Found something cool today

[hodge]

I, along with a friend of mine, have been tearing down a house addition that was built in 1909 (the main house was built in 1900). There is a LOT of junk, but in the midst of it all are some neat tidbits. We have collected a decent amount of chestnut oak 2x4's, along with 1" boards. There was an old (but original, really good condition) maytag wringer washer, blue mason jars in all the sizes, good condition zinc lids and rubber rings, and some cool old medicine bottles and oil cans (the cardboard ones, still in great shape, and they are unopened/still have oil in them).
Amongst all of that, I found this original sales brochure, for Cletrac crawler tractors-



Eric McCarthy- notice the address for the dealer!



Anybody know anything about these? It's cool to find a sales brochure from, what I can figure through some internet searching, the 20's or 30's, in great shape (other than a few rodent nibbles).

 

[skeets]

That is a outstanding find,, and all the other stuff is of value as well you should be able to get a few bucks apiece for the cobalt jars and the washer should be worth a few too to the right collector. And CHESTNUT outstanding, gawd that stuff if you can find it is worth,, well a bunch

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

There are plenty of Cletrac crawler tractors still around here, logging loved them!

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I can't make out the address to clearly from my phone.

Looks like it said N 15th street?

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Heyyyy check this out. Tractor Data has a little bit of information on them.

The Cleveland Tractor Corporation

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/tractor-brands/cletrac/cletrac-tractors.html

 

[hodge]

Smith & Hicks Inc.
12-14-16 N. Fifteenth St.
Richmond, VA

I did some google digging, but could only find some Dept. of Commerce records. They have been out of business a long time.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Humm I wonder what Keystone tractor museum might know about them, or perhaps they may have one on display.

I need to go visit again. I hear they've added more tractors to their collection to drool over.

 

[Humblebub]

Back in the early 50's my dad had some logging jobs in Northern NYS. Memory is foggy but I recall 2 dozers that looked like that.

 

[MagKarl]

My family cam to Oregon to log in the early 1900's. My Dad was a kid in the 50's and remembers them having Cletrac dozers.

 

[hodge]

Humm I wonder what Keystone tractor museum might know about them, or perhaps they may have one on display.

I need to go visit again. I hear they've added more tractors to their collection to drool over.

Maybe I should email them some photos of the brochure.

 

[bcbull378]

Cletrac the original orange tractor , the photo below is of my father on his new Cletrac in 1948 on our ranch in Santa Paula Ca great tractor powered by a Hercules diesel. We used this tractor n our apricots orchards from 1948 till 1972 when it was replaced by a caterpillar D2 . The Cletrac was the first tractor I operated and what great memories I have back in the 60s driving tractors a great childhood indeed. Most kids were playing little league I was driving tractor and hunting couldn't have had a better childhood thanks dad.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Maybe I should email them some photos of the brochure.

Nah, road trip is more entertaining.

 

[hodge]

Nah, road trip is more entertaining.

Good point!!!

 

[skeets]

Road trippp !!!!!!!

 

[BAP]

Hodge, that brochure is probably from the early to mid 20's. I have a Cletrac crawler that is of that vintage, but not that particular model and it is around a 1923-1925 vintage. Check out this link to the Cletrac Collectors club. If you click on the tab for pictures, there is a lot of them with various models.

http://www.calolivercletrac.org/index.html

 

[Diydave]

Beg to differ, Allis is the original orange tractor. Cleveland was absorbed into the oliver/hart-parr line, then to Oliver, then to Massey, then to Agco. if you follow the history most independent tractor lines were bought and phased into other companies lines. If you are interested, there are tons of old and antique tractor sites out there, and generally shows for old equipment in every state of the union. There is generally a lot of old-timer's wisdom in these shows, lots to learn...