Pictured here, in 1973, is an Allis-Chalmers 12G Series B crawler loader on-site in Oakville for King Paving & Materials Ltd. It is equipped with a 2.3 cu.meter (3 cu.yd.) capacity side-dump bucket and a rear mounted ripper.
Side-dump bucket design patents go back to the 1950s, when they were used on crawler and wheel loaders. By the 1960s, the Construction Machinery Division of Allis-Chalmers had developed its own version. The side-dump bucket enables faster loading cycles and less wear on the crawler undercarriage. Note that the radiator was located behind the operator’s station to eliminate damage from bucket spillage.
The Allis name goes back to 1846, when a small manufacturing company set out to build sawmills, eventually branching out to flour mills and steam engines. By 1900, Allis had merged with Chalmers, and, through acquisitions such as Rumely Tractors, Monarch Tractors and Buda Engines in the 1930s & 40s, Allis-Chalmers was poised to enter the construction equipment segment in the 1950s.
Bulldozers, motor scrapers, graders, front-end loaders and tractor-loader-backhoes were common on construction sites well into the 1970s.
In 1974, Fiat and Allis-Chalmers merged to become Fiat-Allis which only lasted a decade. Sheridan Equipment Ltd. was the Allis-Chalmers construction equipment dealer for Ontario during this era.
King Paving and Materials Ltd. came about in 1928 and was an early member of the Ontario Road Builders Association. It grew from a small concrete paving business to one of the first contractors to complete sections of the 400 highway series in the 1950s. Along with highway contracts, W.W. King saw the need for a steady aggregate supply and opened a quarry that would eventually become Nelson Crushed Stone Ltd. The current iteration of the firm is KING Paving & Construction Ltd.
Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic restrictions, HCEA Canada had to cancel the annual October event, the ‘Last Blast’ for the safety of all concerned. Please check our website for updates: www.hceacanada.org
To see more than 60 restored pieces of vintage construction equipment in action be sure to attend the Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA Canada) events: ‘Wheels & Tracks in Motion’ held in June and the ‘Last Blast’ in October when it’s safe to attend. Both events are held at the Simcoe County Museum near Barrie, Ontario. HCEA Canada is a Proud Community Heritage Partner of the Simcoe County Museum.