To acquire small tractors for its lineup, Allis-Chalmers turned its attention to Eastern Europe after its previous cooperation with Renault ended due to the price being too high. In the fall of 1975, the 5040, also known as the Universal 445, manufactured by Universal in Romania, was introduced. Like the Universals, it was based on Fiat technology. Mainly only the grille, the shade of orange, and the color of the rims were changed to match Allis-Chalmers. The color of the frame was Universal’s original reddish-brown. The engine was a 2.3-liter 3-cylinder producing 44 hp. Initially, there were 6+2 gears, and later 8+2. Crawling gears were available as an optional extra. Standard equipment included, among other things, power steering, a differential lock, and glow plugs.

After production of the model 170 ended, a tractor with over 50 horsepower was also needed. In the summer of 1976, the 5050 began to be marketed, manufactured by Fiat in Italy. The design and color scheme corresponded to the model produced by Universal. The original equivalent of this model was the Fiat 540, but the engine was a 2.75-liter instead of the original 2.6-liter used in Europe in the 580 model. There was also a four-wheel-drive variant, the 5050 FWA, as well as a more compact 5050 Low-Profile model designed for orchard use.

In 1981, the 5040 was also replaced by the 5045, manufactured in Italy, which corresponded to the 480 model. In total, around 13,000 tractors of this series were imported, half from Romania and half from Italy.

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