Bevan McKee’s Iconic Allis-Chalmers D21

This Allis-Chalmers D21 was a serious pulling machine in its time, though it never had an official name. It was built in Elmore VIC by Bevan McKee in 1976, the man who brought tractor pulling to Australia. The tractor ran the original engine, fully balanced and tuned to spin at 4,500 RPM. It was fitted with three turbochargers, a Ford F100 radiator used as an intercooler, and ran straight LPG directly into the intake manifold.

At the time, it was a competitive force. But once Black Velvet obtained its jet engine in 1980, the D21 couldn't keep up. It competed for a few more years before being parked up, returned to standard form, and fitted with a cabin. Eventually, it was sold to a farm in Tasmania and went back to work as a regular farm tractor.