My first crawler

[RockyMO]

My first crawler finally arrived. It is an OC 3 with an Anderson blade. It is definately the coolsest tractor I own. I am sure I will have many questions in the future about this mancine. I am noturally trying to obtain as much knowledge as possible about the whole crawler history, from the Cletracs to the OC 3's etc. Any thing you think I should know I would be glad to here. Thanks in advance for any info.

Rocky in MO.

[RockyMO]

Here are some pictures of my new OC 3.

[Mike Shanley]

That is a nice looking machine!  You will find it very helpful to have an Instruction Manual printed by Oliver for the OC3 and a Oliver Parts Book for the OC3 Crawler Tractor.  The parts book has better diagrams and exploded views/mechanical drawings of the working parts.

You own a piece of history there.  Enjoy it and take care of it.  Let us know if you have any problems or questions.  Mike Shanley, Woodbury MN

[RockyMO]

Thanks for the reply. I purchased the owners manual and service manual before the tractor was delivered so that I could become familiar with it. When the tractor arrived it came with an original owners manual. I will have to pick up a parts manual though.

[Jack in NB]

Hi Rocky -

You have quite a machine there! I cut my eye teeth on Dad's similar one - he got it in '46. Had the same overhead Anderson setup, but not the angle setup on the blade. He moved the dozer to the OC3 he got in '52, and we just sold it a couple of years ago. 6WH990. I picked up another one 20 years ago and rebuilt it. Has the more conventional dozer with two cyls on the sides. Mine just happened to have s/n 6WH994 - just 4 up from his.

Dunno if you have the problem with oil blowing out the blade tank in operation or not. His did - the pump pulled from one side and the return was on the other, and the low section in the center for the cylinder caused an airlock, and it would boil oil out the filler pipe. The fix was a half inch copper breather line joining the tops of both sides.

Those front idlers would appear to make it an HG, but the guys on the forum here say there was no clear cutoff between HG and OC-3. The later OC-3 idlers straddled the outside of the track chains; didn't jump nearly so often once the pins and bushings wore. Two other possible identifiers: IXB-3 engine (might be on the engine plate and oil dipstick), had a water pump while the earlier IXK-3 in the HG did not; and the knee action springs on the OC-3 were outside the asssembly while the HG springs were lighter and enclosed. And broke with annoying frequency!!!!!

Your tracks appear tight - the book says allow 2" sag at mid-point. Tighter tracks aggravate the wear on the front idler bearings, and worse - on the track hangar bosses at the back.

The outside ones are easy to fix, but the inner ones are part of the final drive castings, and a real bugger. I built up a kind of lathe to rebuild the inside bosses. Brazed them up, then turned them back down to size. Put grease fittings on the hangars (both front and back sides - the factory ones on ours had only one fitting, back on one side and front on the other) to replace the original oil fittings and add lube to both sides. Seems to work.

Have fun with the critter!

Jack

[PIPER68]

Hi Rocky ,
I just bought an HG with an Anderson blade setup also . Does your blade angle and if so how ? Mine has the two pins in the top with four holes when you are looking at it from the top , but I can't figure how it would angle . Mine may be missing some kind of adaptor plate to make it angle .

Thanks,

Chad Feldpouch
Vandalia , IL

[RockyMO]

Hi not so far away neighbor. Vandalia is only a couple hours from here. As far as the blade angle, yes it does. There is a piece that when you pull the pin on one side of the blade, swing the blade out, this piece installs and works as a spacer. Can be used on left or right side. Only problem is that it only angles to that amount or straight, not incremental. I am enclosing a picture of the bracket/spacer installed and posting it as well. Let me know if you received it and if you need to see any more.


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[RockyMO]

Another picture with the spacer highlighted.

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[Bill Seal]

The spacer on mine is a hunk of rolled 3/8 thick channel, 9"web & 2" legs.
The pin holes are 13" c/c.
Primitive, but it works ok for cleaning corrals. (The little sucker even fits inside the barn.)
The oil blowout explaines why somebody bypassed the oil tank on mine and mickey-moused another on the side.

[PIPER68]

Rocky, I looked today and there is no link . If you could get me some close up pic's of it installed and a Drawing I would be most greatfull .

Thanks,

Chad...