[AT] Oliver's decline was Nice Tractor Day

[Mark Johnson]

White Motor bought out Oliver sometime in the early 1960s.

Mark J

On 11/12/2019 12:10 PM, Cecil Bearden wrote:
> Did White Motor Corp own both Oliver and Moline from the start, or did 
> White take them over later.  IMHO, Moline, while a dependable tractor, 
> was the most difficult tractor to ever work on.  Extra bolts, special 
> bolts, such as Torx headed bolts recessed in from the back side of a 
> flange, just very awkward to work on and work with.  I had a 5 star 
> and a G1000, and grew up with an R, Z, and a U series.  Big awkward 
> heavy tractors as opposed to Oliver that were big, heavy, but fairly 
> easy to operate, and easy to work on.   Dad & I installed a clutch in 
> the 1950 in a day without splitting the tractor.  We didn't even move 
> the radiator.  Pulled the engine and then set it crossways over the 
> big cast iron belly frame and pulled the 2 speed off the engine and 
> changed the clutch.  I hope to get the 1850 running again.   It was a 
> good baler tractor before we got a cab tractor.
> Cecil
>
> On 11/12/2019 11:40 AM, deanvp at att.net wrote:
>> James,
>>
>> I really don't know. I haven't researched that. But there is a 
>> possibility that it might have diverted financial resources that 
>> could have been better used in the Agricultural market.
>>
>> Dean VP
>> Snohomish, WA 98290
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of James Peck
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 9:15 AM
>> To: Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group 
>> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> Subject: [AT] Oliver's decline was Nice Tractor Day
>>
>> Did the acquisition of Cletrac help or hurt?
>>
>> Dean VP AT List Member <deanvp at att.net>; IMHO, Oliver could have 
>> owned the tractor market given they had to financial resources to 
>> make the marketing push. In my home county there was only one Oliver 
>> dealer whereas John Deere and I/H had a dealer in every town over 
>> 2,000 population.  The Oliver's in the field were clustered around 
>> that one dealer.  Dealer support was probably more important to the 
>> farmers than the actual tractor.  Oliver was a leader in many 
>> innovations that JD and I/H followed with more marketing muscle. I 
>> know there was a kind of under the table relationship between JD and 
>> Oliver since Waterloo and Charles City were not that far apart 
>> geographically. I suspect there was quite a bit of industrial 
>> espionage that occurred in the local bars, homes and churches. But…. 
>> Oliver was a technology leader. I don’t know how much the fact that 
>> the engines were not Oliver designed would have limited them.  But 
>> they just didn’t have the financial resources to compete after JD 
>> announced the New Generation tractors.  How that development was kept 
>> secret in the for several years is somewhat of a feat all by itself. 
>> The decision to develop the NG tractors was made in 1953. An expected 
>> 5 year development program. But it wasn’t quite ready in 1958 so 
>> there was a two year delay in the announcement of the NG tractors.  
>> Had there not been the delay the 30 series two cylinder JD tractors 
>> would never have existed. Strangely JD became the largest producer of 
>> Agricultural tractors in the US in 1958 overcoming I/H largely due to 
>> the x60 series tractor fiasco.  I/h owned the tractor market and 
>> snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.  I/H management’s bad 
>> decisions overwhelmed a good product line. In the time period between 
>> 1950 and 1955 I/H owned on average roughly 31% of the tractor market. 
>> JD’s market share during that same period averaged only 14%.   It 
>> just proves that poor management can always overcome good products. . 
>> Here is a chart of the overall tractor market. The market fell apart 
>> after 1951. The void after WWII had been filled.
>>
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