White disk harrow

[JohnRowehl]

Saw a WFE disk sitting along the road the other day that caught my attention because it looked very much like the Oliver 252 disk that was on the farm I grew up on. The decal on this one was 256. Just wondering if there was a modification or if it s the same thing and they just renumbered it during the change over to White.

 

[paul]

Quite a few implements were just renamed and had at most minor typical updates in the transition into White Farm
Equipment. Its too bad the farm economy of the times and just bad corporate management of the times saw a lot of
good machinery die off. More money was spent on middle management and mergers than on good fundamental
business by several companies.

Paul

 

[oliverkid]

256 was heavier built. Box tube tongue instead of a welded
tongue. Heavier bracket to attach the tongue to the frame.
Heavier wall axle tube and heavier cylinder mount. Heavier wing
hinges with the option of hydraulic wing fold. And the whole
frame was made of heavier channel. Basically consider it the
second generation 250 series.

 

[NY 986]

With Oliver then White it was poor management. They also failed to understand that having a full line of equipment often draws the customers to the dealer. Some farmers just find a dealer and tend to stick with them when that dealer can supply most of their needs. So many dealers around that a fair number could not pick up a sideline such as New Holland or Gehl when Oliver thinned their product line. Given how poorly MF did with Badger Oliver should have been the one to have bought up Badger if they did not want to or found it impractical to build their own hay, forage, and materials handling lines. When all you have to sell is tractors, tillage, and corn planters (also combines but that did not matter to most dairy farms around here) it makes it easier to bypass a dealer in favor of somebody who carries more products.