Salvaging an Oliver cletrac oc3 crawler tractor

Well, I picked myself up a 1958 Oliver cletrac OC3 crawler tractor. Let’s see if we can get it running!

[@cobbleup]

Back in the late 70s I found one of these gems abandoned out in the woods. Some teenage boys had pulled the spark plugs many years before and hadn’t replaced them , plus they had taken other essential parts off of it and those parts weren’t anywhere to be found. Soooo … I happened to have a wrecked Datsun 510 with a good engine so I put it in the tractor (MUCH easier said than done) . I managed to chain up a hydraulic pump for the blade and used it to do all my landscaping. Had to do any hard work with low gear only because the engine was obviously made to run at higher RPMs . Non the less, that little Oliver did a lot of work for me at very little cost.

[@4Dan21]

That’s awesome! If you’re willing to put a bit a time and money into them they will do a lot of work for you! 😊

[@ProtonOne11]

Nice little tractor. Looks like it still has a lot of life in it.

[@jamessmith7691]

Just a hint, I use a torch head cleaner to clean out the passages. They have little burrs on some wires that clean debris . In the throat there are two hard to see ports that get plugged too. Nice find !

[@4Dan21]

Ohhh good tip! Thank you 😊

[@charliejones7574]

I keep a set in my carb box. I got a torch cleaning kit that had actual wire sized drill bits, that I have kept for some 40 years

[@douglashenderson1419]

Of all the fixes in the video, the one that made me laugh was the zip tie on the back of the hat!!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@randysummerhays4168]

Around 1987 in Mariposa California an old old man and his wife had me fix a flat head Klee track and get it running everyday at noon they make me come in the house and eat these little tiny sandwiches and talk. I wish I could do it again what's a cool old Dozer

[@tn65s]

1X6 oak 36" long bolted to each cleat, makes the perfect snow machine.

[@woodwelder]

Hey guys it doesn’t have steering clutches .. just epicyclic gears and brake bands to drop a ratio to lower the speed on the track to turn it ..! So don’t pull both steering levers back together .. you will burn out the brake bands ! Great wee crawlers , here in NZ people put blades on them and cut tracks on farms !

[@4Dan21]

Oh thanks! I will keep that in mind! And yes they are good little machines that’s for sure :)

[@cobbleup]

I was told that the old Ford Consul engine would bolt up to the Cletrack . But I’ve never looked into the possibility so the suggestion may be BS.

[@revgee93]

😊👍 Many Thanks.

[@StevenBrown-kt6zf]

You should be using a 6 volt battery, A brand new starter costs $600 . I have a Oliver OC3 crawler which I have owned for 50 yrs it stills starts on 6 volts

[@wdinns]

why not dump the gas, clean the lines, and carb, before running the rust back thru the system

[@4Dan21]

We will be, this was more of a proof of concept to make sure everything else was working alright. I will be putting a proper carb rebuild kit in it as the gaskets we improvised are still allowing a vacuum leak lol 😊

[@davidguntren4487]

EXACTLY

[@markphillips8121]

Always have a bread tie wire to clean those tiny passages.

[@ericlakota1847]

Around my farm Dad is 80 has no feeling in his legs so uses what ever can he has and ad's deisel to gas once every so often I'll spend a day wonder y won't start to change fuel that is full to rim .and that was problem what dad used

[@ericlakota1847]

Sylocone in carborator haha

[@saradolphin3242]

I enjoyed The Old Girl Not giving you Too Much Trouble and the Commentary! 5 years ago I Did some Plumbing work for a Gal who bought a Property an Out in the Horse pasture was a 1963 IH Tractor Backhoe. I asked her about it and her Answer was it was a Friend of the Guy she Bought the Property from! A Couple of years Later She called and asked if I was still Interested? I traded $2000 of Labor for the Damned Thing Lol!! I Put a Battery and 4 New Plugs in it And Damned if the Old Girl Started Up Like We We Dating! I Had To Back it up a Goat's Path on a Steep Hill with Not Much called Brackes with a Tight turn at the Top! I knew the Dating Was Over 3/4 way up It Died! Well I Still have it and the Bucket Works Fine and The Worn Out Hoe Is a Heavy Useless Burden and Soon Me and Edsel Will be Much Happier!

[@4Dan21]

Lmao well sometimes ya get lucky! That was a good story, glad you didn’t come crashing down the goat trail! 🤣

[@victorhugocedillo9475]

Esta en venta y cuanto sale enviarlo a Laredo texas

[@raymondwaterman6520]

That machine could go over backward!

[@allannantes8583]

Yes the man could have been a statistic right there.

[@charliejones7574]

Is that an 8? Which tractor was that built on?

[@4Dan21]

Lol this is a factory crawler tractor from Oliver. They took over cleatrac in the early 40’s and made the Oliver cleatrac. This is a OC3 but they had a few different models this one is mid 50’s but still works great! 😊

[@charliejones7574]

@@4Dan21 love to see those in operation. Keeping the "old school" alive

[@Hillbillysniper]

What paper you using at 10:00?

[@4Dan21]

Well lol it’s a thick construction paper 😂 not ideal but it was all the store had at the time and I wanted to see how it would run lol it worked for now but its not sealing properly so I do have the proper rebuild kit on the way 😊

[@joeromanak8797]

When seen driving away, you notice that she’s a pretty wide track. Your side to side stability should be good. I want to see her hitched to a big log or other stout load. If she’s a puller, she’ll earn her keep. I’ll be watching for the follow up. 🥸👍👀✅

[@QuackHunter91]

They are geared to high to pull much they are a field tractor