Alldays & Onions

The firm of Alldays & Onions Ltd was founded in Birmingham, England in 1885 by a merger between William Allday & Co. and the bellow-maker John Onions to form the Alldays & Onions Pneumatic Engineering Co Ltd in 1889. The Firm only build one model of tractor the General Purpose.

History

Alldays & Onions Ltd was formed by a merger of 2 old companies that went back to 1650. The new company, based in Birmingham (UK), produced a range of products including turbines, fans, pneumatic hammers and furnaces, as well as a vast range of bicycles. By 1898 they had decided to manufactured their first car. After exhibiting a motorcar of considerable complexity (rear engine, shaft-driven gearbox at the front and belt final-drive) in the latter part of 1899, and a quadricycle. They then started building in 1900 the Alldays a tandem-seated ''Traveller'' "Voiturette". The new car had wheel steering from the back seat and a rear-mounted 2¾hp De Dion-Bouton engine (in the style of early french cars). The firm like may other engineering firms of the time was looking for new products and subsequently produced further cars and motorcycles. They opened a new works in Fallows Road, Sparkbrook known as the Matchless Works and also produced motor cycles from this factory from 1903. The early car was a Quarilcycle design with De lion engine. A conventional single-cylinder car with shaft drive was introduced in 1903, followed two years later by a very successful two-cylinder 10/12hp model that remained in production until 1913.

Alldays were ambitious as in 1908 they absorbed the car-maker Enfield of Redditch (the company of the famous rifle and bicycle business). They then developed new and more expensive cars. The 10/12 was therefore allowed to languish, and the last Alldays-badged cars were sold in 1918, for by this time the business had developed its alternative (and expensive) Enfield-Alldays range, which sold in limited numbers until 1925.

Car models

The Traveller "Voiturette" of 1898
The 7 hp of 1903-08 (single cylinder)
10/12 of 1904-? (twin cylinder)
30/35 of 1911-18

Tractors

Their tractor production consisted of a single model, the Alldays General Purpose Tractor. The design was in some ways quite advanced for its time with front and rear sprung axles and a fully enclosed engine. The look being of a large car with steel Traction engine wheels. The tractor was updated to a MkII version (an example of which is show here).

Photo Gallery (Click on images to enlarge) Alldays General Purpose Tractor Mk.2 (serial no. 402) at Onslow Park Rally, Shropshire and Little Casterton Working Weekend, Lincolnshire (UK) in 2006. \n \n \n \n Alldays General Purpose Tractor Mk.2 at Carrington Rally, Lincolnshire (UK) in 2009.