blrott

New User
looking at a oc 46 3g that has been sitting for 4-5yrs. has not been run. was in shed. my question is do the clutches on these tend to freeze up from sitting. machine looks like it was well cared for prior to parking. tin good. paint fair. undercarriage 50%. bucket straight. will not be able to work on it until I get it home. no serous leakage from anything I can see. this machine is from a cold weather state and some moisture will also build up in the winter. so I am worried about the clutches. any thoughts on this. also what would be a fair price. thanks.
 
Most of those machine had controlled differential steering with only steering brakes. These are in the diff and run in oil. Some models had spot turn which is a clutch and brake system but it also runs in oil. So stuck clutches are not a problem with these machines. Parts at still available for them at Zimmerman Oliver Cletrac.
 
Like DGH said there were 2 different steering systems. There is also the OC 46 series A built in the old crawler plant in Cleveland Ohio and the series B OC-46 models built in Charles City Iowa same town as the wheel tractors were built. A serial number is almost necessary when you ask questions. J.
 
is the engine still free? and what was the reason given for being parked for 4-5 yrs.few determining factors as far as price as with anything its a crap shoot not running and sitting for that long but they are good little loaders
 
I bought one similar to what you describe except it was partially apart and had the Hercules 3 cylinder diesel - not a gasser. Also had a reverser (not a hi-low). I paid $700 for it. I later put it on Ebay and sold it for $1500.
 
the usual story. older man dies. family unable to part with dads toys until they sit to long. then want a ton of money for the unknown condition of crawler.
 
serial # 4wr-066-st. looks to be in fair condition. just sat for a long time. I am worried about the clutches being frozen up like what happens with the ih dozers. do the oc crawlers clutches freeze up. unable to do anything with this machine until its home. there rules not mine.
 
i think i would be more worried about the clutch being frozen to the flywheel not so much the steering clutches as mentioned there are two different types spot turn and the 1 i would think more common is basically just brakes you pull back on to turn unless they were locked in place i dont think they would be froze but hard to tell
 
That machine is a 1959, a relatively early machine. The ST means it has the spot turn system which is the clutch and brake system. All of that runs in oil. The biggest issue is the condition of the engine.
 
Considering that they won't let you check anything out, I would assume it needs a quite a bit of work. It's a 1959 and if it has never been rebuilt or anything I would assume it needs a complete overhaul to be on the safe side and go from there. I would say $1,000 would be about all I'd pay for it and less if I could get them any lower. I recently checked in the tractor values section and OC-46's sell for less money than the OC-4's. I recently rebuilt a 1958 OC-4 from the bare frame up and spent about double what they are currently bringing. I skimped on nothing and it was worth every penny. If the tranny, tracks and sprockets are sound you would spend a LOT less than that even if you had to do a complete motor rebuild. In this area JD 350's are bringing $7,000-$12,000 in junk condition. Cherry JD $350's are bringing in the $20,000 range. An OC-4/46 is a tad smaller and lighter than a 350 but not by much. The OC-4/46 was a top-of-the-line light crawler in it's day and a freshly rebuilt one still is. It all boils down to how money you have to spend/are willing to spend. As stated below, Zimmerman's is the place to go for parts and info.
 
thanks for the advise. really like this tractor. want to purchase it while using my head and not my heart. ie paying to much.
 
Good luck!! If you get it you should join the discussion form on the ' Cletrac.org ' site. there are lots of us on there that have these machines.
 
OC4 a "tad smaller and lighter" then a Deere 350? That's a bit of an understatement. OC4 weighs around 4000 lbs. with no attachments. A Deere 350 weighs twice that at 7900 to 8400 lbs. bare. Even a Deere 1010 is near twice the weight. An OC4 if compared to a Deere is closer to a 420 crawler in weight and power. A 350 has a heck of a lot more pushing power to go with the weight when compared to an OC4. Bigger final drives, much beefier transmission, and also a hydraulic-clutched powershift reverser (if ordered that way). Bigger engine, more horsepower and more torque. OC4 is a good machine for what it is, but it's nowhere near the machine a 350 is. In regard to prices - in my area of central NY I come across OC4s now and then in the $1000 price-range in poor condition but complete. I've found plenty of Deere 350s for $2500-$3000 in running but "needy" condition. 350s are prone to broken side-frames, broken finals, and a "bad connection" between the reverser and transmission.
 

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