Noob from northern California

[oldtek88]

Hi everyone. My name is Carl and I've been a long time lurker of this board. I have what I believe to be an HG. Maby you could tell me. Both of these tractors belonged to my grandfather and were used in his orchards many years ago to disc, mow and pull little trailers around. The Oliver 550 is a great tractor that I still use today to mow the field with. The Cletrac has a frozen engine, so I'm here to gain the knowledge and parts sources to get it back in working order.

(please forgive the phone pics)
Oliver 550







and the Cletrac after I pulled it off the old tractor trailer my grandfather built.

[hotratz]

WHOA! That has got to be the nicest original condition HG I've ever seen! And that 550 looks to be original too?
Welcome to the board Carl. You'll learn a lot here to get that HG moving again. Lots of options.

[oldtek88]

thanks! yes, both tractors are original. the HG was purchased new and the 550 came from UC Davis in practically new condition in the mid 60s.

[hotratz]

If that sprocket is indicative of the rest of the machine there couldn't be much wear on it. Is there a story behind why it got parked?

[oldtek88]

It was parked because the engine didnt have enough ooomph to pull a disc anymore.

It normally spent the rainy season in a shed, but when the 550 came into the picture, the cletrac got booted outside into the orchard. It was covered up with several old canvas tarps and left until spring. When my grandfather showed up to start cleaning up the orchard and getting things prepared, it was sitting out in the open with the tarps on the ground. My dad and uncle tried cranking it over by hand but couldnt, so they hooked it up to the 550 and pulled it around popping the clutch trying to unstick the engine.(my guess is that it rained into the engine all winter) The hg never ran again. They pushed it up onto the tractor trailer in '66 or '67 and thats where it sat covered up until I pulled it off and moved it to a new home.

This is the story my uncle gave me. As far as I know, all the track parts are original.

Edit: my avatar is my grandfather with his 41 chevy that he used to tow the cletrac with.

[hotratz]

I'd start by pulling the plugs and filling the chambers with diesel or ATF and letting it sit for a couple weeks then see if you can get it to turn a little. Pull the intake/exhaust manifolds and clear out the mice nests. Pull the carb apart and soak in acetone for a week. Carb kits are cheap but really don't amount to much that you really need except gaskets. Clean the points. That's a good start.

Love the 41, But if you hang out here much you're gonna have to change that avatar to something Cletrac related. Haha!