1954 Allis Chalmers WD45
The tractor has been in my family since 1954 when it was purchased as a used tractor (6 months old) by my parents (Gordon and Ruth Oakes, of Ancaster Ontario). Based on the model serial number it is estimated that the tractor came off the manufacturing assembly line on April 23rd 1954. From 1953 to 1957, the Allis Chalmers Manufacturing Company produced over 90,000 WD45’s, with a reported 30% to 40% still active on North American farms today.
In the fall of 1954 the Allis Chalmers WD 45 became the primary tractor on the family farm where for close to 20 years it served adamantly as a dependable and reasonably efficient and effective source of power as the field work presented it’s challenges in the various components of general farming, i.e., the spring tillage and seeding, cutting, raking and baling hay, harvesting and fall plowing over 100 acres. The tractor is equipped with the snap-coupler system unique to Allis Chalmers and designed to attach and detach equipment without leaving the tractor seat. Over the years the tractor was converted to the standard 3 point hitch attachment system and today is utilized in either system. During the 50’s and 60’s the tractor was changed out to either the standard wide front end axle or the narrow row crop front end, depending on the attachment requirement and the desired application in the field.
During the winter of 2006/2007 with the help of Wray’s brothers, William, Herb and Roger the tractor was stripped down and fully restored to its original state with the help of replacement parts as needed from Steiner Tractor Parts. The WD 45 is now entering into its 4th generation of Oakes family ownership and almost 56 years later is semi – retired and enjoying lighter duties such as plowing the garden, the odd hay ride, local parades and fall fairs in the Ancaster/Lynden and Copetown areas. The tractor is a show piece and a reminder for the family of the good old days of hard work and many pleasures growing up in the fields and on the farm, may those memories live on forever.
Photo of the tractor with Wray with his son Daryl, (farm boy) and his son, (Wray’s grandson) Ryan, as they enjoy a special moment at Wray’s home in Copetown Ontario.
Wray Oakes
Ontario Canada
#AllisChalmers #WD45 #NewPartsforOldTractors #TractorRestoration #AntiqueTractor #OldIron
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The tractor photo of the WD45 brings back fond memories of growing up on a farm in central Missouri in the 50s and 60s we had two of them one wide front and one narrow front we used them for everything 3 bottom plow, disking harrowing, planting, cultivating, harvesting, hay mowing, raking, bales, hauling hay to the barn, like I said everything. We did trade the oldest one in for a D15 sometime in the 60s.
When I see old faded red tractors, this is what I think of.
On Phipps’ Ranch, Douglas County CO, I hired on for Summer 1968 at 17 years old to load and stack Alfalfa hay, and some other odd jobs on that beautiful, enormous ranch where one could daily see antelope, coyote and eagles.
By the end of the summer I could drive an old, faded red Allis Chalmers and load a trailer, solo. It was tricky, but after loading from one side, I’d jump through the gap near the steering wheel, adjust it, thence leap off and load from the other side, back and forth, back and forth, with the throttle set steady.
We wore cheap, pointed rough-out Western boots to climb haystacks, straight up the side. In three months I wore through two pairs of those boots.
Solo hay loading and haystack climbing were two acquired special skills I never used again, but the experience on the ranch, 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, built my muscles and gave me confidence.