Farm Progress

My Favorite Tractor: This tractor is one of 1,587 models manufactured in West Allis, Wis.

Harlen Persinger

August 29, 2018

2 Min Read
GOOD DEAL: Seven years ago, Harold Sisel of Green Bay, Wis., purchased this 1968 model Allis Chalmers 180 tractor.

Seven years ago, Harold Sisel, who lives in Green Bay, Wis., and rents out his 80-acre farm near Algoma, Wis., was looking to buy a tractor at a reasonable price. He spotted a 1968 model Allis Chalmers 180 that had been sitting at a Case dealership for a couple of years and made an offer of $3,000. Later, a truck delivered it to his place. The gas tractor, one of 1,587 models manufactured in West Allis, Wis., had been purchased new from Lon Leferbe Implement in Lena, Wis., for $7,474.

The original transmission, which had been replaced in 2012, is controlled by means of the gear shift lever and the power direction lever. The tractor must be stopped, and the clutch used, to select one of four forward gears or reverse. The power director has high, low and neutral positions. It can be shifted on the move without clutching. Placing the power director into neutral causes the tractor to stop while keeping the PTO engaged.

Features include a wide front end; eight speeds forward and two in reverse; four front running lights and two in the rear, plus one caution; a toolbox alongside the fender; hydraulics; power steering; a 55-horsepower rating on the drawbar; a three-point hitch; 24.6-gallon fuel tank capacity; and a 4.3 L6-cylinder gasoline engine. The tachometer shows 5,400 hours.

“I often take it to shows, help my neighbor haul wagons when he is chopping — and this past year, I ran it for 50 hours on a 16-foot field cultivator,” Sisel says. “The 180 is my favorite tractor because it was my good fortune to find it, and the asking price was right. It has good maneuverability, excellent turning radius, runs quietly and is fun to operate. Someday, I’ll turn it over to my son, Shad, who works in automotive sales for Fleet Farm.”

Persinger lives in Milwaukee. To have your favorite tractor featured, email or send in a photo of yourself with your tractor, along with a 300- to 400-word write-up about the tractor, to [email protected]; or Wisconsin Agriculturist, P.O. Box 236, Brandon, WI 53919.

 

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