Allis-Chalmers Forty-Five Motor Grader (Orange)

Allis-Chalmers Forty-Five Motor Grader (Orange)

This Allis-Chalmers Forty-Five Motor Grader was made exclusively for the 2008 National Toy Truck 'N Construction Show that was held on August 22-24, 2007 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

No other variation of this tooling has been produced and as of 2025, no other variation is even allowed due to the agreement with Toy Trucker & Contractor and First Gear, Inc.

Allis-Chalmers introduced the "AD40" in 1952 with many improvements over it's previous frader models.  The new "T" frame was narrow all the way back to the rear frame, this made a huge improvement in operator visibility over the previous Y-shaped frame designs.  A constant-mesh transmission allowed for shifting on the roll, and provided slightly faster speeds.  The $13,740 AD40 tipped the scales at 23,000 pounds.

When they acquired the "Buda Company" in 1953 Allis-Chalmers engineers were afforded a great deal more control over reliability, cost, and performance for their entire line of construction machinery.  In that light they soon began extracting GM 4-71 engines from assembled machines and inserting the new Buda 4-stroke diesel engines in their place.

A six-cylinder diesel rated at 120hp, the "D-516", was installed in the AD40 and remarketed as the "Forty-Five" in 1955.  When the popular V snowplow was fitted to the grader it could cut a 9 foot path through deep snow, a 12 foot wing plow pushed that snow even further, to slow drifting on the wind-swept plains.  Blizzard-prone areas enjoyed the optional fully-enclosed cab, which afforded all-weather operation for year-around.

1961 brought another re-marketing as the grader's name was changed to "45" and Persian Orange paint on unsold "Forty-Five" models were over-sprayed with yellow paint, which was growing in popularity throughout the construction market.  New elliptical decal design set the 45 apart even further visually, and advertising boasted of the new 10000 direct-injection engines, which made for easier starting and improved fuel-consumption.

Production of the 45 model derivatives ended when the M100 was introduced.  It's entirely new square-tubular frame design replaced the familiar tube-frame but production numbers seemed to dwindle.