Rare Lawn Tractor Prototypes

Rare Lawn Tractor Prototypes MOWERS Ron Erickson of Menomonie Wis is the proud owner of a trio of Allis-Chalmers Simplicity prototype pieces These one-of-a-kind pieces were built at the proving grounds in Port Washington Wis Erickson’s interest in Allis-Chalmers equipment spans decades “I bought my first B series Allis in 1981 just after getting out of high school I’ve been collecting and working on them ever since ” he says Erickson secured the pieces from Butch Plier a former A-C/Simplicity senior product engineer who wanted them to remain a set The first piece is a cab mounted on a Big 10 lawn tractor It was built sometime in the 1960s by A-C engineers who modified the cab and tractor to make them fit together While the design never hit the general market some Cozy Cabs were available on later-model A-C lawnmowers “I found this tractor cab on Facebook Marketplace It was part of a package deal for B series tractors and attachments ” says Erickson “We got the load home and after looking it over I knew it was something special We contacted a retired engineer who’d worked on it and he confirmed my suspicions that it was pretty unique ” Erickson shared this quote from the engineer who inspected it “Many modifications to the tractor have been made to allow the other attachments to be used with the cab on the tractor all using factory Allis parts that have been adapted to fit Wheel spacers have been used in the rear because it’s top-heavy and it also has hydraulic lifts and accessories to run a rototiller The engineers went to great lengths to make the cab fit around the original seat and rear fenders; the workmanship is excellent ” Some design elements make it clear that this cab is a prototype Only one of the two doors can be opened and only the front and back windows can be removed for ventilation meaning that it has the potential to get very hot inside The second prototype is a lawn edger mounted on a B-10 also built in the mid-1960s Though it was never in production the edger was used at the A-C golf course for several years to edge around the sand traps “I’m certain that Allis-Chalmers was looking for ways to make the lawn and garden tractors useful year-round ” says Erickson It’s made entirely from A-C sourced parts including three cutting blades—two made from plow coulters with other attached pieces The first had sickle sections another had tine pieces The third cutting blade was made exclusively from tines Erickson’s third piece is a prototype cultivator for lawn tractors He suspects it was never put into production because it’s heavy and likely struggles with traction Erickson is proud to hold onto these pieces of A-C history and preserve their legacy “I have twin boys who are 28 years old and they’re taking over the entire collection We’ll keep it safe ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ron Jason and Jon Erickson Menomonie Wis

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.