AC Two-Twenty

The

LANDHANDLER

TWO -TWENTY b y SHERR Y

he D -S e r i e s A l l i s -C h a l m e r s m ode l s b e ga n t h e i r e v ol u t i o n in t o t h e 10 0 s e r i e s wi t h t h e int r odu c tion of t h e O n e -N i n e t y i n 19 64 .

H o w e v er, it w oul d b e s e v e r a l y e a r s b e f or e t he Tw o-Tw e n t y h i t t h e s ce n e .

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BOSS TRACTOR

OF HORIZON-TO-HORIZON

FARMING Until the 100 series came out, the D-21 was the big horse in the stable, but when the One-Ninety XT was introduced in 1965, it could easily outperform its big brother, the D-21. In order to keep up, a turbocharger was added to the AC 3500 engine making the D-21 a Series II. The one hundred series tractors had their own look with the square grill, making the D-21 somewhat of an oddity in the series. In 1967, the engineering department proposed that the D-21 be restyled and modified to match the others in the series. This “updated” model became the Two-Twenty. For whatever

reason, when the 100 series was introduced, the numerical designation was always spelled out. Thus the Two-Twenty was never tagged “220”. However, in 1971, Allis Chalmers went back to the number designation.

The first Two-Twenty rolled off the assembly line on March 17, 1969. The first serial numbered tractor was 1004. This model could walk away from the D-21 in the field but most of that was due to its additional weight.

The D-21 was about 1500 pounds lighter than the Two-Twenty and just didn’t have the traction of the new model. Most of the additional weight incorporated into the Two-Twenty was in the

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rear-end. The axle diameter was increased to handle the additional stress from the powerful 426 CID engine and it also had a longer wheel-base and heavier housing.

The Two-Twenty was knicknamed “The Landhandler”. This became so popular with AllisChalmers that they eventually used the term as the title for their direct mail publication and for some of their other models.

However, the name originated with the Two-Twenty.

The fifty-one gallon rear fuel tank allowed for seven hours of operation at an average load of 75%. While most of the tinwork was the same as the One-Ninety, the Two-Twenty had the heavy casting around the radiator that added 400 pounds to the front end. The hydraulics, platform, controls and most of the other features were comparable to those on the D-21.

In the mid 1960’s, several companies were offering frontwheel assist tractors (FWA).

Levy “Live-Power” Wheel from Canada was pushing their hydraulic FWA conversions.

They offered kits for IH, Oliver,

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JD, Farmall, Cockshutt, Case, Massey-Ferguson and Ford but none for AC. By 1970 there were seven manufacturers offering a 100+ horsepower tractor. Four of those models were articulating models and the other three were FWA. AC was starting to feel the pressure to put thier own FWA tractor on the market in order to keep up. The most obvious choice was the biggest tractor produced at that time, which was the Two-

Twenty. On June 3, 1970, the first AC Two-Twenty FWA rolled off the line with serial No. 2223.

One hundred models were built with the Rockwell FWA. There were 1,765 of the 2WD models built from 1969-1972 before it was replaced by the 7030.

In 1970, there were few tractors that could keep up with the Two-Twenty, which was rated as a 7-plow tractor. The D-21 Series II production ended

in 1969 but there were models still sitting in inventory. It was also rated a 7-plow machine but it was a lightweight and couldn’t keep up with the TwoTwenty. Competition by the other brands consisted of the JD5020, Ford 9000, IH 1256, 1130 Massey, MM G950 and the Oliver 1955.

If you ask any AC guy why the Two-Twenty FWA wasn’t more popular, most will tell you

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The tractor was promoted as 20,000 pound of brute power built big for farming as far as the eye can see

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it was ahead of its time. Front wheel assist was still fairly new on the scene and had yet to be perfected. The addition to this model made it somewhat clumsy and it didn’t turn very short.

The tractor was also notorious for having bad brakes. It was equipped with triple dry-disc Ausco brakes having 212 sq. in. of contact but even that wasn’t enough to stop the Landhandler or to help it turn.

The Two-Twenty was equipped with an optional Category III 3-pt. hitch. It was designed to handle an eightbottom plow, twelve-row planter or a twenty-eight foot chisel.

Since the Two-Twenty used many of the same components as the D-21 Series II, it had already been put to the test and was basically a very reliable machine.

The tractor was promoted as 20,000 pound of brute power built big for “farming as far as the eye can see”.

”

Maximum Observed PTO Horsepower – 135.95 Engine: 426 CID AC 3500 turbocharged Bore & Stroke: 4.25x5 Manufactured in West Allis, Wisconsin

CAPACITIES Fuel Tank – 51 gal.

Cooling System – 21 qt.

Crankcase – 12 qt.

Engine oil filters – 3 qt.

Approximate Shipping Weight w/Duals & FWA (no fluid) - 17,000 lbs.

GOING ORANGE IS GOING GREAT About this 220 FWA: This 1970 Landhandler 220 is owned by Vern Veldhuizen of Richmond, IL. The Veldhuizen family has farmed with AC all of their lives and found this tractor at an auction in Wisconsin in 2002. It had a bad engine and was in need of a full restoration. Vern and his son, Jason, brought the Two-Twenty back to life and added it to their collection, never imagining that it would someday be a centerfold.

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LANDHANDLER

TWO -TWENTY

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Photo by

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