Allis WC Converted To 4-WD

2001 - Volume #25, Issue #2, Page #03

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You can do a lot of work with a vintage WC Allis tractor but Dennis Landwehr figured he could do even more if the tractor had 4-WD. So the Ketchikan, Alaska, do-it-yourselfer set out to make the modification.
He bought a 1941 WC for $650 and then found a front axle off a junked 1 1/2-ton 4-WD Dodge military vehicle. He also picked up a transfer case off a 1970's Ford pickup.
Dennis, with the help of his brother, installed the transfer case in the tractor with the goal of keeping the tractor as short as possible. They first took off the tractor's mid-mounted cultivator hoist and shaft. To their surprise, the input shaft on the transfer case matched up perfectly to the output shaft on the WC's transmission. But connecting the transfer case to the rear end was not so easy. They used the WC's rear end coupler and cut the ears off the output U-joint on the transfer case, and then used a stub shaft to align the two shafts and weld them together. Then they sealed up the rear end with a piece of the cultivator hoist casting.
The Dodge front axle mounted on a subframe that fit beneath the original tractor frame. With some additional modification, Landwehr attached it to the other output shaft on the transfer case.
He installed 14.9 by 28 tires on back. To make wheels for the front, he cut the hubs off the Dodge axle and centered them on a couple of Deere manure spreader rims, fitting them with 11.2 by 24-in. tires.
A steering box from an old Dodge van provided the steering linkage.
"When we got it all set up and ready to go, we found out we had calculated the gear ratios wrong. So we built a small gear reduction box and installed it under the frame between the transfer case and front axle. After that, I immediately used the tractor for two full days of hauling manure and it worked great," says Landwehr, who plans to add a front pump and live hydraulics.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dennis J. Landwehr, Box 3372, Ketchikan, Alaska 99901 (ph 907 225-4739).

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Allis WC Converted To 4-WD TRACTORS Conversions 25-2-3 You can do a lot of work with a vintage WC Allis tractor but Dennis Landwehr figured he could do even more if the tractor had 4-WD. So the Ketchikan, Alaska, do-it-yourselfer set out to make the modification. He bought a 1941 WC for $650 and then found a front axle off a junked 1 1/2-ton 4-WD Dodge military vehicle. He also picked up a transfer case off a 1970's Ford pickup. Dennis, with the help of his brother, installed the transfer case in the tractor with the goal of keeping the tractor as short as possible. They first took off the tractor's mid-mounted cultivator hoist and shaft. To their surprise, the input shaft on the transfer case matched up perfectly to the output shaft on the WC's transmission. But connecting the transfer case to the rear end was not so easy. They used the WC's rear end coupler and cut the ears off the output U-joint on the transfer case, and then used a stub shaft to align the two shafts and weld them together. Then they sealed up the rear end with a piece of the cultivator hoist casting. The Dodge front axle mounted on a subframe that fit beneath the original tractor frame. With some additional modification, Landwehr attached it to the other output shaft on the transfer case. He installed 14.9 by 28 tires on back. To make wheels for the front, he cut the hubs off the Dodge axle and centered them on a couple of Deere manure spreader rims, fitting them with 11.2 by 24-in. tires. A steering box from an old Dodge van provided the steering linkage. "When we got it all set up and ready to go, we found out we had calculated the gear ratios wrong. So we built a small gear reduction box and installed it under the frame between the transfer case and front axle. After that, I immediately used the tractor for two full days of hauling manure and it worked great," says Landwehr, who plans to add a front pump and live hydraulics. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dennis J. Landwehr, Box 3372, Ketchikan, Alaska 99901 (ph 907 225-4739).

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