Oliver Super 55
Oliver Super 55 | |
---|---|
![]() 1956 Oliver Super 55 diesel | |
Type | Utility tractor |
Manufacturer | Oliver Farm Equipment Company |
Production | 1954-1958 |
Weight | 3,400 pounds (1,500 kg) |
Propulsion | Rear wheels |
Engine model | Oliver 2.4L |
Gross power | 36 horsepower (27 kW) |
PTO power | 34.39 horsepower (25.64 kW) (belt) |
Drawbar power | 29.6 horsepower (22.1 kW) |
Drawbar pull | 3,539 pounds (1,605 kg) |
NTTL test | 524 |
Succeeded by | Oliver 550 |
The Oliver Super 55 series of utility tractors was developed and produced from 1954 to 1958 by the Oliver Farm Equipment Company to complement the Oliver line of heavy row-crop and standard agricultural tracts. Like row-crop tractors, the wheel track width could be adjusted to conform to crop row spacing, but the front wheels were only offered with a wide track. No narrow front wheel options were offered, making the tractor more stable with front-end loaders.
Description and production
The Oliver Super 55 and the lighter Super 44 were intended to compete against light tractor offerings from Farmall, Ford and John Deere]. They were built in an Oliver plant in Battle Creek, Michigan. The Super 55 was introduced in 1953, selling for about $2,750 in 1958. Both gasoline and diesel versions used a 144-cubic-inch (2,360-cubic-centimetre) four-cylinder engine with a six-speed transmission.[1][2][3]
Oliver 550
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Oliver_550_tractor_PA1.jpg/220px-Oliver_550_tractor_PA1.jpg)
The Oliver 550 was introduced in 1958 with updated styling, replacing the Super 55. Engine displacement increased to 155-cubic-inch (2,540-cubic-centimetre), with a two-speed PTO, a new transmission, and a hydraulic three-point hitch. An option for power steering was offered, as well as power-assisted rear wheel spacing. Fixed wheel treads were an additional option. The 550 was sold in Canada as the Cockshutt 550, replacing the preceding Cockshutt-built 550, a completely different tractor.[4][5] Production ran until 1975 under White ownership. The 550 sold for about $4,400 in 1975. 20,368 550s were produced with the Oliver brand, and 3,915 as Cockshutts.[6][7] [3] Oliver also produced an industrial tractor version of the 550 from 1958 to 1975.[8]
References
- ^ Pripps, Robert N. (1994). Oliver Tractors. Motor Books. p. 92. ISBN 0-87938-853-6.
- ^ "Oliver Super 55". TractorData. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ a b Pripps, Robert N. (2020). The Field Guide to Classic Farm Tractors. Motor Books. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-7603-6844-2.
- ^ Swinford, Norm (1999). The Proud Heritage of AGCO Tractors. American Society of Agricultural Engineers. p. 134. ISBN 1-892769-08-5.
- ^ "Cockshutt 550". TractorData. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Pripps 1994, p. 94
- ^ "Oliver 550". TractorData. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Oliver 550 Industrial". TractorData. Retrieved 13 March 2022.