My User Name and story

[oliver2-44 8,836]

I've been meaning to post some pictures of my "User Name" tractor and myself for some time, so here goes.

My user name started on an early Oliver tractor forum years ago.

An Oliver 2-44 is a early-mid 1960's backhoe loader tractor. It is the Industrial version of an Oliver 550 farm tractor.

i acquired it as scrap in 1993 with a torn up shuttle transmission (The shuttle had a forward and reverse stick that gives you 6 gears in each direction) 

The tranny case was cracked, so I found a transmission off a 550 farm tractor (which unfornatly didn't have the shuttle feature) and split everything apart and married it back together.

I grew up on a farm and worked at a Ford tractor shop back in high school so I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into.,,,, quite a garage and shade tree project!

While it was apart a neighbor/contractor had a large sand blaster rented, so the tractor and loader got a blast and paint job. (that the loader frame hanging from a cable and come-a-long between the trees) 

 I got a job location change and sold the house so I had to hurry up and get the tractor back together so the backhoe did not get painted.

No comments about the green riding mower, I had never even heard of a Wheel Horse until about 2005!

 

 

I moved to a channel on a lake, so when the lake was lowered for cleanup after a winter flood, my Oliver helped me do some retaining wall work.  She now stays at our family farm or my in-laws farm.  

Together we've put in 4 septic systems and other weekend farm chores. I call her my "Beast" because she has 60's vintage "power assist" steering and with a full loader bucket, she's a Beast to steer.

empty she weights in at 9900 lbs

 

My 3 boys in this 1998 picture are grown young men now.  @stevasaurus these boys are still a wonderful source of a lot of my garden tractor project delays.  

My oldest son moved from Austin to live near us (and the lake)  this year and brought us our 1st grand baby boy.  So there will be a new Wheel Horse driver in a few years.   

After an October tractor Show my restored 312-8 will become his worker (another reason for even another tractor project)

My 2nd son "WakeBoarding Santa" graduated from college, and we moved him to New Jersey recently to do a year or two of missionary work at Seton Hall College 

My youngest son is a student at the University of Texas in Austin.  Of course my wonderful wife has quite a job keeping her "4 boys" in line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WHX?? 46,701]

Good story Ollie .....thanks. Yer gonna need to explain the trencher hanging off the hoe tho!

Edited September 15, 2016 by WHX7

[857 horse 2,581]

Thank -you for taking the time and also letting us into your life.....

and thank-you for the great pics ,,,,,,

We also are proud of all our sons and grand sons......

 

    this is a few pics of the members,,,,,,others were playing out in the street,,,,,

 

              Howard  857 horse in VA

[oliver2-44 8,836]

The backhoe was my "crane" to lower things into the channel. I used the trencher to dig a proper concrete footing next to and under the bottom of the existing retaining wall.  The original wall was poured by the previous owners contractor when the lake was full. So the concrete at the very bottom was quite poor quality from mixing with water and being poured onto mud in the bottom of the forms.    

[ACman 7,505]

 

That brought back some memories , we had the same backhoe when I was a young boy.

[KC9KAS 4,741]

Thank you for the introduction and the photos.

[Wishin4a416 2,185]

Good story and nice machine. Sure beats a shovel!

[JC 1965 1,528]

Great story, those old Oliver tractors were real workers. Thanks for sharing.     

[stevasaurus 22,229]

Great story and pictures Jim and it has been a pleasure talking with you on the phone.