All-White AC Tractor And Trailer A Big Hit At Shows

All-White AC Tractor And Trailer A Big Hit At Shows AG WORLD A piece of WW II history was on display at the recent Orange Spectacular show near Hutchinson Minn It was an all-white Allis Chalmers M-7 Snow Tractor with an M-19 trailer developed for use by the military to bring crashed aviators to safety The rigs were painted dusky white to blend in with the snow Both the tractor and trailer are owned by Richard and Peggy Liekweg of Iowa Falls Iowa who enjoy traveling to farm shows with their exhibit It’s easy to spot as everything on both units is painted white including the tires The M-7 and M-19 were made in 1944 by Allis Chalmers and given to the Army About 291 of them were made and the Liekwegs own number 181 tractor They rescued the tractor after finding it in Boundary Alaska in 1999 Both the snow tractor and trailer will run on either wheels or skis They bought the M-7 from a man who had used it for hunting and hauling and had replaced the front end with one off a Chevy car The tractor was in bad shape so they set about replacing or repairing many parts on it in order to return it to its original condition “We networked parts hunted parts down through salvage yards and created new parts ” says Richard “We received a lot of help from military collectors and from Allis Chalmers collectors The restoration process took a lot of time ” The tractor’s side panels were rusted out torn and in terrible shape “Our son was in the body repair business and had access to thin sheet metal which he used to make new side panels ” says Peggy The tractor is powered by a Willys Jeep 4-cyl gas engine transmission and differential “The government used Willys Jeep components because they had a good supply of repair parts available ” says Peggy The Liekwegs drove to the Northwest Territories in Canada to pick up the M-19 trailer which had come to Canada from Scotland The M-19 is a 1-ton flat trailer with a canvas top It’s designed to carry 2 stretchers and has room for someone to tend to the injured A heater and lights inside the trailer operate off the tractor’s electrical system The wooden parts on the trailer were rotten although the trailer’s frame and tongue were in good shape “We collected at least one extra of each part that was needed to complete the restoration That way we had a pattern to create any parts we might need to replace in the future ” says Peggy Their son-in-law made laminated wooden skis for both rigs and even made the soaking tank and jigs to shape them Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Richard Liekweg 711 College Ave Iowa Falls Iowa 50126 ph 641 648-3769; pegs3rd@hotmail com

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