Allis-Chalmers

Allis-Chalmers was formed in 1901 through the merger of the Edward P. Allis Company with Fraser & Chalmers, Gates Iron Works, and Dickson Manufacturing, consolidating around a new factory in what became West Allis, Wisconsin. The company built its first tractor in 1914 and became a major farm equipment maker known for its distinctive Persian Orange tractors, alongside industrial and power-generation equipment. Financial troubles led Allis-Chalmers to sell its agricultural equipment division to West Germany's Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz in 1985, which rebranded the tractors as Deutz-Allis; the parent company declared bankruptcy in 1987 and dissolved by 1999.