Rich Bergeson’s Passion for Rare Orange Horsepower

Even though he has nearly 70 classic tractors in his collection, Rich Bergeson insists every one of them has a story.

That even goes for the 15 Allis-Chalmers D21 models he owns. It’s not surprising that the largest percentage of tractors in his collection are Allis-Chalmers models. Bergeson, who farms with his brother, Bill, near Ransom, Illinois, can still remember the day their dad went to a sale in Kentucky to purchase an Allis-Chalmers D10.

Later, their dad bought a D17 Series 4, which Rich says hooked him for life, particularly since his great uncle had an Allis-Chalmers dealership in Donahue, Iowa. While there are a number of rare and unusual tractors in Bergeson’s collection, one of the rarest s a D21 with a Levy front-wheel-assist and a slanted grille to accommodate the hydraulic pump. It’s one of only three in existence. His D21 collection also includes a custom-built conversion that used the powered rear axle from a Gleaner combine as a front-wheel-assist on the tractor.

His Fleet of D21s

Other D21 models within Bergeson’s collection include a couple of yellow industrial models; two orange industrial models; various versions of the series I, II, and III models; and the first D21 he ever purchased, which was shortly after he graduated from high school.

Another shop-built model, which Bergeson created, is a replica of the original D21 design, which resembled the D19. Unlike the D21 that went into production, Bergeson’s prototype features a 301-cubic-inch engine and the same type of grille and hood as the other D Series models. Supposedly, that design was rejected, and the engineers were told to, quote, “come up with something better.” The 426-cubic-inch engine was still under development during construction of the new prototypes, so a similarly-rated horse- power Waukesha engine was used in those unitsto perform drivetrain and shock-load tests. Unfortunately, all three were destroyed upon the completion of testing at the Allis-Chalmers proving grounds, which prompted Bergeson to build a duplicate.

A One-of-a-Kind White D21

Perhaps the most unique D21, though, is the one Bergeson had painted white with diamond white sheet metal to commemorate the tractor’s diamond anniversary. That tractor was even the model for a new Ertl toy that was released in four different versions. Sixty were pearl white for the 60th anniversary, 21 were gold, and 2,500 were yellow.

However, Bergeson went a step further to celebrate the D21’s anniversary by gathering as many D21 tractors as possible at the 2023 Half Century of Progress in Rantoul, Illinois. With help from friends, Darryl Krause and Luke Gehris, he had hoped to see at least 100 D21 models at the show. However, Allis-Chalmers enthusiasts far surpassed that goal with a total of 210 tractors.

Bergeson recalls there were D21 models that came to the show from as far away as Colorado, New York, and even Ontario, Canada. Before the show, Bergeson even hosted an open house at his farm to showcase his Allis-Chalmers and D21 collection. He also sponsored a D21 tractor caravan from Penfield, Illinois, to the show grounds in Rantoul.

Other Unique Allis-Chalmers

The D21 models are far from being the only unique models in Bergeson’s collection. He also has every other D Series model Allis-Chalmers produced, including several different variations of those models. That includes wheatland models, high crop versions, propane models, gas and diesel versions, and more. His collection also includes several of the Number Series models. Even then, you’ll find special versions, like the 220 with front-wheel- assist and a Beachmaster versions of the 190 and D19. He also has the first Model 220 built and the first 220 that was sold.

Two of the most unique models, however, are the 4W-220 and 4W-305 4-wheel-drive models he owns. Both carry the serial number 1000, which makes them the first of their respective models ever built. It appears, though, that the 4W-220 was not a production model, but rather a prototype or test unit, since the serial numbers for production models started at 1001. Even more revealing is the fact that the tractor was originally painted primer green and had a Cummins engine.

“There’s still some green paint under the orange paint in some places and if you lift up the floor mat there are several holes in the cab floor,” Bergeson adds. “So, it looks like they were running cables up to monitors or gauges in the cab for testing. There’s also a nut welded to the end of each axle, which appears to have been used to test slippage. Finally, it has the 3-point hitch from the AC Model 8050 instead of the hitch used on the production models,” he adds, noting that he has since replaced the engine with the Allis-Chalmers 3750 Mark II powerplant used in the production models.

And Then There Are the Crawlers

The 4W-220 is far from being the only suspected prototype in his collection. Hidden among all the wheeled tractors are two Allis-Chalmers HD3 crawler tractors with a square hood, which were sold in both gas and diesel models with either a loader or a dozer blade. The unique thing about Bergeson’s models is that they both feature a square hood, rather than the rounded hood found on most other models.

“There were only four units built with the square hood before they dropped it and went to the HD4,” he says. “It’s believed that they tried to redesign the HD3 near the end of production and instead just made it a new model. I have a gas model with the blade and a diesel model with the bucket.”