There’s A Red Oliver In An Iowa Museum

There’s A Red Oliver In An Iowa Museum Anyone seeing a red-bodied tractor with bright green wheels in or around Charles City, Iowa, in early 1954 might’ve wondered who on earth came up with that scheme. Manufacturing Oliver equipment was a significant industry in Charles City at the time, but their tractors were green with red wheels and a yellow grill. The bright red tractor was a prototype known as the XO-121. The X identified it as experimental, the O signified Oliver, and the 121 identified its 12:1 compression ratio. Since 1987, the rare and restored tractor has been housed in the Floyd County Museum in Charles City. The XO-121 grew from a joint venture between Oliver engineers and the Ethyl Corporation of Michigan. The idea was to develop a high-compression gas engine that would run on high-octane (premium) fuel, gaining better performance with lower fuel consumption. The Ethyl Corporation in Michigan liked the idea because they thought diesel engines could possibly overtake gasoline engines in popularity. Oliver engineers modified the front frame of an Oliver Row Crop 88 to accept a custom Hercules diesel engine block with multiple main bearings. Oliver built three of the test engines but only one tractor. The tractor used tin from the 88 with special identifying badges on each side. The engine was painted silver, the body and metalwork bright red and the wheels Oliver Meadow green. A chrome grill replaced the traditional Oliver yellow version. Tests conducted in 1954 in Charles City and then at the GM Proving Grounds in Michigan showed that the engine provided 43% more power with 28% less fuel. Although the XO-121 never saw a full production rollout, the research on it proved beneficial for future Oliver engines and even those of other tractor companies. Oliver credited the research with improving its Super 88 and 1800 engines. A whitepaper and film titled “Getting Ahead of Tomorrow” documented the collaborative research and development that produced the tractor. By 1960, the tractor had served its research purpose and was donated to Iowa State University in Ames for use in its Ag Engineering department. Twenty years later, it moved to the Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa. It was painted green and used to pull wagons carrying guests. In 1987, Wayne Wiltse, a senior engineering student at Iowa State from Charles City, saw the tractor and said it was almost unrecognizable. Wiltse notified the Floyd County Historical Society in Charles City, whose president, Ken Johnson, asked the Living History Farms if the tractor was available. The organization said yes, and the Mason City organization bought it. Soon, a group of local farmers resurrected the 121 engine. They speculated that it had been running on low-grade fuel, which had caused the engine issues. Over time, the XO-121 was completely repainted and restored. These days, it welcomes year-round visitors at the museum and is brought out for special events, including Hart-Parr Oliver collector’s shows. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Floyd County Museum, 500 Gilbert St., Charles City, Iowa 50616 (ph 641-228-1099; fcmiowa@gmail.com; www.floydcountymuseum.org)

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