| Author | Message | ||
     I. McDonell |
Are there photos available of the 1988 Spirit of Oliver? Does the machine still exist? | ||
| Chris Losey (Admin) |
The tractor is still around. It was sold to a farmer in Ohio and he still owns and uses it. He says he even uses it to spread manure!! uggghhh!! Here is a picture of it at the show in Plain City, Ohio in 2001.  Somewhere I have pcitures of it when White was taking it around to the farm shows. I haven't been able to find them, but someday they'll turn up. | ||
| Eric Allen |
Im guessing that this is a White tractor painted Oliver green. What model of White is it if this is correct? | ||
| Chris Losey (Admin) |
The majority of this tractor was a White !85 Field Boss. It has the C series Cummins engine (504.5 cubic inches) with the heavy duty over/under power shift and the standard 6 speed transmission/final drives. But there were extensive modifications too. Besides the chrome wheels and exhaust, the wheel base was lengthened, it had the custom headlight bezels and the cab was very plush. White made this tractor in 1988 to take around to the shows as a promotional item. They would have questionaires where ever it was on display asking things like which features you liked in the cab, did you like the front wheel fenders, did you like the option of different paint colors and even if you liked one side of the tractor better than the other. One side had the wheel centers painted green with the chrome rims and the other side had white wheel centers with chrome rims. It's my belief that this was a market test, since the American seires were introduced to the dealers that same year. But it must have been a successful venture, because a year or so later they took 3 production White 140's and painted one Prarie Gold, one Vermillion Red and one Meadow Green. They had custom paint and became the Spirit of Minneapolis Moline, The Spirit of Cockshutt and the Spirit of Oliver. The first two were 2 wheel drive and the Oliver was front wheel assist. I know where the second Spirit of Oliver is, but haven't seen the Spirit of Minnie Mo or the Spirit of Cockshutt since the dealer only auction that White sold them at. | ||
| I. McDonell |
Thanks for the photo. The lengthened wheelbase showed up in the production Workhorse 195 (and 175) Whites when they were introduced. The lowered door handle was also introduced at the same time. Chris: if you have any of the White/New Idea propaganda w/regards to the Spirit, or any Farm Show literature that would have followed the tractor, please do blow the dust off and post it. Thanks. | ||
| Chris Losey (Admin) |
I'll see if I can find any. |
