Oliver Heritage Issue #121

Oliver Heritage Issue #121 June/July 2024

• FEATURING: Oliver 70. Built in many configurations and under different colors, the 70 was a versatile machine. The Row Crop model consisted of a single front wheel, dual narrow front, and the high-clearance model with the adjustable wide front. These were offered with steel wheels or rubber. There was a Standard model, Orchard, Industrial, and even a power unit model. Feature tractor owners: Jarrod and Dalton Bane - Wenona, IL. 

• Dealer Advisory Council Comments:  In issue 118, we talked about the formation of the Dealer Advisory Council and its purpose. There was no one better to comment on the equipment manufactured by Oliver than the people who used and sold it. This was a report from the second meeting of the dealer council out of the St. Louis Branch.

• Take Shelter: Tornadoes rip through Oliver factory and family farms. Severe weather forecasts were not nearly as accurate 50 years ago as they are today. With warning sirens uncommon and the Weather Channel not yet founded, staying informed meant keeping an eye to the sky. I was nine years old when our county was heavily damaged by tornadoes, but only recently did I come to realize Charles City, Iowa, was also devastated by the same multi-state weather system. The day was May 15, 1968. 

• Oliver Build Cards: Coveted by history enthusiasts and collectors alike. Find out more in this article by Floyd County Museum. 

• Cletrac Facts: Oliver OEM Undercarriages. Oliver-Cletrac had a thriving OEM undercarriage business for many years that complemented and expanded their successful crawler tractor production.

• Another Oliver User: Andrew Weber.  We have interviewed numerous members from the next generation of Oliver users in recent issues of Oliver Heritage. The younger bunch coming up is rapidly taking over the spotlight where the hands of their own fathers and grandfathers once gripped the steering wheels of the family tractors. Andy Weber, now age 41, has been operating Oliver tractors on the Weber family farm since his boyhood years near Rogers, Minnesota.