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I would say, right on, Shep. Turbocharging the 310 WAS INDEED a cost reduction project at Oliver in the mid 1960s. First introduced on the 1950-T to replace the GM diesel in the 1950, it saved Oliver considerable money (and of course many would say it cost them plenty too) to put a turbocharged version of the 310 already in existence in higher hp tractors to replace the outsourced engines used in them. Next on the list was the 1955 (successor to the 1950-T) and the 1855, which replaced the 1850 and eliminated another outsourced engine (at least for a while), the 354 Perkins in the 1850. Cost rules all. Having said that, I'm sure it is no secret by now that I like the 310 Waukesha, and actually don't regret that Oliver turbocharged it and used it as they did. A 478 Herc in the 1855 and 1955 would mean pretty poor fuel economy compared to the 310. The only thing I would have done differently would be to have built them right in the first place with all of the well-known updates we have today and rebuild procedures we know of in use during their production. The 310 is great in performance and can be built to be durable. Too bad it wasn't that way to begin with, I agree. Regarding the 2055/2155 models, I agree that one needs to understand the politics in place at the time to appreciate the decision to discontinue the fine 2050/2150 platform that had great potential. Still, the 2055/2155 had their own, unique Oliver identity, and I'd love to have one in my possession someday.
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