In a follow-on from our story about Michael O’Neill’s Allis Chalmers ED40 tractor in last week’s Irish Farmers Journal, Geoff Daly of Farmec Ireland has been in touch with us as he was the wholesale representative for McGee’s of Ardee in the 1960s.

McGee’s was the Irish importers for the Allis Chalmers range at that time and Geoff had originally sold the very tractor that Michael O’Neill restored to Alex Kane of Kane’s Garage in Edgeworthstown, who in turn sold it on to Pat McNamee.

“I was only in McGee’s since leaving Warrenstown College in late 1959 and Kane’s Garage was a baptism of fire to a young farm machinery salesman in the early 60s,” says Geoff.

“Alex Kane also sold Jones balers for us and we had some exciting experiences with them also. At one stage, I recall having a path worn between Edgeworthstown and Ardee bringing replacement parts to Kane’s for tractors and balers.”

Geoff said that Allis Chalmers decided to build the tractor in England to try to recover some of its lost market share and to compete with the MF 135.

“A small number were exported to the US or probably more likely to Canada. The tractor was subject to a lot of problems, not least with the Standard Motor Company diesel engine,” says Geoff.

Massey Ferguson had abandoned the Standard four-cylinder diesel engine because of the problems in favour of a Perkins unit.

“I recall a meeting with the service manager of Allis Chalmers in England when he was singing the praises of the tractor in work in Canada. We had a major disagreement with his presentation in respect to the reliability of the English-built tractor. I recall that Paddy (PV) McGee hardly said a word during the meeting and eventually McGee’s decided to abandon the tractor,” says Geoff.

Geoff added that the English production of the Allis Chalmers ED40 tractor ceased in 1968. “All of the earlier Allis Chalmers construction equipment, with exception of one wheeled loader model which was also made in England, was manufactured in the US and was well regarded,” says Geoff.

Geoff believes that Michael O’Neill’s Allis Chalmers AC300 baler could have been a Jones baler painted with Allis Chalmers (AC) colours. Geoff recalls that AC bought the Jones baler company in 1961 and from then the Jones baler was sold in AC colours.

Geoff believes that the only AC-manufactured baler he can recall selling was the round baler. The round baler was very actively sold by Sherrard’s of Cork and branches Kill Agri in Waterford (Pat Fitzgerald Snr) and Powers of Ferns (Willie and later Jake Power) to mention a few.

Geoff adds that McGee’s of Ardee promoted the Jones brand for a short period and he has a vague recollection of the Jones baler in Allis Chalmers colours.

Allis Chalmers ED40 some details

The Allis Chalmers ED40 tractor was manufactured at Essendine, Lincolnshire, England, from 1960 to 1968. The 2.3-litre Standard Motor Company four-cylinder diesel engine was rated at 41hp.

The tractor was fitted with an eight-speed transmission operating through a single clutch, with eight forward speeds and four reverse. There was the option of the Allis Chalmers half-shaft clutch to achieve live drive power take-off, but this was not fitted to Michael O’Neill’s tractor.

The point linkage was powered by an engine-mounted hydraulic pump giving hydraulic power whenever the engine was running, whether in gear or not.

The tractor was fitted with a hydraulic weight transfer system designed to increase traction, while a simple mechanical depth stop was provided on the earlier machines. Later models that were introduced mid-1963 and called Depthomatic had a draught and position control system.

Later changes included improved gear ratios, a pick-up hitch and an increase in power through higher maximum revs and revised battery arrangement.

An option on both models was the patent Allis Chalmers power-adjusted variable track rear wheels. This system was adopted by other manufacturers after patents expired.

DeCourcey keeps the combine tradition strong

This year’s DeCourcey Classic and Vintage Club Harvest event was rescheduled from the usual August bank holiday Monday to the following Sunday (7 August) due to bad weather.

Club PRO Bill Chambers said that the event celebrated 80 years since the start of production of the Ferguson Brown tractor, which resulted from a collaboration between Harry Ferguson and David Brown.

This tractor was the first in a long line of Ferguson machines to be mass-produced from 1936 right up to today, with the Massey Ferguson brand still a market leader.

Mick Forde from The Farm, Grenagh, brought along one of the early Ferguson Browns. This 1938 build tractor had steel wheels originally, but has had a modification carried out using truck rims so that rubber tyres could be fitted.

Mick also had a very early Massey Harris 726 combine harvester working at the event. This machine dates from 1949 and is probably the oldest self-propelled harvester in Ireland.

A number of reaper and binders were in action. One of the binders was pulled by a Ferguson 20 owned by Finn O’Regan, Ballinadee. Finn had just completed a major rebuild of the tractor’s engine in time for the harvest day.

New to DeCourcey’s was Donie Twomey’s Claas SF. This combine was originally bought by the McCarthys in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, and retired from duty only six years ago.

Donie, from Roberts Cove, purchased the machine and fully restored it during 2015.

The 2016 harvest day provided funds for The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, Courcey Rovers Camogie and Ladies football club, Ballinadee Development Association and the local Foroige club.

Irish Farmers Journal Vintage Diary

4 December Ardee Farm Model Show, Parish Centre, Ardee, Louth 087-971 4756

4 December Shamrock Vintage Ploughing, Wexford 087-222 9038

4 December Newport Model & Diorama Show, Tipperary 086-895 4037

4 December Ballincollig Club Christmas Party, Cork 087-909 6616

4 December Rathgormack Tractor Run, Waterford 087-255 1789

10/11 December Durrow Diecast & Model Show, Durrow, Laois 086-886 0598

11 December Broadford Christmas Tractor Run, Broadford, Limerick 086-838 1427

26 December Four Counties Vintage Christmas Tractor Run, Meath 087-276 8406

26 December Newcastle Vintage Club vintage Road Run, Clonmel, Tipperary 086-898 4511

26 December Clonroche/Poulpeasty Vintage Tractor Run, Wexford 087-246 4479

28 December Murt & Minty Tractor Run, Kilkenny 086-266 2105

*Dates are subject to change. The Irish Farmers Journal does not take responsibility for date or venue changes. Please contact each event before you travel.