ALLIS-CHALMERS D-19
Buda began working on the B-series engines toward the end of World War II and the first ag engines debuted in 1946 Cockshutt tractors. They would be built in one, two, four and six-cylinder configurations, all sharing a 3.44-inch bore and a 4.12-inch stroke with wet sleeves. Like all Buda diesels since 1934 they used the Lanova Power Cell combustion chamber, but the B-series tractors were considerably downsized compared to previous Buda diesels. Two parent bore (non-sleeved) variants would also be built, the 4BD-182 and the 6BD-273.
The 230ci, 55-flywheel-horsepower 6BD-230 would be the first Buda diesel to appear in AC tractors, namely the WD-45 diesel that began production late in 1954. For 1957 the 230 was bored 1/8 inch and stroked ¼ inch to make it 262 cubic inches. The 4BD four-cylinder engines would get a similar update to 175 cubic inches. The displacement update would coincide with other upgrades that included changes to the sleeve sealing, moving the water pump from the head to the block, improving the oil pump and updating the oil filter from a canister-style to a spin-on.
The D262 turbo diesel was offered with a lower compression ratio than the NA, 14:1 vs. 15.7:1, but after about a year of production (engine number 01499 in the late-’61, early-’62 time period) they upgraded the ratio to 15:1 to solve cold-starting issues. The B-series engines also suffered from head cracking, made worse by turbocharging, so the heads were updated by reducing the valve sizes to leave more material in the casting. The injector tips were made smaller, again to keep more meat in the casting. A new camshaft was added to the mix but we could not discover the exact differences in cam specs.
Besides being the first production turbo diesel farm tractor, the D-19 had another distinction: It was the first farm tractor tested in Nebraska to use a cellulose (paper) air filter. Oil-bath filters were standard for the era but they have very low airflow rates and are not efficient at cleaning the air, even when perfectly maintained. If you let the oil level get low, or the oil reservoir fills with “mud,” the already-marginal filtering efficiency significantly degrades and engine damage can result. A cellulose filter was the answer and in a few short years the entire industry had left oil-bath filters behind. The D-19 was called a “5-plow tractor,” which put it into the upper tier of rowcrop tractors in 1961. It came standard with power steering, adjustable wide front axle, the Traction Booster system (draft control with AC’S unique Snap Coupler implement lift), the Power Director, live PTO, a single hydraulic remote, 15.5-38 rear tires with the non-power-adjusted wheels, a pair of headlights and one rear work/taillight. The price for the base tractor in March of ’62 was $5,860.
Options included single or dual-wheel narrow front axles, power-adjust rear wheels, tires as big as 18.434, a side-mounted drum PTO, front weights, front and rear wheel weights, up to three hydraulic remotes and a padded seat. The D-19 was available in a highclearance model with 37 inches under the belly for use in rice or sugar cane crops. The D-19 was also available with gas or LPG engines.
The D-19 was produced into 1964. It was joined in ’63 by the 103-horsepower D21 with a new 426ci directinjected diesel, making the D-19 an instant also-ran. As the D-19 was fading a totally new tractor emerged to take its place in the lineup, the One-ninety. Even in NA form, the 301ci One-ninety DI diesel made more PTO power than the D19, though the drawbar power was close. The AC direct-injected diesels marked the beginning of the end for the Lanova diesels in Allischalmers tractors. A bit more than 10,000 D-19s of all types were built.
The D-19 lived up to the advertised performance claims but the engine fell short on durability. Even the NA D262 engine was a little sketchy long-term, having issues with dropped sleeves. Being turbocharged, the D-19 engine was even more fragile. A careful operator could avoid the problems but a tired, overworked farmer is often a lot less than careful and a smart tractor manufacturer builds with that in mind. Whatever faults existed with the turbocharged D262, it highlighted the benefits of the turbo diesel and brought the farm tractor market a few steps closer to near-universal acceptance of turbocharged diesels.