1948 HG-42 and 1956 OC-3 blade compatability....

[Revelstoake]

My Question:

I recently purchased an extremely well running and clean, 1948, HG-42. I have located a (scrapped), 1956, OC-3 nearby with a two way blade. It looks like the two tractors have roughly the same dimensions. Would I be able to put the OC-3 blade on my HG-42? Please advise ASAP, as I need to move on this purchase soon.

Thank you for any advice you might have to offer.

[wolcott@dmcom.net]

I qould be very surprised if it did not fit. Buy it. If it needs some sort of adjustment or modification, take it to you local welder and have him do it.
Dick

[Andy]

I wouldn't do it! I give that advice often. The HG was made for farming, not industrial work. The last couple of years they started beefing up the tractor preparing for production of the OC3, which was stronger and more powerful. I've seen HG's with blades, oh, and final drive problems. You might get by pushing snow with a HG-31 though, Boston did it for years. If you want a good little crawler to push a dozer, find a OC4. They are built considerably stronger, and unlike the HG, had the dozer as an option.

[John Schwiebert]

I would buy it and you would also have parts. Also remember both are geared too fast for dozer work and that is one reason the OC-3 had the optional auxilary transmissions. Or take your HG and convert the frame and final drives. Like Andy sais the very very late HG models have the OC-3 framesand final drives. So check your serial number as well.  Pick yourself up a copy of the latest HPOCA magazine and you find some good information in there. Confused? John

[Andy]

Hey John,
 Good article!! I will complete mine over the next 2 issues, just too much to add to a Christmas/Election issue. I did do about a page or so on rebuilding track rollers, and will finish up the undercarriage rebuild in the following issue of the Hart Parr Oliver Collector. These guys could just join HPOCA, instead of needing to go all the way to a TSC store, only $30 a year, cheaper than gas now days, and you just need to go to the mailbox. Back issues are available for members. To join go to www.hartparroliver.org. Since that tractor will be getting a complete ground up rebuild, I am considering writing something on trans, diff, brakes, and final drive rebuilding, that all needs going thru, it would be something Chris could archive until needed. In the near future I will be putting the IXK-3 back together, all the machine work is done. I am using a little trick on that engine. Since the cylinders were badly scored, I am using IXB-3 pistons and rods. Hercules used the same raw castings for both blocks, so there is plenty of 'meat' to work with. I get the advantage of aluminum pistons, shell rod bearings, as well as a little more displacement. This promises to be an interesting, but expensive project. Well, at least I'll never wear them out at the shows. If I do write on these projects, Chris can archive those until needed at some later date. With that guy leaving a message on Chris' answering machine for him not to do Cletrac again, it wouldn't surprise me if he would be considering another issue featuring Cletracs sometime in the future, kinda like waving a red flag! I think I'll put the tracks from this project tractor on my 1945 HG, the one I show. There will be a Plow Day for the Buckeye Oliver Collectors at the Mack Gress Farm in Wooster, next Saturday. The contact person is Joe Gress. I have both sets of tracks off, the ones for the 1944 are in rust, the one for the little green tractor have the parade blocks on them. The rusty ones I just had new pins and bushings pressed in, the other set I had turned. Don't suppose I'll need to do that again, but it beats throwing a track in front of a grandstand. I figure if I put the rusty tracks on the little green HG, and take it to Plow Day, then let the guys try their hand at pulling a 2-12 Plowmaster 100, with a crawler, by days end there won't be quite so much rust and stuff to remove. And I can have lots of fun in the process.
Have a great day!!!
Andy