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Unofficial Home of Old Simplicity & Allis-Chalmers Garden Tractors

Allis Chalmers made electric motors too


Nick

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I found these photos on a website that has photos of abandoned buildings. While looking through the pics and I saw something that caught my eye, a photo that had a picture of a giant electric motor that said "ALLIS CHALMERS" at it's base. I thought they only made farm equipment garden tractors, and heavy equipment? [img]/club2/attach/nickstanchak/ACmotor.jpg[/img] a different electric motor [img]/club2/attach/nickstanchak/quary112.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nickstanchak/quary113.jpg[/img]
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Were I used to work we had about a 40hp Allis-Chalmers electric motor driving the fire pump for the sprinkler system. Tested it weekly. It was installed in the mid-70's I believe. It is in alot better shape than the antiques in your photos. Brent
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I have a hardback book on the history of AllisChalmers and they wer into almost everything at one time or another.Everything from rock crushers to turbines for hydro powerplants. At one time the West Allis Works was the biggest indoor under one roof manufacturing plant in the world. Nice reading if you want I'll look up the writer and publisher for you. Also I had a 40HP electric Allis Motor out here running a grain dryer. Never gave any trouble.
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At the turn of the century Allis was the worlds largest producer of stationary steam engines not the farm type but the huge 20 foot diameter flywheel factory type.Semins now owns the electric motor division and the pump division is also still in business under new owners. The real downfall of Allis was not the AG division but the industrial group. They got into makeing Nuke plants and lost money big time, the last one was never finished and put them so far in debt they had to sell the ag division to the Germans just to pay the interest on the loans.
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We had 2 100 hp Allis Chalmers electric motors on two Gorman-Rupp T-10 Pumps. They would really hum. The motors sucked a lot of juice when they cranked up. ddh
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When I was in high school we took a trip to west allis and went through the factory, they had farm tractors electic motors, genterators, Buta engines in trucks, and a large military section we were not allowed in.
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quote:
Originally posted by john-holcomb
The real downfall of Allis was not the AG division but the industrial group. They got into makeing Nuke plants and lost money big time, the last one was never finished and put them so far in debt they had to sell the ag division to the Germans just to pay the interest on the loans.
Interesting. I thought that the ag division just went under on its own. Maybe Allis would still be around if they hadn't gone into nuclear plants?
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Allis was in to all kinds of things that cost to much of thier capital rusulting in their bankrupsy. Mostly because of a moron of a CEO bent on haveing his hand in too many lines that didn't fair too well at the time of allis geting into that particular business. The late 70's was a bad time for AC.The book I am refering to is by CH Wendel. Published by Crestline Series by Motorbooks International Publishers& Wholsalers, PO Box 2,729 Prospect Avenue, Osceola, WI 54020 It's better than an inch thick so it has plenty of goo reading and pics in it from almost everything AC had their hand in.
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Kevin, I have a book that sounds similar to what Dave has. It's called "THE ALLIS CHALMERS STORY", by Charles H. Wendel. Allis made just about anything they could get involved with. I even have some shovels and rakes, AC orange with the name Allis Chalmers colored in orange stamped into the handles. To make it easier when you're looking, the book is orange. Rob
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I had 30 year career on railroad and am not sure if Allis Chalmers made electric field generators but it is possible. My brother buys sells and restores railroad locos and will try to find out from him if he ever heard of Allis Chalmers generators or traction motors. These are not tractor pics but this is couple of his projects.

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Here in western NC Lake james was built by the building of 3 dams. It seems odd now that I think about it. One dam is pretty much what most would think of. IE a concaved concret wall. The other 2 are earth and of impressive size. The odd thing is that the power plant is built into one of the earthen dams. I know one of the people who work there and was lucky enough to be taken on a tour of the plant (A few times in fact). THe generators are a pair of AC's 10,000 hp motor/gens. Once when I was there one of the 2 had been taken apart for repairs. It was an impressive site. Being built to run vertical and due to there massive weight, they were built with a huge millstone sized thrust bearing under the armature. I wish I could remember the weight of the armature But I do remember the bearing. It was made from oil soaked maple ! This was what had caused the tear-down and setting there ready to be reinstalled was a brand new one.. It was maple also. 95 years old there abouts and still going. AC must have done something right. BTW, North Carolina is second in the USA for lightening strikes and this area is the worst I have ever seen. ( Power station is 1 mile as the crow flys from my home ) The friend that works there has told me that if I ever wanted to see a show, to come up there during a storm. He speaks of ball lightening running the walls etc !
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By me here you can see step-down transformers for the local power co.Still in use. I also heard they built engs during WW2 for bombers?,,the older membs[like Kent!] would know possibly abt.the bomber deal,..
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I work for the MBTA in Boston. We repair various pieces of electrical equiptment for the rapid transit lines such as traction motors,propulsion systems etc.I noticed that one of the electrical contactors we service is produced by Allis-Chalmers.
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