'Sentimental value': In 1953, his Wisconsin grandfather bought a new Allis-Chalmers WD for $2,200, and 62 years later, his grandson found it and brought it back home

For Kevin Klahn, one particular Allis-Chalmers WD tractor carries decades of family memories, hard work and a connection to his grandfather that modern farm equipment could never replace. The 1953 Allis-Chalmers WD was originally purchased by Klahn’s grandfather, Robert Klahn, for $2,200. More than six decades later, Kevin managed to track down the same tractor and bring it back to the family farm. The story of Kevin Klahn's tractor is now going viral online.

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His grandfather bought the Allis-Chalmers WD new in 1953

In 1953, Robert Klahn purchased a brand-new Allis-Chalmers WD from Hanley Implement Co., a local dealer, for $2,200. At the time, the tractor became an important part of life at Klondike Farms near Brooklyn, Wisconsin.


Its primary job was hauling wagons filled with crews harvesting tobacco. Kevin Klahn grew up around the tractor and eventually learned to operate it himself.

“Once I could reach the pedals, I started driving the WD while everyone picked up tobacco plants and loaded them for transport to the tobacco shed,” Kevin Klahn said. Robert Klahn also used it alongside a Farmall M and a Ford 9N equipped with a loader.

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Together, the machines helped the family raise corn, oats and hay while caring for 26 Holstein cows, pigs and chickens.

The family tractor eventually left Kevin Klahn's hands

The Allis-Chalmers WD remained part of the family for decades. But after Robert Klahn died in 1985, the tractor went to his son Ron. For the next 30 years, it was mainly used for raking hay.

By then, farming technology had changed considerably, but the old WD still had a special place in Kevin Klahn's memories. "When Grandpa passed away in 1985, it went to my uncle Ron and was mainly used for raking hay the next 30 years,” Klahn added.

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Eventually, Kevin got an opportunity to bring the family tractor back. In 2015, 62 years after his grandfather purchased it new, Klahn bought the Allis-Chalmers WD for $2,000.

There was just one problem: the tractor was in rough shape.

A $2,000 tractor turned into a year-long restoration project. Bringing the 1953 Allis-Chalmers WD back to life required time, money and plenty of mechanical work.

Over the next 12 months, Klahn tackled a long list of repairs. He fixed oil leaks, installed new tires and a new fuel tank, and replaced the seat and radiator grille.

The restoration work cost another $4,500. Once the mechanical repairs were complete, Klahn's friend Dale Martinson of Stoughton, Wisconsin, repainted the tractor.

The result was a dramatically transformed machine that looked ready to take its place in the family story once again.

Why the Allis-Chalmers WD was so important

The Allis-Chalmers WD was not simply another tractor of its era. Manufactured from 1953 to 1957 in West Allis, Wisconsin, the row-crop tractor became known for combining power, versatility and operator comfort.

The WD could handle a four-bottom plow and featured a number of innovations that made it useful for different types of farm work.

Its specifications included:

• Two-wheel mechanical drive
• Four forward gears and one reverse
• Live rear PTO
• Snap-coupler hitch
• Belt pulley
• Narrow or wide front end
• Open operator station
• Steel seat
• 15-gallon fuel capacity
• Electric and crank starter
• Mechanical band brakes
• Two front lights and a red fender light

Power came from an AC 3.7-liter, four-cylinder, liquid-cooled gasoline engine.

For farming families of the 1950s, a machine like the WD represented a major investment. For the Klahn family, it eventually became something even more valuable: a link to the generations who worked the land before them.

'Our grandfather would be very happy'

The restoration was ultimately about far more than repairing an old tractor. It gave the Klahn family a chance to preserve a physical reminder of their grandfather and the work that helped shape their farm.

“It has provided many sentimental memories, and our grandfather would be very happy to see the WD he brought to the farm is back to mint condition,” Klahn added.

More than 70 years after the Allis-Chalmers WD first arrived on the Klahn family farm, its story continues. The tractor that once hauled tobacco crews and helped with everyday farm chores has become a symbol of family history.