One-Of-A-Kind 4-WD Oliver

One-Of-A-Kind 4-WD Oliver AG WORLD 31-3-21 The Oliver Company never built a 4-WD 880 Oliver. There's only one of them and it's on display at Ollie Schaefer's on-farm "museum" near Greenville, Ill. The unusual home-built tractor û which was inspired by Oliver's 1650 4-WD forklift û is the centerpiece of Schaefer's American Farm Heritage Museum, which hosts an annual tractor show. In its first year, 2004, it drew 138 tractors. Last year, 450 tractors showed up. This year Ollie is expecting to have 600 tractors on display. At the show entrance, Schaefer built an eye-catching display from scrap steel beams he salvaged from a local elevator after a tornado passed through. He puts three tractors on display on top of the structure. The 880 4-WD tractor really throws old Oliver men for a loop because it looks like a factory-built model. But real collectors know the company never made one like it. So Ollie has fun talking to people trying to figure it out. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ollie Schaefer, 1004 Ridge Ave., Greenville, Ill. 62246 (ph 618 664-4770).

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