Enthusastic tractor collectors

Prawn Farmer · Mar 30, 2015

Reading about the post below about the Oliver 550 for sale below got me thinking about a show I attended a couple of years back in Pinckneyville, Illinois where Oliver was the featured tractor. As far as older tractors, John Deere pretty much rules where I live. They are followed by IH, Allis-Chalmers, Ford, Massey and then Oliver and MM. I only get to go to maybe 3 shows a year and was thinking about which tractor brand seemed to have the most enthusiastic group. For me, personally, it is Oliver owners as many will walk up and start conversations about the Oliver brand and their tractors. Really interesting tractors. Not that many Olivers and MM's around here - must have been used in areas with larger grain acreage rather than the smaller cattle/hog/ grain farms around here that I grew up with?
The second most enthusiastic group for me then would be the steam powered tractor owners and then followed by Minneapolis-Moline. At any rate, I really have to appreciate anyone who takes the time and expense to bring their tractors to shows - no matter what brand.

stonerock · Mar 30, 2015

central ohio, A-C people around here always very friendly, but deere is #1

oldtanker · Mar 30, 2015

(quoted from post at 06:28:41 03/30/15) Not that many Olivers and MM's around here - must have been used in areas with larger grain acreage rather than the smaller cattle/hog/ grain farms around here that I grew up with?

Actually not many Oliver's or MM's anywhere when compared to JD and IH. I don't know who was behind them in sales but I would take a guess at Case, AC and MF. In the big grain country in ND, SD, NE, IA, KS and OK I have never seen a lot of anything but JD and IH back when IH and AC were still in business and a handful of Case, MF and AC. I don't know if was the dealer network or what but you just didn't have the dealers. Fergus Falls MN sits right on a line of what was dairy to the east and grain to the west. In 1972 there were 4 dealers in town. JD, IH, Case and AC with JD also selling Oliver tractors. I don't recall anything sitting on their lot, new painted green and white that was any bigger than the 1800 series and then only one or 2 at a time. In all the years traveling through all the above mentioned states, I remember seeing one, the only one I've ever seen, Oliver 4X4. I've seen a bunch of JD's (most common) some IH, AC, MF, Case, Ford, Versatile and Steiger's with a couple of MM's tossed in. Now you see a lot of CaseIH.

Would be interesting to know, year by year just how much of the market each company held.

Rick

Bryce Frazier · Mar 30, 2015

I agree... Around here by us. We had a JD Dealer up North (along with NH Hay Equipment next door to it) And then in town we had an IH, Co-op, and supposedly there was an AC about 25 miles away in a neighboring town, but I don't really know...

There are still a LOT of JD's and Farmalls around here. I could name 10 Farmall C/H/M's that I know about that are just sitting, or that are still being used. RARELY do you see an Oliver, Massey Harris, MF, or anything like that... Just like everywhere else, we are flooded with 9n/2n/8n. There are a few Fergusons around too...

Would love to see a list of the local dealers, and WHAT they sold on a year to year basis.... Would be neat...

Kent Petersen · Mar 30, 2015

I worked for an Oliver Dealer in early 60s. our block man he told me that they had about 5% of the tractor market and would be in great shape if they could get 2% more. we hosted the nation Oliver Show at Prairie Village Madison S D last year had over 200 olive tractors there many models that i had not see before and a nice bunch of people that owned them

lpaz · Mar 30, 2015

It actually depends on which part of the state, I guess. here in the South Central part of Nebraska, there's quite a few Olivers around, as there was dealer in a small town. They started out as an Oliver dealer and then of course moved on to White, and later on I think they handled ACGO as well. I will definitely agree that its mostly Deere and Ih country around here, but like I said, depending on the area there are quite a few Olivers around. A friend of mine who's always farmed with Olivers has quite a collection, and still farms with quite a few them ranging from a 2255 down to a 550. He's got a 1955, 1855, a couple of 1600's and 1655's and I think one of the 1655's is a propane model. he also has a propane 770 and a couple of 77's and 88 as ell as the older 70 model. Some of the older ones are not all in running condition, but anyway he's got a quite a few.

They do seem to be a very well engineered tractor, but I've never ran one in the field myself. At any rate, as the OP mentions, he seems to fall among the enthusiastic bunch along with many of the Oliver tractor guys, it seems.

Alan K · Mar 30, 2015

I was there at Madison. Very nice collection of Olivers.

rrlund · Mar 30, 2015

Ya,us Oliver guys are a pretty good bunch aren't we? lol

Donald Lehman · Mar 30, 2015

In the heyday of farming (late 60's-early 70's) we had JD, Oliver, Farmall, Allis, Case, and MF directly in Lowville or within 10 miles. We also had several short line dealers in the immediate area. The farmers were making a buck and the dealers all were doing well and everyone was happy. Then in 1974 the US went off the gold standard.............................

I might be simply naive, but it seems to me everything started going to crap about then, and we've been on a downhill ride since.

massey 333 · Mar 30, 2015

Oliver did irreparable damage to them self with the 1800 against the 4010-806s.They lost the 100HP market and never could get it back with the later tractors(50s-55s).If they would have had a 1900 Row Crop,it might have saved them some.Deere 4010s&4020s plus M&W pretty much killed the other 100HP tractor lines.

rrlund · Mar 30, 2015

It wasn't the product line,it was the management of White Motor Corporation that did them in.
Regardless of the company itself,since it's been so long since the company was around,most of us just have memories of the brand and tend to be accepting of anything Oliver,in any condition and tend not to be self proclaimed Correct Police.

Jshum40 · Mar 30, 2015

I worked at an Oliver dealer and we dynode many different brands of tractors, including 806's and also 4020"s. I redlined them all and the most they pulled was around 88 to 90 HP. 4010"s usually in the lower 80"s unless the pump was turned up. Like Randy said, it was White Motor that was the down fall of Oliver, not the 1800"s or 1850"s or 55 series.

Traditional Farmer · Mar 31, 2015

Yep corporate raiders did in Cockshutt,Oliver and White,think it was Paul Ichan that drained them dry and then sold off parts of the company.

1206SWMO · Mar 31, 2015

MM and Case were big in Kansas because they made a good LP engine..I'll bet that MM had more dealers in Kansas than in
any other state..

fixerupper · Mar 31, 2015

Oliver always had had a good presence in my neighborhood. We had a very good and well liked Oliver dealer in a town south of me back in the 30's through the 60's. Sievers Implement was the name and from what I understand he was as honest and trustworth as they come. The area around that town was very heavily populated with Olivers. When One of his loyal customers would come in the door wanting to buy a tractor the customer wouldnt shop for price. He would tell the dealer what model he wanted and the dealer got it for him. Another town east of me had an Oliver/Case deaership and he sold a few Olivers but Case was the dominant brand for that dealer. Almost no Oliver or whites are used here anymore. I have an 88 i use for yard work but none of my neighbors want to mess with anything THAT old. LOL

Enthusastic tractor collectors

Prawn Farmer

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stonerock

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oldtanker

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Bryce Frazier

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Kent Petersen

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lpaz

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Alan K

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rrlund

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Donald Lehman

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massey 333

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rrlund

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Jshum40

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Traditional Farmer

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1206SWMO

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fixerupper

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