Green White 2270

I found this tractor on the web while browsing around for pictures of these tractors. This is the 3rd picture of a green 2270 I have found. Interesting thing is that this one is in South Africa and was saved from the scrapper over there. Seems a batch of these tractors made there way to South Africa as I also have these pics of 2 other red 2270s that were taken is South Africa as well. Does anybody have any info or stories on these green 2270's. I love the 70's White history and these odd ball tractors.

In 1975 Columbus Branch service manager G. W. Pierson was telling me they were looking to hire a person and one of his first assignements was to go to South Africa to work on some Moline tractors that were over there. They had been taken apart by the local people and they could not put them together and they were not going to pay WFE till they were back together and running.

    I'm probably going to stick my foot in my mouth so far that I can't get it out.  Anyway I remember being "given" the oppurtunity to travel to South America on those tractors.  I remember talking to the person that went down there later.  I believe that it was a govermental funded project.  There was tractors, tillage and planting equipment shipped there.

    The problem was that the operators were not properly educated on the equipment.  Very little of it got used for the intended purpose.  For example the tandem disc's had the gangs removed and frame covered and used to haul people on chairs or anything that they could find to sit on.  They were in extremely hot parts of the world, they didn't know about keeping the rad. screens free of leaves.  They left the switches "on" which drained the batteries to the point that the energized to run coil in the fuel injection pump would not turn on the fuel to start them.  They ordered new batteries and they came "dry" and acid could not be shipped.  in other words it turned out to be a mess.  Traveling in that part of the world is an experience, you have to pay bribe money to an individual to get an airplane ticket for example.

    As far as "Odd Ball" tractors, we have discussed this in the past.  A Sales Branch could order tractors that were not "Standard" builds.  The order had to be signed off by a Branch Manager or Home Office personell.  For instance in Ontario Canada customers had liked the green Oliver tractors and did not want the old Cockshutt colors.  Dealers were having to repaint the new Oliver Cockshutts to sell them.  Now a "Special Build" Build Card was issused and a tractor could be built off of "standard", thus green paint under the 2270 Canadian tractor.

    If you read my article in the HPOCA Mag on the Cockshutt 660 tractors, I mentioned the repainting of those tractors.  I have gotten an email from a Canadian dealer near Sarina that said they repainted several of the Cockshutt 660s green to sell them.  Sorry for the long reply.

Very neat story. Thanks for sharing!