, back then. For visibility it is amazing. I use the G for some gardening and it would have been fun to cultivate tobacco with it. Visibility on the Cub was OK as well, with the offset, but I think the G is easier. The Cub does have an advantage on clearance, since it has the bull gear type final drives that give it more height for taller crops. Take Care, Rick W. ------------- Rick W.(So.MD) |
Posted By: singingpig
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 10:22am
I use a 4 row dual toolbar springtooth (gravelly loam) with 7 S-tines with crowsfoot sweeps on it and I just put my feet on the tool bar instead of the pegs. I cannot get my size 13 boot onto the left hand brake. |
Posted By: singingpig
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 10:31am
Out here the Cubs were used for seeding quite often. I used to used one with an 8 row Planet Jr. They had tanks mounted on the fenders so you could dribble a starter or insecticide in the row as you seeded. It also had a small boom sprayer on the back. They Cubs and Super A's were also used for specific operation like pulling onions and windrowing them to cure. It is way easier to belly mount a gang of seeders on a Cub than a G, and larger cultivators like a basket weeder belly mount on a Cub without modification. For cultivating it was usually a G. Visibility on an offset tractor like a Cub etc is poor compared to the G. If you're watching the right side of the cultivators on a G and a cultivator on the left gets clogged with residue you can see it right away, usually out of the corner of my eye. With an offset, you can't see the LH side without moving your body which is a common cause of cultivator blight. |
Posted By: Good
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 10:44am
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I put a clutch in a cub for a guy and I drove it around after I was done. I thought first gear was a little fast in that also as I was grading the drive with a belly blade but I thought it was cool too. Steered easy,comfortable, has down pressure,smooth little motor but not that much fun to get off and on. ------------- B212,716,two 314H's,WC,WD,D19,190XT |
Posted By: CJohnS MI
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 10:57am
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As soon as I saw that first G, I knew there was something genius in it. It won't be worth a hoot to anybody running a big operation, but I can clearly see why vineyards, orchards and small truck growers would love the things. You get right close and personal with the ground, the plants and the equipment. May not be the stuff bragging looks for, but very useful anyways. In fact, I've been looking for the raw materials to build something as suited to purpose as the G is - heck of a machine. |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 10:58am
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There are two vintages of cubs. The early ones were tall like an IH A, the later ones compact mostly for mowing. I remember the whine and my inattention when I drove one at the St. Louis County Fair when I was probably about 5, if that old. It was planned for kids so a responsible adult rode the drawbar and kept it in the driving trace. Gerald J. |
Posted By: firebrick43
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 11:08am
While I know you are thinking about the ride on tractors, don't forget the gravely walkbehind tractors. They, along with the italian updates(grillo and bcs) are still being used in large numbers out there with more versatility (more attachments) than even the swiss pocket knife G could belt out. You could ride the sulky to cover more acres, and of course you could have very narrow row spacing, which to be a plus/negative really depends on the crops you are attending to. But you will find a lot of truck farms still have this class of machine in use, sometimes exclusively, some times with a ride on tractor as well. The Gravely was made in much higher numbers. |
Posted By: Dusty MI
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 12:28pm
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I was plowing with my G in 1st gear when it just stopped moving, the PTO and hydraulic still worked. I had to get towed home. I tore it down and found that the right axel had broke right at the differential gears. It looked to me that it had work harden and shattered from many years of slightly twisting. Dusty ------------- 917 H, '48 G, '65 D-10 series III "Allis Express" |
Posted By: Dick L
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 12:58pm
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I have three G's. One will never get to a usable tractor the one I rebuilt and the other one is all there and I hope to get to it.
The G has to be used to see how well they do in plowing and fitting ground. They are easy on an old man to cultivate with. No leaning one way until cramps start and lean the other way until the cramps start on that side using a B.
The Grandhaven competed with the G as well as the Friday.
I have one and a half of the Grandhaven's. The rear half of the Grandhaven had the front half of a G bolted to it when I bought it at an auction.
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Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2010 at 2:23pm
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A G breaking an axle has been mentioned on this forum before so its not unheard of. And seems like it usually was at the splines which left a piece without a handle for easy removal. Gerald J. |
Posted By: Scott(GA)
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2010 at 12:50pm
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It can be carried in the back of a pick-up with an 8 foot bed but "fit nicely" might be overstating it a bit. Ha!
When I was measuring mine it was just a bit under 11 feet from the snout to the rear end (rear drawbar). Front of the front tires to the back of the rear tires was about 8 feet 6 inches.
Scott(GA)
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