Have opportunity to buy an Oliver OC-3 crawler with loader

[Just2quickz28]

I have opportunity to buy an Oliver OC-3 crawler with loader.

I'm looking for any sort of info on them.

I'm going to go look at it better in the morning but at first glance it looks to be in really good condition. Was wondering what if anything I should look out for on it.

 

[flusher]

I have opportunity to buy an Oliver OC-3 crawler with loader.

I'm looking for any sort of info on them.

I'm going to go look at it better in the morning but at first glance it looks to be in really good condition. Was wondering what if anything I should look out for on it.

OK, here's a good start for info

TractorData.com Oliver OC-3 tractor information

That OC-3 has a 4 cyl Hercules engine which, IIRC, is the IXB3SL.

That's the engine in my 1951 Minneapolis Moline BF tractor (which is actually a B.F. Avery Model R, renamed "BF" in 1951 when MM bought Avery--MM already had a model R, hence the change to BF).

Make sure the engine starts and runs OK. The engine in my BF had no compression on 3 of the cylinders and 30 psi on the 4th cyl. Cost $1600 ($800 parts, $800 labor) to have that engine completely rebuilt and reassembled to the short block configuration. I know that Hercules engine up close and personal as a result of that rebuild.

You can get parts for Hercules engines from Hercano in Ohio.

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Linda is very helpful.

That OC-3 is just another Oliver tractor that has tracks (i.e. it's a "track layer"), so evaluate it the same way you'd evaluate a tractor on rubber tires. I'd run it in each gear forward and reverse paying attention to the action of the tracks. Don't know how much repair parts for those tracks would run.

Here's some history on Oliver and Cletrac (which Oliver bought in 1944)

Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:CLETRAC, INC.

That OC-3 uses Cletrac parts you can get from Zimmerman

ZIMMERMAN OLIVER-CLETRAC, Parts Source for Cletrac Crawlers.

Lotsa luck.

 

[moeh1]

THe OC3s were really more of a wet field tractor, they put loaders and blades on later and the low gear is really a little fast for that work. A very few late models were fitted with a second transmission (rare), these work great. Cletrac dot org has an aux transmission forum with the details and some play by play for making your own. I did it with a Model A tranny and it made aworld of difference running a dozer blade.
If it starts and runs well with decent power, I say track wear is probably the biggest concern (grouser height for traction and overall track stretch). Make sure you have some adjustment left (there is a big bolt behind the front wheel that adjusts it).