Does Allis-Chalmers make a good Plow?

Olivers (later white) are the most desirable, but allis or deeres were just as good, and for that matter, most brands were.

Olivers (later white) are the most desirable, but allis or deeres were just as good, and for that matter, most brands were.

I've never heard may nice things said about AC plows, but I am satisfied with mine.

Be even more satisfied if I could find new points for it.

I don't want to start a war, but I had two bachelor uncles who were such John Deere freaks that to them it was totally unthinkable to have ANY piece of machiner that wasn't JD. They wouldn't even own any aftermarket. If John Deere didn't make it, they wouldn't own it.

For that reason, my father absolutely refused to own any JD machinery. I'm neutral. I owned a couple of JD combines, the 4-14 plow, and I still own a #5 mower.

My uncles did custom corn shelling,(With a JD sheller)and one time they were shelling for our neighbor, "Art". Art had all Oliver tractors. His son-in-law, Carl, showed up with a Massey 44. When the sheller was shut down and it was quiet enough to converse, Carl yelled, "Hey Art, do you know why they paint Olivers green?"

Of course Art said, "No". Carl replied, "So you can hide them in the weeds while a good tractor goes by".

Since John Deere's are green, my uncles were so mad I think they were about ready to pack up their sheller and go home.

I know it's long, but I just HAD to tell that.

Early Allis plow lathes didn't scour as well as some others. We found that Oliver made the best for scouring back in the 50's and 60's. I would think that modern plows are pretty similar in this regard - no one perpetuates an inferior design.

You are looking at 4-18 which means it is a fairly new plow since that size became available later. I would think a good visual would tell you if the trip bottoms had been used excessively. Check the wear points to see the level of use. Check the lathes to see the wear.

I would expect the Allis plow to bring less on resale than a comparable John Deere. This doesn't mean one is better than another - it's supply and demand. You need to make your own decision. (Some can only use John Deere.)

Anyway, all brands have strong points and weak points.