There is no shortage of rough terrain forklifts. Almost every major manufacturer has at one time or another, produced an entry for the market. Allis - Chalmers was no exception. The D 14 series of tractors aren’t particularly scarce either, so why is it so hard to find any mention of this machine online?
The D 14s were the first of the D series that Allis built between 1957 and 1969. This run included : D 15, D 17, D 10, D12, D 19 and D 21 tractors. The D 14’s were manufactured from 1957 to 1960. Production numbers vary according to the source, from 17,474 to 23,050 according to the site you visit. The D 14, came from the factory with a sticker that read $2,900 in 1960.
A gasoline version of the D 14 was shipped from the West Allis, Wisconsin plant to the University of Nebraska Lincoln for evaluation from June 1, 1957 to June 7 and the results were published as Test # 623. The rated load belt horsepower was recorded as 30.75, drawbar at 24.5 hp.
The test tractor was powered by an Allis built 4 cylinder, 149 cubic inch, liquid cooled, vertical I head engine with a bore of 3 ½” and stroke of 3 ⅞”. It was also available as an LP version. The transmission provided four forward speeds plus reverse. Advertised speeds were: 1st, 2 ⅕ mph, 2nd, 3 ¾ , 3rd, 4 ¾ , and 4th, 12 mph.
I had just about decided that the machine I had photographed at the W.N.C. Fall Harvest Days Show back in 2016 was some kind of an aftermarket conversion when I found an ad on an auction house website offering an A-C 160 Rough Terrain Forklift for sale. There were differences in sheet metal but overall the appearance was quite similar. The 160 tractors were distributed by Allis but built by Renault from 1970 to 1975. Based on this family resemblance, I’ve concluded that the D 14 is an all but forgotten earlier version of the rough terrain forklift line.
Sources:
www.tractordata.com
www.rockanddirt.com
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu
I worked on a farm in Bucks County PA that had three of these, one red and two yellow. I think one was a D15. Had the shuttle hand clutch on the left, hydraulic controls on the right and a trotted bar operated with your heel. Took some practice to operate one!
ReplyDelete