Small Crawlers with Blade JD, Cle-Trac, Oliver, Case

I plan to acquire a small crawler with a blade to level fill with, snow plow the driveway when we have these 8-15" snow storms, haul some logs, pull a log cart in the snow...etc. I am looking into the JD 40-420 line, not quite sure of parts availability etc. for the undercarriage...the Cletrac/Oliver HG OC3 models, seems the engine parts might be hard to come by and the Case 310 model...which might be a bit heavy to snow plow with. Any experience/issues with these models that you can share would be most appreciated.
I enjoy the simplicity of these 1950's era machines. Thanks for your help.
 
Have a 310g Case with hyd angle blade. Works great in snow and have taken out some trees that were a little much for it but took my time and got along fine. Seems to have more hyd lift than weight on rear as I have lifted rear off ground while trying to break a rootball loose and only draw back is it has the gas motor in it so seems little under powered at times. But for what I have done with it seems fairly effecient on fuel. Really like the crawler overall. Guess it depends on what you want to spend and whats available in your area. Just my 2 cents worth. Scott in Mo
 
Any of those would do ok if you find one close to you in decent shape. The OC 3 is a bit small. I would look for an OC 4 if you want an Oliver. They have a 4 speed instead of 3 speed transmission which is better for dozing. Zimmerman Oliver Cletrac can supply all you need for either of the Olivers.
 
OC-3 was built for agricultural use & not really suited for construction work tho it will do some light work. It is very small & light weight. You really need something with a ROPS cab or your body will pay a heavy duty price.
 


Any of the models will work, but if you are
going to run through the snow without plowing
first , make sure that you buy a tractor with
open center grouser plates. With out open
center snow fills the link ,packs tight and
becomes ice ,things get tighter and can break
major items.

310 is not to large to push snow ,actually
a 450 would be much better.

george
 
'

If looking at the JD40C, try to find a later 4 or 5 roll model, heavier rear end I found out. The 420/30/40 are even better. Undercarriage for the early Deeres can be found if you're willing to do a bit of work updating things.
 
I have one of each. Deere 420, Oliver HG, and a Case 310G. The Case has the best parts support and a very common engine. The Oliver HG and the Case HG have the same transmission and neither have any steering clutches to get stuck like in the Deere 420. They are both easier to work on too. No contest, my Case 310G is the handiest to use and less apt to have problems from being parked a lot.

That all said, the Deere is the only one that left the factory with a "creeper" low gear. Oliver HG is very fast in 1st UNLESS it has the optional aux-trans. Mine does and it makes a night-and-day difference.

Deere 420 travels .8 MPH in 1st gear at high throttle.

Oliver HG travels 2 MPH unless it has the optional aux. With the aux in low it travels .6 MPH.

Case 310G is slower in 1st then a non-aux HG and faster then the 420. I don't have the exact specs.
 
Snow and ice is no place for a steel track ! Can you say ice skates. Very dangerous !

Sounds like a compact tractor with a loader would be better suited. A backhoe added would be even handier.
 
Thanks for the info on the tracks being like ice skates, I hadn't given that any thought.... My drive is basically flat...just long.
Wanted to be able to push snow from the edges, if need be. Thanks for the reply.
 
Wow!! One of each!! That sounds great.
At this point I would just like to have one!
If I could ask, having 3 what makes you use one over the other. The 310G is probably the heaviest so I can see the benefits of heavy grading with that machine. What work or chores do you find yourself doing with them? Sounds like you like the 310G the best? I have a Case 430 general purpose which has the 4cyl gas 148 engine in it. Thanks for the reply.
 
This is good advice about the holes in the tracks, some machines I have seen don't have the hholes, so I will keep that in mind as I search.
 
I have a J.D. 420 crawler and an Oliver OC 3. Tried the 420 in snow once when I had to, grousers tear up too much when turning. The OC 3 has a loader on it. Have not tried it in the snow. Underpowered for doing much. My 420 is in good condition, OC 3 is OK. If you want a crawler and have never had one, take someone with you to check out whatever you look at. Can sink more money into one after you get on than what it's worth.
 
If you are going to look at the Oliver, get an OC-4. Much better unit than the OC-3. You can't go wrong with an OC-4 or the Case 310. As far as a crawler sliding on snow, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Especially with a small crawler like you are talking about. I certainly wouldn't be working on ice on a sidehill, but other than that I wouldn't worry too much about ice either. A dozer will push a lot more snow on top of ice than a similar sized tractor will any day of the week.
 
Crawlers and ice/snow do not mix well. Have a neighbor who tried to plow the driveway with a Big as in D-8 cat size of bigger and he took one heck of a ride down the hill. The steel tracks just slid so by the time he reached the bottom he had to stop and clean out his draws.
Also ones like the Cletrac OC-3 where made to be tractors and blades o then work but they ware super under powered. I know I have an HG-42 and had an OC-3-42. Now something like a JD 350 well they have the power but again snow/ice not a good mix with steel track and they tend to go ice skating with no control
 
I've got five crawlers and had seven (got rid of my OC46 and HD4).
The Oliver HG (same as an OC3) is the handiest little crawler I've ever sat on. Small, gets into tight places, etc. Great for hauling a few logs, doing small dirt-pushing jobs. Not going to be of much use for anything big. I can't figure why anyone would call it "undepowered" when compared to a Deere 420. Deere has a 113 cubic inch engine and weighs more then the HG (OC3). HG (OC3) has either a 133 c.i. or a 133 c.i. engine. Bigger with more power then a Deere 420 and on a lighter machine. Not geared as low in 1st gear though. HG or OC3 really needs the optional (or homemade) aux to be a lot more useful LOTs of power for a light crawler though. Mine has an Anderson dozer blade and a home-made canopy to keep tree limbs off my head.

