Adams leaning wheel grader

Mike Stockwell · Feb 2, 2009

i posted in equipment section and thought i would here also in case someone can help. I have an Adams leaning wheel pull type grader model number 104 and serial number 1844 and was wondering if someone can shed some light on the history of this unit. would like to know the year of mfg., color scheme, how many were made, weight, and where most of them were sent. any help would be appreciated. thanks.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 2, 2009

ACMOC & ACME forums, try there too

Janicholson · Feb 2, 2009

My family owns one. Ours was originally built for being pulled by a traction engine or early crawler tractor. it is originally (with time who could say for sure) construction yellow.
Ours was (my dad said) made in the post WWI era before 1925. I have pictures in an archive, not on hand. Ours has solid rubber tires, Goodyear if I remember correctly.
There is also one that is identical to it at the Albany, MN pioneer days grounds north of Albany, MN.
We still work it annually with an SH or 350U, or 400 farmall. all of which are less than desirable in power and traction. My dad and uncle hooked two Ms front to back. with an adapter to allow the removal of the rear M's (narrow) wheels. It was a hand full. The fifth wheel pulled in half one time and the accelleration of both trctors pulled the arms out straight on my dad and uncle.
They turn around in their own length and are verry handy (if brutal on the operator). All parts of ours work well some just need ocassional reminding that they are free to move!!!
I hope this helps. JimN

Anonymous-0 · Feb 2, 2009

I have one also, just a heads up that you may overlook. If you are standing on the back and the blade is at a angle, when you hit something like a rock , stump etc, that rear end will go sideways faster than you can grab hold of something to maintan your balance.

Adams came out with the leaning wheels that gave them a advantage for sales.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 2, 2009

I knew a lady who said her dad died from injuries like you described, running one of those old pull type graders. Hit a big rock or something, grader jumped sideways, throwing him into the adjusting wheel. He never recovered from his chest injuries. This was road building in the early thirties.

I've been the "oiler" on the back of one of those old graders, but we were only using it to grade a long gravel lane. The one I worked on was rust colored. . .

Paul

Ron in Nebr · Feb 2, 2009

We have one of those, one of the bigger models I think, has steel wheels on it. We acquired it when highway US-83 was being built past our place right after WW2. The construction company pulled it with a big cat and the guys would let my dad who was 6 at the time ride on the cats with them. Right at that point the const company got new self-propelled graders, so they just gave the old horsedrawn grader to grandad. It's pretty much just standard-issue rust color at this point, but I can see traces of what looks like dark green paint on parts of the main frame of it.

Adams leaning wheel grader

Mike Stockwell

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Janicholson

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Anonymous-0

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Anonymous-0

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Ron in Nebr

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