1937 Allis Chalmers Converted To "Runabout"

1937 Allis Chalmers Converted To "Runabout" AG WORLD 30-1-22 You won't find another Allis Chalmers tractor like the 1937 WC model modified by Marion Klutzke of Lafayette, Ind. The tractor still has its original 30 hp, 200 cu. in., 4-cyl. gas engine. However, it moves along at speeds up to 40 mph thanks to the elimination of the tractor's reduction gears. He added a pre-1940 Chevy truck 4-speed transmission to provide the original slow speeds. To handle the extra speed, the front axle and wheels were replaced with the entire front end off a 1959 Buick car. The steering wheel, steering column, and turn signals are also off the car. The cab is homemade (the top was salvaged from an old Rotobaler top) and is complete with a rollbar, big plexiglass windows, roll-up side curtains, and a big two-person seat out of a Volkswagen van. The tractor has dual carburetors, dual exhausts, and dual breathers. The master cylinder, brake and clutch pedal are from a mid 1940's Chevy car, and the speedometer is from a 1950 Chevrolet truck. The 18-in. high flotation wheels on back are the same kind used on small Ford tractors. The tractor even has automotive sealed beam headlights. "I call it my Runabout because I run it all over the country," says Klutzke. "Wherever I go it turns heads. Some people come up to me and ask when Allis Chalmers made this tractor. Others ask if it was designed for use on golf courses. "Over the years I've driven it in a lot of parades and displayed it at many shows. At first I used this tractor to rake hay, and to do other light duty jobs. I mounted a towbar on front of the tractor so I could pull it behind my pickup when traveling between farms. Later I just decided to use it for fun." In order to make room for the car steering wheel and bench seat, the tractor's gas tank was replaced with a tapered one off a 1939 styled Allis Chalmers tractor, along with that model's more streamlined hood and radiator. During the initial transformation, he discovered the tractor would run backward after he removed the tractor's final drive reduction gears. To re-establish forward motion he rotated the differential a half turn which relocated the ring gear on the other side of the pinion shaft. "When I explain this to most people, they don't understand what I'm talking about, but we sure enjoy the results," says Klutzke. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Marion Klutzke, 1928 N. 550 W., W. Lafayette, Ind. 47906 (ph 765 583-4512 or 765 426-8588).

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