Case 310 uses the same transaxle as the Oliver HG and OC3 (made by Clark). So no steering clutches and even a BIGGER engine. Mine has a 188 c.i. diesel but they come in gas also. Different gearing in the final drives then the Oliver so it's geared lower in 1st. Mine has a 6-way dozer blade.

Deere is the only one of this bunch to have steering clutches. Nice to have when they work and miserable when they get worn or rusted stuck. 113 or 115 cube two-cylinder engine that has the classic Deere two-banger sound if that means anything to you. Also a very low 1st gear.

Oliver OC4 as someone else mentioned (just got rid of mine) came in two versions. Without steering clutches and with. Also came with two version engine series (4 or 3). Also came with an optional reverser or aux "hi-low." If it has the 3 cylinder Hercules - parts are extremely scarce. So are steering-clutch parts if it has "Spot Turn."

My overall favorite for a crawler with more "heft" then the HG is my Deere 1010. For a crawler a little smaller then a Deere 350, or Allis HD3, it's a great crawler. Same size engine as a Deere 420 but with four small cylinders instead of two big ones. Has great hydraulics, geared well, power-shift hydraulic reverser, etc. It has a gas engine so less messing to get it started in the winter.

My Case 310G is a bare-bones simple machine. 188 diesel (more engine then it can use). No reverser. Just a gear trans. Fast 6 way blade and geared well. NO complaints and no steering clutches to worry about. If this one breaks, I can fix it pretty easy. If my Deere 1010 breaks something - like in the reverser - I'm probably NOT going to fix. Too much work and too expensive. With the Case? You can put a new clutch in it in a few hours without pulling any major parts. Transmission can also be worked on "in place" although I've never needed to work on it (HG is the same).

As others have mentioned - any crawler on steel will slide sideways like an ice-skate so stay away from side-hill slopes. But on flat roads? Steel is fine as long as you stick a few ice-bolts in the tracks.
 
(quoted from post at 23:50:55 03/04/15) If you are going to look at the Oliver, get an OC-4. Much better unit than the OC-3. You can't go wrong with an OC-4 or the Case 310. As far as a crawler sliding on snow, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Especially with a small crawler like you are talking about. I certainly wouldn't be working on ice on a sidehill, but other than that I wouldn't worry too much about ice either. A dozer will push a lot more snow on top of ice than a similar sized tractor will any day of the week.

Don and I are both in real snow country. On a side hill covered in ice, pretty much anything is going to slide unless it's got heavy skidder type chains. But in snow a crawler is great. No problems as long as you know what to listen for. I just busted my 40C, again, and am lost without it.
 
Never used a crawler for snow but used skidders, backhoes and at present my 920 cat loader. If you want a versitile machine for skidding, plowing and a little leveling , find a small skidder like JD 440 , C4 Treefarmer or 230 Timberjack. Mount a larger blade on front and you will never look back .

Larry --ont.
 
Yes, an old 440 or 540 with bear-paw chains is kind of fun in the snow. I pity the poor guy who wants to maintain one just for using around the house. A small crawler is much cheaper and easier to work on.
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Went a good many years without a crawler. The OC-4 has been up and running for two years now. Now that I have it, I don't know how I got along without it. I know exactly how you feel Bret.
 
(quoted from post at 22:14:19 03/05/15) Went a good many years without a crawler. The OC-4 has been up and running for two years now. Now that I have it, I don't know how I got along without it. I know exactly how you feel Bret.

That's the truth Don. I made a deal on a 420 JD back before Christmas. My funding turned out to be in the form of a bad check, (!!! My first time I ever had someone give me a bad check) and I had to beg out. Finally got some $$ and called the guy yesterday. Turns out he's been holding it for me. Glad I called becasue I had no idea he was doing that. She ain't pretty, but it;s in alot better shape than the old 40. Of course the 40 is broke down out in the woods, sitting on waist deep snow, in a gully and I'm going to have a lot of fun getting it out of there!
 
Just curious Bret - what did you break on your 40? Or is it too early to tell?
 

Left idler wheel castings and shaft. 3rd time I've "fixed" them. It's a 3 roll and finding good parts can be a near. Plus it needs a main and right steering clutch, the side frame where it bolts to the main housings are wallowed out from where the PO decided to torch off a bolt, the track P+B are shot. So I can put $2500 or more into a $800.00 crawler or use it for parts. Shes paid for herself many times over.
 
Ouch! Sorry to hear that story. Add the waist deep snow, and down in a ravine, and it sounds pretty bad. Darn things are like a manure spreader - they never break when it's convenient. Good luck with the "new" one! A lot of parts will swap from the 40 to the 420.
 
You might be able to find a JD 1010C with winch or one of the JD350s. My neighbor has a J350B and I use a JD350D with winch, limb risers and rock guards. My 350D is perfect for our woodlot and about 10 years ago had to plow a mile of town road with it. Both are good machines.
 

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