Damage to an Allis Chalmers 5050

arsones · Aug 6, 2021

I'm a writer working on a story involving some repairs to an Allis Chalmers 5050. Thing is, I don't know a whole lot about tractors! So I need some input:

What's a tiny part on a tractor that, if broken, loosened, etc, could cause a lot of damage? For instance, I've heard a broken valve stem on some John Deeres can cause the wheel to come loose, but I'm not sure if Allis Chalmers have the same setup with the uncovered valve stems.

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!

lfnel · Aug 7, 2021

If you can locate it, Roger Welch, a Nebraska humorist, has a story about how to adjust the carburetor on an AC model WD tractor, I
believe it is. Anyway it starts out with just a screw driver to turn the screw head to adjust the fuel flow needle on the carburetor. It
ends, after one thing leading to another, with the entire tractor disassembled. Hopefully someone here can telll us where to locate
that story. It's probably a chapter in one of his books.

Aaron SEIA · Aug 7, 2021

Running without oil will destroy and engine or transmission. If thing go very wrong with the clutch, the flywheel could fly apart. Fuel injection pump sticking can cause the engine to over speed and explode. Are you looking for a protagonist to tamper with the tractor?
AaronSEIA

cdmn · Aug 7, 2021

It's kind of hard to be specific to a 5050 Allis because so few people have had any experience with them. {They were
actually FIAT tractors with Allis markings.] Designers try hard to build tractors that don't fail like that.
However, I've had experience with a small ball bearing falling out of the back axle and getting jammed between the
bull gear and floor of the axle housing, causing a large hole in the casting and ruining an expensive gear.
Another example would be the failure of a screw holding a connecting rod to the crankshaft throw. If if lets go,
and they sometimes do, you will have a high-order event resulting in the rod breaking and exiting the engine through
the casting and taking out the oil pump and camshaft on the way. A third rather common hazard in a particular model,
is that a small lead flyweight in the governor breaks loose and jams into the timing chain and goes around a few
times, ruining the chain, the timing sprockets and the front engine cover. This makes the engine inoperable.
Luckily, the repairs are simple and not expensive. The rest of the engine is quite excellent.

arsones · Aug 7, 2021

Yes, actually, the idea is that it is tampered with, but by someone without much skill or strength. Thank you for your ideas!

Aaron SEIA · Aug 7, 2021

Cracking the fuel lines would be enough to prevent it from running. Drain the radiator. Lot of ways to do it, but several of them would be caught and fairly quickly remedied by a good operator. The old "potato up the tailpipe" to buy a few minutes or trying to permanently damage it to be malicious.
AaronSEIA

arsones · Aug 7, 2021

Thank you everyone for your input, and condolences if you know these situations from experience!

On another note: An embarrassingly simple question. Can someone please explain to me the mechanism for opening the front grille on a 5050?? I've spent too many hours on youtube watching videos with the grille both on and off, but no one will show me how it hinges open. Is it a knob, some bolts, or what?

Damage to an Allis Chalmers 5050

arsones

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lfnel

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Aaron SEIA

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cdmn

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Aaron SEIA

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arsones

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