unusual Oliver ID, OC46

[ObsoElitist]

Hi folks. I just brought home what I believe to be an early Oliver OC46. I have a background as a master auto tech, Journeyman machinist, and welder, with a lot of experience with vintage cars and trucks, European exotics, and some construction and mining equipment.
I am having trouble identifying it. I bought it a month ago and have been waiting for mud to dry to get into the field and recover it, looking at pictures and getting more confused.
The grill is not like any I can find on google. It has a 4 cyl gas Hercules IXB3 engine # 668215 with an “A” stamped between the # and the engine lines. It has no starter or external water pump. There appears to be no place to install a starter. There is an ammeter but no generator, and a battery was used with light wiring for the headlights but it has two switches and a push-button like a starter would need. I have not chased the under-dash wires yet. This is much different from the Hercules ZXB in one of my concrete mixers. The fuel tank is under the seat. It has a Ware 3HI loader, and an odd ripper bar lift with one cyl plugged and apparently used as a damper? The hand-crank starter is also odd, since the hydraulic pump is in-line with the crankshaft, it has a gilmer toothed drive pulley under the pump shaft that transmits the power to the pump pulley, and then to the crankshaft through a coupler. This does not work, the coupler is not turning, perhaps a bad keyway or loose screw on the pump pulley. I’ll figure it out after a good cleaning, but I can turn the engine by the fan and it feels OK. This has a 3+1 transmission, 3 forward gears and one reverse. How do I identify steering type with it not running? The carb is missing, what carb is correct, and what else works?
I spoke to someone at Zimmerman’s today and he told me to find the ID plate on the sheetmetal on the dash, but nothing is there, and I cannot find anywhere the three rivet holes that would indicate where it was. I need to order manuals, please have a look through my photo album and let me know what you think I have here. It could be a mix of parts, or maybe an early production model, or just something the web is mute about?
Photo album is at
http://s221.photobucket.com/user/ar...ge=1&_suid=142121484435306223292101472331
Bonus question, can anyone ID the trenching machine I got with it?

 

[Mike (WA)]

It sure looks like an OC-46, but the grill looks late rather than early. But I can't understand it having no starter- Maybe an engine transplant, at some point?

Landis Zimmerman is the guru of Oliver crawlers- here's his website, it doesn't show an email address, but I'm sure he has one.
Zimmerman

 

[JDemaris]

All the OC4 series had four-speed transmissions,
not three speeds. Both transmissions made by Clark
Corp. Sounds like you've got a OC46 with a lot of
parts swapped into it. Oliver never used a three
speed trans with steering clutches.

Here's some photos of a OC46 I had recently.

 

[J. Schwiebert]

JD has it right. It is not an OC-4 rear end. With the 6 digit engine number and no starter I am wondering if it is 1939 model engine as the first ones with the IXA engines they used an engine number starting with a 6. Water pumps became standard about 1950. 90% of all OC-4 tractors had 4 lower rollers and I thought all the loader(OC-46 models) had them as standard. Look behind the magneto for a casting date for the block that is cast in the block.

 

[Dblair]

hey I got one of those I'll throw in a pic of it

 

[ObsoElitist]

Thanks for the responses. The strangeness got worse. Do you have a pic of the data plate from farther back so i can see where it is? My track assembly and plates look more like that of an OC3, and the front wheels are different too. I added three more pics of the trans and tracks to the above album. I see a data plate on the block behind the mag, will pressure wash it tomorrow and see what it is.

 

[JDemaris]

The front wheels on your machine are wrong for an
OC4 or even for a most OC3s. As I recall, Oliver
switched from the raised-center-rib type front
idler to the type with two raised sides 3/4 the
way through HG production.

 

[JDemaris]

HG and OC3 have the ID tag riveted to the rear
clutch housing on the engine. I don't remember off
hand if the OC4 and OC46 has it in the same place.

The front idlers on your machine are early to mid
HG. Not OC3 and not OC4. Trans has to be an OC3 or
HG. Engine sounds like an early HG.

The ugly yellow crawler with two sticks and aux
trans is my late HG. Great little machine.

 

[Josh in Pa]

I was at the counter getting parts for my OC4 when Landis
was trying to help you on the phone.

It looks like you have possibly an HG engine, HG/OC3
transmission, and HG/OC3 track frames and idlers. Only 3
rollers and the old style idler. Most OC4's had 4 rollers, but
three were available. That's not the loader for an Oc46 either,
it looks to be off an OC3. Hard to say whether it is an oc4 with
a lot of Older parts or an oc3 with some newer parts. My OC4
is not much better.
Josh

 

[J. Schwiebert]

Water pumps were added in 1948, the front idler went to the new style in 1950

 

[ObsoElitist]

This must really be a Johnny Cash special. It does look as though whoever put this thing together knew what he was doing, I have seen many hack jobs and this looks factory-made. I think Josh may be right about it being much earlier than I thought. I had a computer malfunction as i was attempting to send a fax with photos to Mr. Zimmerman, and had to give up and finish what I was doing outside. I will get it out tomorrow after a session with the pressure washer. Kind of odd that he has no email, my business would suffer without it. I'm a bit busy getting things ready to sell at the Turlock Swap Meet in 9 days, but the sooner I get a carb on there, the sooner I can get it operational and move some dirt and logs. It took a while to get past problems with registering at another forum specializing in Oliver-Cletrac. Also, living in a pine forest, I really like the cage on the one above, I may have to build something like that and put heavy screening in it.

 

[ObsoElitist]

I just came in wet from pressure washing it. I still find nothing on the bell housing except a casting number #27469D. Does anyone have a photo of one from far enough back that i can see where the rivet holes should be? On the left side of the block under the deck is stamped IXB3, yet after removing lots of gunk and paint, the plate riveted on the right side identifies it as an IXA3, with the same serial number A668215, and Mr Z says that is from 1939. Is it a fair assumption that the engine was bored out as an upgrade? It does appear that i have an HG/OC3 with the wrong body on it.

 

[Josh in Pa]

I don't have a picture, but on your early style oc46 the serial
number plate should be attached to the instrument panel on
the left side down low. Basically about 6 inches below the
push button that cranks the engine. All that is left of mine is
three rivets. There is no way to know, but I'd guess you have
a 56-58 oc4 that someone put a bunch of HG parts on
including the loader. I also have a 56-58 oc4, mine has some
oc3 clutch parts and an oc3 transmission. I think that there
were enough interchangeable parts that a lot of mixing
happened through the years.
Josh