fuel cell

[Homesteader]

Hi guys just an update on the fuel cell ive been working on. I finnaly got back to working on it after a LONG farming stretch and it is coming along good. Just a little info or fun fact i thought was cool was that the first ever practicle fuel cell was used to power a 1959 Allis Chalmers tractor. it produced 15 kilowatts of power and could pull up to 3,000 lbs. P.S. i'll send pics soon

[skunkhome]

The fuel cell was just one of many things pioneered by Allis Chalmers. My dad had a working model of a fuel cell that he would demonstrate when AC was promoting that technology. I have only seen one since .

[steve-wis]

I saw the fuel cell Allis up in Hutchinson Minnesota 5 or 6 years ago. It was in their county museum, on loan from the Smithsonian museum. Not sure where it is now. I also have a tee shirt with a pic of the tractor on it. Very interesting tractor. Makes you wonder how inept management had to be to take a company with that kind of engineering and ingenuity and bankrupt it like they did. Steve

[Homesteader]

From what i have found out, the tractor is back at the smithsonian. i was hoping to put one on my oliver 770 after i got the one now working good on a smaller tractor

[skunkhome]

quote:

---

Originally posted by steve-wis
I saw the fuel cell Allis up in Hutchinson Minnesota 5 or 6 years ago. It was in their county museum, on loan from the Smithsonian museum. Not sure where it is now. I also have a tee shirt with a pic of the tractor on it. Very interesting tractor. Makes you wonder how inept management had to be to take a company with that kind of engineering and ingenuity and bankrupt it like they did. Steve

---

There were many times that we felt Allis Chalmers really didn't have their heart in the Agricultural Division. They would start off with a great concept than allow everyone else beat them to the market place. They kept their cotton picker off the market to perfect the spindle lubrication while everyone else had pickers in the field. The competition produced oil streaked cotton but were out there working, increasing the farmers' yield and saving them money. by the time AC put a picker on the market there was no share to be had. It took them two forevers to come out with the 7000 series after riding the 100 series sales into the dirt.