We got one of the best Christmas presents ever this year from our friend Rich Aberle. He asked us if he could restore the Allis Chalmers D-15 tractor. Wow! Such a generous offer not only left us speechless, but also dumb founded. We didn’t know what to say…so we said yes.
She sure could use some help.
A few years ago our neighbors, Wally and Dorothy Alpers, asked us if we were interested in purchasing the D-15 from them. It had a pull behind mower and was heavy duty enough that it would really help us with the field work. Wally said he would like to see it be used again in the fields. So, we asked an Allis Chalmers expert (Doc Smith) to take a look and tell us what he thought. He said it was in fair condition and gave us a suggested price to offer. We bought her and brought her home to Spence Farm and she has been a life-saver with the tilling and planting ever since. (Thanks Wally and Dorothy!)
But she was looking pretty tough…she is 51 years old after all…
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Will took some pictures of her when she was all broke up into the skeleton pieces as they worked on fixing her innards (she needed some work to keep her oils in) and painting her (they even got all new Allis stickers for her). Unfortunately we can’t figure out how to get the pics off his phone so you can see them. But, when she came home…WOW!
It is almost scary to use her! We keep telling each other – “watch out for that stick!”, “Don’t bump that tree!”, “for cryin’ out loud! Don’t scrape the paint!”, “you’re gettin’ her durty!”
She is soooo purrty! And she runs great now...no leaks.
But, there is only one minor flaw…I have to get the guys to put the little steering wheel wheely thingy back on so I can swing her around the corners easier. (That is truly MINOR to them.)
We are so happy with her. She’s beee-youuu-tee-ful!
Thank you so much Rich for this wonderful present!!!
Any chance those nice fellows can fix up an old Toyota truck? Love that red on the tractor! And that's a nice looking Will beside her.
ReplyDeleteYour tractor looks pretty cool. I like the red color body with white steering wheel.
ReplyDeleteI think the Toy is beyond that now. I know the pictures look red, but I'm glad to report that she really is an Allis Chalmer orange. Sorry my pics don't show the color very well. I like the color combo too!
ReplyDeleteWOW! is right! That is an awesome job of restoration. I can tell they used the same grill...a couple of the bent grill lines remained the same. The paint job is marvelous. It's hard to believe that it is the same ol' tractor. I *thought* it was a bit orangy--maybe close to the Texas Longhorn orange? It really looks like a great ride. Happy trails to you all!
ReplyDeleteA stunning beauty! Now I can’t see any trace of wear and tear on your tractor! From the sleek interior down to its wheels-- it's a superb transformation! It fairly looks good and functional too. =)
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