Opinions on an AC WD 45

[Iplayfarmer]

I'm looking for anyone's opinion on an Allis Chalmers WD 45. I want your opinion whether good, bad, or otherwise. Theres a guy who wants to trade me one for a horse, and I'd like to learn more about them. My favorite feature is that the tractor won't eat hay all winter.

It's a gas tractor and it starts right up. The tires look a little worn, and the paint is faded, but the rest of the tractor seems to be in good shape. It has a loader with a hydraulic bucket, and the hitch has been converted to a three point.

Are these tractors dependable?
What are they good foor?
Strengths?...Weaknesses?

Any guesses as to value?

 

[GeneD14]

Among Allis Chalmers users and collectors the WD45 is an absolute favorite. For a light weight machine it easily pulls 3 bottoms in clay soil. Very dependable. Average condition on the used market $1400-1600. Great for running a baler because the hand clutch allows you to slow down to turn a corner but the PTO keeps running. We have had several in the family and I would make sure there is no crack in the block. This was common and may be indicated by milky white oil (water in oil). All parts are still available through Agco or the aftermarket. Uses the same engine as a D-17 or Gleaner E combine. The only differences are in the carb, govenor, fuel pump.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

The guy trying to trade me was really big on the hand clutch concept. What is this? Are the PTO and the axle on different clutches? Does that hand clutch have an effect similar to today's Hydrostatics?

Also, the estimated price you gave...is that with a loader too? If so, I might want to see if he can throw in something else with the tractor to make it a fair trade. The horse is worth at least $2,000.

 

[BadDog]

Depends on the horse.

 

[Will_C]

I can't give you real specific info about the WD 45, but as to what they are capable of, I think back to my childhood in the 1970's. Our neighbors ran a 40 cow dairy farm with a pair of those tractors! I think they raised 50 acres of corn and 50 acres of hay, and all the work was done with the WD's and an A-C "C".
Will

 

[GeneD14]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( The guy trying to trade me was really big on the hand clutch concept. What is this? Are the PTO and the axle on different clutches? Does that hand clutch have an effect similar to today's Hydrostatics?

Also, the estimated price you gave...is that with a loader too? If so, I might want to see if he can throw in something else with the tractor to make it a fair trade. The horse is worth at least $2,000.

)</font>
<font color="black"> The hand clutch or Power Director has a hi - neutral - low. It is a "wet" clutch that controls the motion of the tractor independant of the PTO. So lets say that you shift into 4th gear to take off on the road: you may put the Power Director in neutral, depress the foot clutch, shift the transmission into 4th, let out on the foot clutch, the tractor wouldn't start to roll under power until you pull back on the Power Director (low range) which allows you to take off very smoothly compared to the dry foot clutch. Once you get rolling down the road you shift the Power Director on the fly into high range. You can also slow the tractor back down by just pulling the lever back into lo range. The Power Director was and still is a great feature. It was used by AC up into the 1980's.
If the loader is a pipe style loader with single acting cylinders it's value is from zero to $200. A more modern loader with all double acting cylinders, hydraulic bucket would be worth much more.
Also a narrow front tractor is worth much less than the wide front version. I have sold several antique AC tractors and a narrow front tractor is like trying to sell some one the plague. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Power steering would add a couple hundred to the value. <font color="black"> </font> </font>

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I don't want to hijack the tractor forum to start talking about horses, but since you brought it up...

He's a beautiful horse out of an American Saddlebred mare by an Arabian stud named Magance. He's registered as a Half-Arabian. His sire took most of the Western Pleasure class competitions in the Scottsdale, AZ area for a while. I've got him pretty well trained.

I'm tilling up and re-planting my pasture this fall (expect more on this in future posts), so I am considering reducing the size of my herd to limit the amount of hay I have to feed while the pasture is getting established.

This horse is tall and won't load in a two horse trailer. I happen to have a two horse trailer, and I have to borrow a bigger trailer anytime I want to take him anywhere. Plus, he really deserves to be where he can be used right. I've never worked with gaited horses, and he's bred to be gaited.

Nobody in my area is really fond of Arabians, and nobody here wants a Saddlebred unless he's already trained to walk with a gait. That's why I'm considering the trade. The guy with the tractor has a contact down in Arizona that works with gaited horses on some kind of a recreational rental place.

What do you think? Good trade? Or, should I ask for more than just the tractor and loader? The guy has got a few nice saddles too.

 

[boomer4snow]

A WD-45 is a great lil tractor. Every single part is available from a huge number of aftermarket vendors, Ebay has a ton of stuff for them, and AGCO still carries quite a bit of stuff for them too.

Strengths: Dirt simple to work on, they are pretty good on fuel usage, lots and lots of power, small size they are fairly stable if you load the tires, good visibility, very easy to modify (12 volt charging, electronic ignition, more power etc)

Weaknessesesses: they have a habit of popping out of gear (easy fix) go down a hill (NOT A STEEP ONE!!) and drop it down to idle a couple times to try to coax it to pop. They get knock-kneed in the steering, esp. the narrow fronts, get it onto a smooth hard road and drive it in top gear to see if the front wheels wiggle, also check how much the steering wheel will turn before the front wheels will start turning. (the fix requires a shim and some gasket material) They foul the plugs in about 3 minutes, and they seem to go thru points kinda quick and it is very easy to get the carb dirty and they run like crap fast. a loader on a wd is useful, but not much better than a 4 yr. old with a plastic shovel for any real work. Hydraulics are power up gravity down, no 2 way at all (from the factory)

The brakes are absolutely miserable to replace (lots of em are non-existant) they also leak fluids they did when new right on the showroom floor. Lately new oil filters have an improper design and they wont build oil pressure but the proper ones are available still almost everywhere.

The hand clutch stops the differential gears from spinning only, pto and hydraulics will still run. foot clutch will stop averything except the motor. when you check the hand clutch, pull it back and when you push it foward listen for a loud metallic snap, (the snap is a good thing)

Also be careful it is not a wd tractor. A wd45 will have a curved shifter handle, a "snap coupler" bell under the belly just ahead of the PTO gear housing, the motor on the "passenger side" should be solid with no thin metal plates bolted to it above the distributor the whole length of the motor 8"x24"ish. the serial # is the best way located back axle drivers side stamped on a flat pad facing straight back under the brake inspection "foot rest" cover. lots of folks stuck wd45 stickers on a wd and sold em for more $ they look the same. Check out www.ytmag.com for more info on em.

I'll toss in a pic of my hotrodded '45

 

[boomer4snow]

couple more, this has been modified a ton, but it will show you what you can do fairly easy. oh yes, value for a good runner is around 900-1700 depending on condition, and a wd is still a good tractor, but you should be paying 600-1200 for one of them.

 

[boomer4snow]

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