Oliver Heritage Issue #126

Oliver Heritage Issue #126 Apr/May 2025

• Featuring: Oliver OC-6. There is no doubt the Fleetline Series of tractors were some of Oliver’s most iconic and modern models of that era. At the same time, Cletrac was well-known in the crawler world but now under the Oliver flag. So, what happens when you throw the two models together? You get a crawler that looks like a tractor! Feature crawler owner: the late Ronald Matthys - South Bend, IN.

• Oliver at War. It would be hard to list every single component built for war efforts and the government by all the companies under the Oliver flag. Within this article, we will list the more prominent units built, which had a large impact on the company’s work force and kept our troops supplied with the tools they needed. 

• Oliver 4-Bottom Plow with Crank Levers: Another Shank Farm Relic. It was 1950 and the dawn of the second half of the Twentieth Century. All seemed well on the Shank farm near New Cambria, KS, where Ray Shank planned to update his farm equipment, including the purchase of an Oliver 4-bottom plow with Raydex shares and crank levers. Times were good on the farm during those years following World War II. 

• Hart-Parr Highlights: Melvin Ellis and the Hart-Parr Co. The Ellis family was one of the most influential in all of Charles City history. Without the influence of brothers C.D. and A.E. Ellis, the Hart-Parr factory might not have moved to Charles City. 

• Another Oliver User: Richard Catey. Anytime you can visit with a retired farmer, especially one who owned Oliver tractors and equipment, don’t let such a great opportunity slip past. These people forged through times of change and growth in agriculture. Richard Catey and his wife, Sharon, still reside on his family’s Century Farm near Grand Ledge, MI.

• Cletrac Facts: Mack Woolridge and Woolridge Manufacturing Company. Wooldridge Mfg. Company was founded by Malcolm “Mack” Wooldridge. As one of the early pioneers to invent and build earthmoving machinery, he was an important figure in this industry.

• Superior Way to Farm: The Superior Drill Company, originally known as Ferrell, Ludlow & Rodgers, was a leader in the design and engineering of grain drills. The Superior name was in use for 102 years, ending in 1969; a very respectful duration considering the vast changes that took place within agricultural manufacturing during that time period. Superior – “The Name Tells a True Story.”