OC-96D crawler loader questions

[Sask farmer]

Hi all. I am new to anything Oliver, grew up on all IH and have been restoring IH crawlers for a few years now. I have just purchased an Oliver OC-96D and could use a bit of help.

 Can anyone tell me the good and bad points of this crawler, the hp, weight, and years made. I have ordered a service and ops manual but any hints on repairs and operating would be appreciated.

 I cant seem to find a whole lot of information on this crawler but may not be looking in the right places. Thanhs in advance for any help.

 Kelly

[John Schwiebert]

First of all there are two "series" The ones built in Cleveland and the later B series built In Charles City at the Oliver wheel tractor plant.  95% have a DD 198 Hercules while the very last ones have an 1/8 inch bigger bore and have a 212 cubic inch Hercules engine. All are diesel. Start there. John

[Robert Barbour]

There should be an ID plate on the dash.  The series B started at serial number 800270.  Horsepower 57 net, bucket 1&1/8 yd. weight 14600 they were made from about 59 to 65.  They had counter rotating tracks. I have never seen one so can not say how good they were.

[Blake Malkamaki]

I grew up on an OC-96 for several years when I was little. It took no effort to run, so I was able to operate it when I was around 7 or 8 years old.

It has steering levers and pedals. The pedals would turn it in a spot turn manner by stopping one track. The levers would do this too, but could also speed up one track faster than the other for slow turns and could counter-rotate the tracks. I think the tractor had 2 speeds each way, plus high and low range, so really 4 speeds each way. Not 100% sure on this one. It had a torque converter and foot throttle, as well as a lever throttle.

The loader was built integral with the tractor and had linkage that kept the bucket level as it went up and down. Our OC-126 also had this and Cat picked this up for their loaders after Oliver went out.

The tractor we had broke a crankshaft. This was a common problem on this model of Hercules engines. I believe the problem was remedied later on.

These were direct-injection diesels as opposed to the pre-combustion chamber engines of previous Cletracs.

I would love to get another OC-96 one day.

Blake

[Sask farmer]

Thanks for the info on my crawler. The SN is 1MB-698, could anyone tell me the year it is? I started to tinker around with it a bit the other night and found several loose hoses and fittings which is probably why its so dirty. I am going to change all the fluids and filters for starters, so are there any hidden screens or filters I should know about. Also what type of oil goes in the different areas of the machine.

 I also was told that the engine from a 550 tractor is the same, is this true? I can get a 550 but thought it had an Oliver engine in it but could be wrong.

 Thanks again for the help

 Kelly

[Sask farmer]

Hi all. I started on my 96 again and found a few things that need some magor attention. When I went to drain the oil from the converter and transmission there was so much gunk in the bottom the oil wouldnt even run out. I took the filter out next, or tried to but it was so full of gunk that it came out in peices. i sure hope my pumps didnt get ruined.

  The guy who had it befor me should never been allowed to have a welder. I dont think he owned a wrench because if a bolt came loose he tacked the head to whatever it was holding, most of the bolts just needed a lockwasher and tightening up.

 Ill keep you posted as I go deeper into it.

 Kelly

[John Schwiebert]

Well you have part of the engine thing right. A Cockshutt built 550 will have a DD four cylinder engine not the Oliver built 550. A later Hercules will also work. The 550 Cockshutt and I need to check on the OC-96 were dd standard engines. Hercules also made a DDH engine which had a heavier crank. Later Hercules have a crankshaft size inbetween the 2. You can also find some 4 cylinder Military Hercules engines. It will probably easier to find 4 inch pistond for the engine instead of the odd ball 3-7/8. Got to go shell corn. More later. Send me an e-mail. John

[Sask farmer]

Well guys I hit a rather large snag with the OC-96. I was cleaning off the mud and grung from it when I started to find cracks which led to breaks in the main frame. Also found the converter housing to have a crack in it and the bolts that hold the rear half and finals on are all loose and the holes are wore oblong. Now im not sure if its worth going on or not. To fix the frame properly I will have to completely dissasemble the entire crawler.

 My question now is, is this crawler worth the trouble? I like the idea of the converter and counter rotating tracks for confined areas but ?

 What to do.

 Kelly

[Sask farmer]

Hello again. Im back at the OC-96 again and have it all stripped down and ready for another washing as soon as I can get to the car wash with it. Getting the main frame welded where it was broke and cracked and took the rollers off to relube. Hoping to get into the engine and tranny in the next week or so depending on how things go with my other projects.