Written By Larry Gay
On October 31, 1944, the Cleveland Tractor Company and its line of Cletrac crawlers were purchased by the Oliver Farm Equipment Company. Oliver then changed its corporate name to the Oliver Corporation as it now represented more than farm equipment. The smallest crawler in the Cletrac line was the Model HG which was advertised as having 22 belt horsepower and 18 drawbar horsepower. In 1945, Oliver introduced the Model HGR crawler which was unique as it was the HG equipped with rubber tracks.
The Cletrac HG was first introduced in 1939 with a Hercules gasoline engine with a 3-inch bore and a 4-inch stroke. Rated engine speed was 1,400 rpm and it was advertised as producing 18 belt horsepower. The HG’s power increased to 22 belt horsepower in late 1940 when the bore was increased to 3.12 inches and the rated engine speed stepped up to 1,700 rpm. The 3-speed transmission provided speeds of 2.0, 3.2, and 5.3 mph. The standard metal track shoe width was 6 inches and a 10-inch width was optional. The regular track tread was 42 inches and a 68-inch width was available for row-crop work. This small crawler weighed about 3,000 pounds and the ground pressure was 5 pounds per square inch.
Oliver advertised the Model HGR with its rubber tracks could be driven on paved highways and was ideal for mowing along roadsides, plowing snow, or hauling loads of hay or grain to market. It had the power and traction to pull a 2-bottom plow or harvesting equipment. The 68-inch track tread version could cultivate row crops by pushing a front-mounted cultivator which was supported by two caster wheels. The tracks with chevron treads were made of synthetic rubber belts that were reinforced internally with aircraft cable. The four bogey wheels on each side were spring suspended and coved with a sloping metal shield. Oliver said an experimental model was driven around Cleveland, Ohio, for 3,000 hours over snowy and icy highways with no mechanical failures or need to retread the rubber tracks.
The rubber tracks worked well in factory or warehouse operations with wood or smooth floors. However, the rubber tracks were not very durable when used on farms and in dirt moving operations. As a result, most of the Model HGR crawlers were converted back to HG models with steel tracks. At least two HGR crawlers have survived and are owned by collectors. It would be another forty years before Caterpillar introduced a crawler tractor with rubber tracks.
Larry Gay is the author of four tractor books published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, including A Guide to Hart-Parr, Oliver and White Farm Tractors. This book may be obtained from ASABE by calling 800-695-2723.
