MARLIN - By the late '60's M&W was having problems trying to develop "Stuff" for tractors. I kinda stopped watching what all new products they developed every year. Most of Our area had "Gone Green" so I never paid much attention to the Tender-Foot kits for IH's. The HP wars in ag tractors was at an all time level and they all seemed to have enough gears, live Hyd, live PTO. They made a LOT of money making their "Add Power sleeve & piston kits". Dad's old '63 4010 already had the "4020 Kit" in it when He bought it in Dec. '68 but it still burned 4-5 Quarts of oil every tank of fuel, and like most 4010/4020's it popped a head gasket fall plowing in '71 so it got ran over towards Galva/Kewanee, IL to Warner's Turbo shop and got a complete inframe rebuild with M&W pistons. After Terry Warner did a little more inj. pump work to it, it was making about 105 HP without a turbo and was finally a good 5-bottom tractor. Terry was doing R&D work for M&W, was the largest Steiger Tractor dealer east of the Mississippi, and did probably 100 farm tractor rebuilds/year.
Probably HALF of the 4010/4020's in Our neighborhood got M&W turbo's. Our old clay hills would pull a stock 4020 pulling 5-14's down into 3rd gear, and everyone wanted to run in 5th!
Your comment about accidently hitting the ether button makes Me wonder WHY anyone still has those kits still on those old tractors anymore.
There used to be two good Allis dealers in the Q-C area, I think it was Dewitt Implement down on Indian Bluff Road in Milan just west of the back side of the Moline Airport, and another dealer up around DeWitt, IA. I bought a LOT of CC parts from Dean Bassett over the years. He used to have a "Cub Cadet Store" in an old gas station on State Street in Bettendorf west of the I-74 bridge. First 982 I ever saw in person was there. I couldn't understand why ANYONE needed a mower that big back in about 1985. Now that I have one I wished it was Bigger! In '85 I had a lot 75 ft X 170 ft. Now I have over two acres!
Allis made some good tractors, however they kinda didn't put enough BEEF in the rearends of the 190 & 190XT. It was too much like the D-19 which was 60-70 HP and the XT was 93 hp.
JD has a test farm out south of Rt 150 just east of Coal Valley, back in spring of '78 I ran that UPS route for six weeks. I got my little brown truck stuck in a frost heave right in front of the entrance and a local farmer pulled Me out with His old JD 60. While I waited for Him to get His tractor out I watched a new BIG green 2WD tractor trying to pull a 6 or 7 bottom plow in really wet corn ground. They were taking pictures of the tractor & plow for an ad. What I bet the ad wouldn't show was the BIG articulated 4X4 at the front end of the 100 ft steel cable pulling the 2WD tractor & plow.
I do remember when the Cyclo planters were released, but I never heard about "Yellow & White" Cyclo planters. I remember IH bought the design off two farmers from up in MN. JD had their "Plate-less Planter" on the market for a year or two and IH needed something NOW! My old next-door Neighbor was the General Forman at the E.Moline plant on the planter line.