Cletrac Model R

[erik]

Hi
What happened to the Cletrac Model R that was on Ebay? Saw it on day and the next it was gone before auction ending date. Tried to contact the seller with no luck.
Erik

[Bob]

I saw it too. I was going to bid on it because it wasn't too far away from me. I didn't get a chance. I really would like to have had it...

Bob

[Blake Malkamaki]

Did you look under completed auctions?

[erik]

Look for your self (Ebay item number: 330271176677), $499.00 and no bidders, are you joking?!!? There are only some 5 known model R, 3 in USA and 2 in UK. After the Sparky auction one more went to UK. CanÃ,´t understand why you let those little wonders of tractor history leave your country. Soon you have zero left cause I had done my best to get that little bugger over to the other side of the atlantic.
Erik

[19-65port]

I bought the Cletrac and this one will stay in the U.S.A. as long as im alive  !  It is near Chicago now

[John Schwiebert]

I think there are more than 5. I was looking at one a few years ago in Northwest Ohio. It was not 100% complete. So for a while thre were 2 in northern Ohio. Where was this one located?

[erik]

John: There may be more than five (number taken from the Sparky auction) left but letÃ,´s be clear about the fact that itÃ,´s a very very rare crawler. The crawler was located in Willard, OH, according to Ebay.

19-65port: Good to hear that someone on the forum now has the model R in itÃ,´s garage. Can you please tell us some more about the condition, I saw that the front cross member looked broken. Is the motor ok? Any input would be of great interest. Do you have any detailed photos to share on the forum?
Thanks
Erik

[John Schwiebert]

That may be the one I am refering to. The owner got into some health issues and wanted to resell it. The place in Wiullard maybe a salvalve yard. I was looking at it and almost had it traded for. It doe not have a manifold or carburetor, steering wheel and a few other things if it is the one I am thinking of. It came out of Michigan and was sold through Yoder & Frey to a small salvage yard near me> It then went almost to Cleveland. More details later. John

[Blake Malkamaki]

At one time there were several Cletracs at the salvage yard in Willard, Ohio, including a Cletrac 80 and a B with a Sargent Overhead Loader. Back then, in the late-70s, Charles Doble in England had one of the largest Cletrac collections around. I was able to help him work out a deal to purchase the Cletrac 80 and have it shipped to England on a Russian ship. Since then, Doble has disbanded his collection, and I'm not sure what happened to the 80.

Blake

[mjank]

Hello everyone, I got to see the model R in person. I have to say, the pictures made it look a LOT better than what it was in person. It was definitely sitting outside most of its life. The frame was pretty much rotted away. The gas tank and support were half rotted away. Clutch linkage rotted. The undercarriage had areas where there was rot out. I would say that most of the pads on the tracks will have to be replaced due to rot out with much luck needed in removing the pins. I've seen guys refabricate tractors from just axles and a few castings. What was nice about this machine is that it could be redone since the engine and transmission were there as well as the carb. and intake manifold,  however it would just take time, money, guesswork, ambition, and the right tools and equipment...oh yeah... and a VERY UNDERSTANDING wife or VERY COMFORTABLE couch.