Hi, Jerry Hammack. The Cletrac line was bought out by Oliver around 1947. After the buy out, they were called Oliver Cletracs for a while, then just plain Oliver. Oliver was subsequently bought out by White around, I think, early 1960s. Cletracs came from the Cleveland Tractor Company which was a subsidiary of Rollin H. White's Cleveland Plow Company. I have heard that Rollin H. White got into building crawlers after he bought a crawler from Daniel Best at a tractor show in San Francisco in 1916 at a time when Best was strapped for cash. This tractor was a differential steering design, which is how all Cletracs were steered, at least until Oliver bought them out. Case got its start in crawlers by buying the American Tractor Corporation's (ATC-Terratrac) line of crawlers, again, I think, around 1947-48. They were then called Case Terratrac for a while and then just plain Case. ATC-Terratrac had a pretty effective planetary steering system which Case continued using. This system kept power on both tracks during turns. Just my 0.02. You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
Nice job on restoring this crawler.. I really liked your progression photos that showed it going back together... and Im sure that ole Girl is thanking you for her fresh look.... I recently looked at a 52 Oliver oc3 and Im not sure if I wanna pay the price hes asking for it I know they are rare to find but this ole girl is in rough cosmetically she does have good cleats and tracks and all the parts are there but everything looks like they took a sledge hammer to it !!! Tank, Hood & Grill are Beat up and bent up pretty bad... What should I do ?? LOL
Thanks for the feedback! I looked a long time to find mine and was fortunate the undercarriage was in good shape and the rest was mostly cosmetic. My first order of business was a valve job to get the engine running with decent power, and I was able to use it right away after that. The restoration was meant to address a few other issues like idler bushings, but I got carried away! Hard to decide when to pull the trigger. They don't come around too often. You might take a look at the "Cletrac Fever" facebook page for listings.
Great job with the restoration..nice paint to..looks better than new.. Absolutely beautiful!!!!I'm looking for a small tracked caterpillar/tractor any brand ,running or not..I'm in Colorado..of you know of any for sale.. thank you....Ray
Thanks for the feedback. I found mine on Craigslist, but I've also seen listings on Facebook Marketplace. You might look into the "Cletrac Fever" Facebook group if you're looking for a Cletrac or Oliver.
@@FatPenguin136 .. Hi....ok I didn't think about looking there?? I will check that out.. I appreciate the help and that information..take care and thanks again..Ray
