Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1547091
'Charming Allis' Submitted photo Jeff Berz of Imlay City, Mich., takes pride in "Charming Allis," his 1948 W Speed Patrol that was purchased brand-new by his grandfather and driven home from the dealership near Birmingham Mich. "Our family owned an airport that at the time had gravel runways. The Speed Patrol was used to keep the runways groomed and to plow snow with in the winter," Berz said. "I've enjoyed having this old beauty and keeping it running. I have a crushed asphalt drive that goes around my backyard. Once in a while, I take 'Charming Allis' out and grade it out. They sure don't make them like this anymore." look into purchasing some tractors to bring back to the USA. When visiting the former A-C dealer (now John Deere), Dean spotted the B diesel and decided it needed to come back to Iowa. So, it was purchased and loaded in a shipping container along with several other tractors being shipped to the USA. Dean proudly displayed the B diesel at many shows. Yours truly fondly remembers driving it at a local show not long after it arrived here. A number of years later, Roelof's grandson Wim Baron was curious as to where the B had ended up. He talked to the local dealer, who found an old email address for the Byerlys. Thinking it was worth a shot, he sent them an email, and Dean replied. At the age of 20, Wim made his first trip to the USA and visited Dean and Phyllis Byerly and, of course, got to see his grandfather's B diesel. To add another special note, Wim is now a mechanic at the former Allis-Chalmers dealer from which his grandfather purchased the B. A friendship evolved between Wim and the Byerlys, resulting in Wim coming back every other year since. 2014 was a very special year. The B diesel was brought to the former West Allis Works and was driven in the 100th-anniversary tractor ride from the former factory to the Union Grove show grounds. Wim said this was a great weekend he will never forget. Earlier this year, Dean called Wim to let him know they believed it was time for the tractor to return home. So, in early September, it was loaded in a shipping container, and at this moment, it is on its way back to The Netherlands after a 30-year stay here in Iowa. Wim says he is so grateful and blessed to bring his grandfather's tractor back home. To my knowledge, there was only one B diesel in the United States, and now the count is back to zero. Obviously, very little information was given here on the tractors A-C imported to Europe and the production of the B tractor in the United Kingdom. If anyone would like to share any of this information as well as anything on the Jones/Allis-Chalmers balers, I would love to hear it. A special thank-you to my good friend Wim Baron for assisting in writing this article and to the Byerlys, as well. Continued on Page 16 Parts from the Past 16 OLD ALLIS NEWS