The Oliver Super 55 series of utility tractors was developed and produced from 1954 to 1958 by the Oliver Farm Equipment Company to complement the Oliver line of heavy row-crop and standard agricultural tracts. Like row-crop tractors, the wheel track width could be adjusted to conform to crop row spacing, but the front wheels were only offered with a wide track. No narrow front wheel options were offered, making the tractor more stable with front-end loaders.
Description and production
The Oliver Super 55 and the lighter Super 44 were intended to compete against light tractor offerings from Farmall, Ford and John Deere]. They were built in an Oliver plant in Battle Creek, Michigan. The Super 55 was introduced in 1953, selling for about $2,750 in 1958. Both gasoline and diesel versions used a 144-cubic-inch (2,360-cubic-centimetre) four-cylinder engine with a six-speed transmission.
Oliver 550
The Oliver 550 was introduced in 1958 with updated styling, replacing the Super 55. Engine displacement increased to 155-cubic-inch (2,540-cubic-centimetre), with a two-speed PTO, a new transmission, and a hydraulic three-point hitch. An option for power steering was offered, as well as power-assisted rear wheel spacing. Fixed wheel treads were an additional option. The 550 was sold in Canada as the Cockshutt 550, replacing the preceding Cockshutt-built 550, a completely different tractor. Production ran until 1975 under White ownership. The 550 sold for about $4,400 in 1975. 20,368 550s were produced with the Oliver brand, and 3,915 as Cockshutts. Oliver also produced an industrial tractor version of the 550 from 1958 to 1975.
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