Pictured here in the winter of 1948 is an Allis-Chalmers HD-5 crawler loader working at a Northern Ontario logging operation.
Equipped with a Drott-built loader attachment and grapple, it appears to be handling the log loading of the 1940s-era International K-Series single axle truck.
Although noted for agricultural equipment production, Allis-Chalmers (established 1913) made several forays into the crawler tractor realm with limited success.
In 1928, Allis-Chalmers acquired the well-established Monarch Tractor Corporation with its large crawler line.
As diesel power became the norm, much of the A-C diesel crawler line from the 1940s onward was powered by General Motors Corp. two-stroke diesel engines. The crawler loader shown here used a GM 2-71 engine rated at 29.4 kW.
By the mid-1950s, A-C had expanded it manufacturing to road graders, wheel loaders, bulldozers and tractor-backhoes. The Buda Engine Company was acquired at this time and provided much needed expertise in the design of the Allis-Chalmers diesel engines, powering their expanding construction equipment line.
Fortunately, in the HCEA Canada antique construction collection we have a 1950s Allis-Chalmers restored road grader and a 1960s 6-cylinder A-C diesel engine powering a gen-set that runs like new. Look for them at our events!
The Historical Construction Equipment Association 2024 events include Wheels & Tracks, held June 8-9, and the Last Blast event on October 19.
Both events are held at the Simcoe County Museum, near Barrie, Ontario. To see more than 60 pieces of vintage construction equipment in action be sure to attend.
HCEA Canada is a proud Heritage Partner of the Simcoe County Museum. For more information, visit hceacanada.org.
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