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In August of 2006 we closed on our vacation/retirement home and aquired some great new friends and a great couple for neighbors. Ray lives accros the street from me and has had a key to our place since the day we signed for it, he takes care of everything for us while were not there. In 2007 Ray asked for some help in his garage and I went over to see what he needed, his garage was full witha bobcat, a lawn tractor, a grasshopper looking like lawn cutter, a boat and an Allis Chalmers tractor with a mower deck. I helped him move his stuff around and asked about the tractor, he said it was his late father in laws and that it hadnt run since 1999. I asked if he would ever sell and he said a local tractor guy(Harold) told him it was worth about $2500...too rich for my blood so I politely let it go. Fast forward to 2008 when I asked to borrow a few tools and the tracor was staring me in the face again, I asked if he wanted to just get it running for old times sake. Ray said no that he didnt have the time or ambition to do so we talked a bit about it, his father in law bought it off a local dealer after it was traded in with only a few weeks work on her. Rays father in law used it to cultivate beans on his 140 acres, Ray used the tractor himself many times even before he started dating his future wife. 
Fast forward to 2009 when Ray came over to our house and asked if I wanted the old boat in his garage, 1950's something or other fiberglass with a 55 hp Johnson on it. I said heck yes and took the Farmall A over there and dragged it home, as he was leaving he said to me "When you gonna get that tractor?" I said how much you want for it? He says "ahhh...we'll figure it out later and left. A year later in 2010 I was very busy with Harolds tractors and just after July 4th I had a break. I was at Ray's borrowing something when I said "when are you gonna let me start on my next tractor project and pointed to the AC" What Ray said almost made me fall over "Come and get it when youre ready" I said I'll be right back! I grabbed the A and some chain and we dragged her across the street to my shed. Ray steered her there and when we stopped he says to me "make it run, cut your grass with it, and its yours" oh and "you'll need a miracle to unstick her" as he laughed! I was thrilled to have her and this is what she looked like sitting in the shed
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I called Harold imdeiately and he came by....he saw it and said "is that who's I think it is?" I said yes and he says "some guys have all the luck!" I said its stuck he then tells me, jack up the left rear, lock it in fourth, spray down the cylinders with WD40, and everytime I walk by her to pop the wheel against the engine. Harold said in a couple months she should break loose...couple months!? I'm way too impatient for that :lol: Anyhow I did what he said and the second day I heard drips when I sprayed the cylinders....I gave the loaded 11.2x24 a good bump and she went loose as a goose! I called Harold and he flew over! We put in some gas, checked all fluids, and checked the plugs that were all mismatched! good gosh :roll: :lol: But I couldnt resist, I took the battery out of my A and hooked her up to the lawn tractor so Tiff could pull me. Tiff pulled me about 3 feet with Harold walking along side to do carb adjustments if she ran bad and the darned thing fired and idled like a dream! I idled her while Tiff ran in to get the camera and the video I'm going to post is the first drive two or three minutes after she fired
I changed the plugs the next day and changed the fluids and drove her over to Ray and Sue, Sue didnt come out because it was her daddy's and tractors never did much for her but Ray was happy to hear it run. I cut the grass that night for the first time and have been for the last two years without a problem. We use the tractor for many things and it is a dream of a runner
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The tractor is a 1952 Allis Chalmers CA and it was truely a one owner, non original stuff I can tell and Ray and Sue can tell from memory is the rear tires, muffler and tune up stuff. The original cults were scraped after Sue's dad passed so I lost those, the farm it was originally farmed on back in 1952 when new....200 feet away from where she sits now. I have been blessed with two original tractors with fantastic history. Thanks for listening
Fast forward to 2009 when Ray came over to our house and asked if I wanted the old boat in his garage, 1950's something or other fiberglass with a 55 hp Johnson on it. I said heck yes and took the Farmall A over there and dragged it home, as he was leaving he said to me "When you gonna get that tractor?" I said how much you want for it? He says "ahhh...we'll figure it out later and left. A year later in 2010 I was very busy with Harolds tractors and just after July 4th I had a break. I was at Ray's borrowing something when I said "when are you gonna let me start on my next tractor project and pointed to the AC" What Ray said almost made me fall over "Come and get it when youre ready" I said I'll be right back! I grabbed the A and some chain and we dragged her across the street to my shed. Ray steered her there and when we stopped he says to me "make it run, cut your grass with it, and its yours" oh and "you'll need a miracle to unstick her" as he laughed! I was thrilled to have her and this is what she looked like sitting in the shed
I called Harold imdeiately and he came by....he saw it and said "is that who's I think it is?" I said yes and he says "some guys have all the luck!" I said its stuck he then tells me, jack up the left rear, lock it in fourth, spray down the cylinders with WD40, and everytime I walk by her to pop the wheel against the engine. Harold said in a couple months she should break loose...couple months!? I'm way too impatient for that :lol: Anyhow I did what he said and the second day I heard drips when I sprayed the cylinders....I gave the loaded 11.2x24 a good bump and she went loose as a goose! I called Harold and he flew over! We put in some gas, checked all fluids, and checked the plugs that were all mismatched! good gosh :roll: :lol: But I couldnt resist, I took the battery out of my A and hooked her up to the lawn tractor so Tiff could pull me. Tiff pulled me about 3 feet with Harold walking along side to do carb adjustments if she ran bad and the darned thing fired and idled like a dream! I idled her while Tiff ran in to get the camera and the video I'm going to post is the first drive two or three minutes after she fired
I changed the plugs the next day and changed the fluids and drove her over to Ray and Sue, Sue didnt come out because it was her daddy's and tractors never did much for her but Ray was happy to hear it run. I cut the grass that night for the first time and have been for the last two years without a problem. We use the tractor for many things and it is a dream of a runner
The tractor is a 1952 Allis Chalmers CA and it was truely a one owner, non original stuff I can tell and Ray and Sue can tell from memory is the rear tires, muffler and tune up stuff. The original cults were scraped after Sue's dad passed so I lost those, the farm it was originally farmed on back in 1952 when new....200 feet away from where she sits now. I have been blessed with two original tractors with fantastic history. Thanks for listening
