Oliver 1950 mfwd vs white 4-105

I am also looking for a cab for an 1850, would buy a parts or whole tractor

The White 2-105 with MFWD is what I believe you are referring to when you say 4-105. White reserved the 4 prefix for articulated four wheel drive tractors; FWA tractors retained the 2 prefix in the model designation. In any case, the 2-105 used the Perkins turbocharged 354 cu. in. four-stroke diesel engine, unlike the supercharged GM two-stroke in your 1950. The Perkins engines were okay, but I would personally take the GM any day for longevity, not to mention prestige. The 105 had a more advanced closed center hydraulic system compared to the 1950s open center. The closed center system provides greater flow capabilities at lower engine speeds, high pressure standby, consumes less engine power when not in use, and provides faster response. Also, the 2-105 had the Over/Under whereas your 1950 has only the Hydra-Power; the 105 has 6 more forward speeds and 2 more in reverse. The rear ends should be fairly similar, differences do exist, however, and the 105 has a better pto. The 105 also has a hydraulic clutch and brakes, whereas the 1950 still had manually actuated clutch and brakes. Any other differences of major importance escape me at the moment but I hope this helps.

The 1950 was not equipped with the Over/Under Hydraul Shift auxiliary transmission because it wasn't produced after 1967, when the 1950-T replaced it. Therefore, the 1950s were only available with Hydra-Powers while other 50 series Ollies produced during and after late 1967 (ie: 1650, 1750, 1850) could be equipped with Over/Unders. When the 1950-T replaced the 1950 in late 1967, GM engines were no longer used in Oliver high horsepower agricultural tractors (pity). Regarding my earlier statement about the 105 having a hydraulic clutch, I was wrong there. I do recall reading in Wendel's book claims that the 17, 18, and 1955 tractors had hydraulic clutches, and I always doubted that statement because all the 105s I had ever driven had the traditional Oliver turnbuckle manual clutch adjustment and this led me to question why the bigger 55 series Olivers would have hydraulic clutches while the 105 did not. Thanks Chris for making the correction.

I certainly don't mean to be argumentative here, but,(you knew a "but" had to follow) I have a White publication, "Progress...in Tractor Power from 1898 Charles City Plant, White Farm Equipment" (Form No. R-1673 Issued March, 1975) that states that the 1950 was built from 1964-1969. C.H. Wendal's book, "Oliver Hart-Parr" has a serial number list for the 1950 that supposes it was built from 1964-1972.

The 1950-T was not really built to replace the 1950, as they were available concurrently,at least for a while .I also have an Oliver sales pamphlet for the 1950-T that says, "A new model steps alongside the famous 1950 GM in the Oliver line". The 1950-T wasn't AFTER the 1950's production, it was DURING. That was what gave rise to my Over/Under question in the earlier post, because O/U was available in the 1950-T, but I couldn't find anything that said whether 1950's could be equipped with it or not. I will have to check my mechanic's full Oliver Microfiche files to be sure.

The White publication I referred to earlier also states that the 1950-T was built from 1967-69. I would certainly tend to put more faith in the White publication, as it came right from the horse's mouth, and was issued as, sadly, the last of the Olivers rolled off the line.

I'm not trying to make an enemy here, so don't take any of this the wrong way.

Don't worry. I'm not looking for any more enemies. Have enough of them that favor the wrong shade of green. This is interesting because I've always read that the 1950-T replaced the 1950 GM in '67. The new "Guide to Oliver, Hart-Parr, and White Tractors" published by the ASAE states that the 1950 GM was replaced by the 1950-T in 1967. I also have Wendal's book but not in front of me now. I'm not sure how much faith I place in that book any more since that was where it stated the 17, 18, and 1955 had hydraulic clutches when they really didn't as Chris called me on earlier. What I would theorize that the serial numbers for White's industrial 4-105 and 4-115 (based on the 1950 GM) were included with the 1950 GM agricultural serial numbers and since these tractors were built after 1967, the 1950 GM in a sense did survive after the 1950-T was introduced in 1967 to replace the agricultural 1950 GM. I too have the White publication about which you speak so I'll check it when I get home. The 1950-T was made from '67-'69. No problems there. Thanks for bringing this issue to the table. Let's hear some more discussion on this issue and see if anyone knows for sure the real story on these two Oliver brutes.

I think you're right on the 1950 Ind. version being produced after the 1950-T ag tractor, and that may very well be the reason for the confusion in this issue. Thanks. I thought of that right after I made my prior post, but I wanted a response from you before I corrected myself to see what you might add. No argument on your last sentence--what a pair of bruisers.