White Motor Company acquired Cockshutt Farm Equipment in it's entirety in 1962. Oliver had already been absorbed by White in 1960.
Seemingly content with Cockshutt's arrangement with Fiat of Italy, White allowed the importation process to continue, and eventually integrated the resulting tractors into the Oliver lineup, as well.
The Fiat 411R & 411RG underwent dramatic restyling, to become the 415, and 415 Petrol. With their new "50" Series (or Checkerboard) tractors by now well underway, Oliver and Cockshutt renamed the Fiat 415 the 1250 Diesel, and 1250 Gas, and gave them new grilles which more closely matched the larger 1550, 1650, 1850, and 1950 tractors.
Early Cockshutt 1250 tractors's sheet metal and wheels were painted Harvest Gold, and the chassis was painted Sumac Red, resulting in a clean, sharp little tractor. For 1965, all Cockshutt tractors were painted Sumac Red, with white wheels and grilles. The 1250 took on a new appearance this way.
Oliver 1250 models, however, were painted Oliver green, with white wheels and grilles, to match the rest of the Oliver lineup.
The engine used in the 1250 Gas was a 4 cylinder, 3 main bearing, 116 cubic inch unit, in an OHV (OverHead Valve) arrangement. Bore and stroke was 3.25 by a very short 3.5 inches. 3 ring pistons were used, in unusual 'Siamesed', wet sleeve cylinders; two sets of two. Compression ratio was 7.5:1. The intake and exhaust manifolds were mounted on the right side of the engine, one on top of the other, in conventional, in line gas style. A Solex downdraft carburator sat on top of the intake manifold, and was connected to the oil bath air cleaner by a short 90 degree rubber hose. The manifolds were cast separately, and bolted together into one unit. Standard manifolding was for vertical exhaust. The main bearing arrangement was unusual, also, in that no two were the same. The crankshaft was light in construction. Helping to strengthen the engine unit was a cast iron oil pan. Instead of timing gears, this engine used a timing chain and sprockets. On the left side of the engine was the distributor, driven from the top of the oil pump. Next to it, the oil filter was a modern, spin-on, disposable automotive style. A neat and tidy unitized stamped steel piece made up the crankcase filler and breather. Below that was the fuel transfer pump, and below that was the dipstick.
The Diesel engine was again a 4 cylinder unit, but that was the only similarity to the Gas engine; the Diesel was a 5 main bearing, 138.5 cubic inch, dry sleeve engine, with replaceable liners. Bore and stroke were 3 5/16 by 4 inches. Compression ratio was a very high 21.5:1. Due to this, 4 ring pistons were used. Full, bevel cut timing gears were used in this engine. The hydraulic pump and the tachometer were driven off of the timing gears on the Diesel engine. Typical of Diesels, this was a cross-flow design; the intake and exhaust manifolds were on opposite sides of the engine. The crankshaft was a heavier design than the Gas engine. The first three main bearings, and the rear two main bearings were the same. A heavy cast oil pan increased overall powerplant rigidity. Oil lubrication was full flow, and filtration was provided by an old fashioned, canister-style cartridge. Aiding in making typically messy cartridge-style oil changes cleaner, the filter base was cast to drain off back into the engine (rather than being remotely mounted, as many cartridge style filters were), and the cartridge itself set into it up to half of it's height, the filter cap being only a shallow cup the size of a Diesel fuel filter sediment bowl.
Either engine had a governed speed of 2500 RPM. Using Oliver's Certified horsepower rating, the Gas was rated at 35 PTO horsepower, and the Diesel at 38.5 PTO horsepower. A different flywheel and ring gear was used for each engine.
Whichever engine, the same 9 inch dual clutch handled its output. Throughout the remainder of the powertrain was part for part identical from the clutch to the drawbar.
The 1250's transmission was a thoroughly modern, partially synchronized, 6 speed forward, 2 speed reverse unit. The only feature linking it to the past was that it was built with straight cut gears. The 2/3 synchronization of the unit, however, overshadowed this modest shortcoming. 6th to 5th, and 3rd to 2nd gears were synchronized for easy downshifting.
Handling second reduction in the drive train was the differential. This was a lockable unit for slippery conditions, having a pedal located at the operator's right heel. Disengagement was automatic, activated by a spring which the pedal worked against, and was allowed to unbind when the pedal was released.
Operated off of the 'axles' (output shafts) from the differential, were the self-energizing, contracting band around an internal drum, brakes. They were 50 millimeters in width. Adjustment for wear and stretch was through simple turnbuckles located beneath the floorboards.
Outboard, pinion and bull gear final drives connected the differential to the rear wheels. They were laid back in a trailing arm configuration, and provided a 5.636:1 final reduction to the rear wheels.
The rear tires on the Oliver--or Cockshutt--1250 were 12.4x28 standard, with 13.6x28, and 14.9x28 rear tires optional. 18.4x16A rear turf tires were also available, with matching 7.50x10 front turf tires. Standard fronts were 6.00x16, with 6.50x16, 7.50x15, and 7.50x16 front tires optional.
An Orchard version was available, having a total height of only 53 inches to the top of the steering wheel. An odd oversight, however, was the failure to relocate the very outboard-mounted headlight units to a more protected area, as they were certain to damage small branches and fruit, or have larger branches damage them instead.
The 1250's Branch-Snagging Outboard Headlights
(non-orchard front axle shown)
The 1250's hood opened to the left for easy access to the engine, and an over-center prop held it in place. The upper part of the grille had two spring-loaded fasteners that could be quickly disengaged to remove that parts for access to the air cleaner and batteries. Two generously sized fenders gave the operator ample protection from the rear tires.
An innocent enough looking tractor, the 1250 was plagued by gremlins, with it's orphan 24 volt electrical system in particular. Engine problems abounded, especially in the Gas model, which had been sourced as a military surplus engine. It was accessorized by nearly impossible-to-find ignition and induction parts. Sharing the 24 Volt electrical system, the Diesel model additionally suffered from a seemingly insatiable appetite for head gaskets, short life of rod and main bearings, and, finally, the inclusion of a red-headed orphan child of an injection pump. The parts supply for these two engines dwindled rapidly, and both were very soon labeled "lemons" in the tractor industry. It was a shame, as both tractors were very pleasant to operate when in good running condition. Possessing a respectable transmission and chassis design, a little more care in engine design--or selection--could have left the 1250 tractors in an enviable status for dependability, rather than a notorious one for being fragile and finicky.
Today, 1250 Gas models often find themselves being re-powered, usually in the form of an IH C153 combine engine, resulting in a nice, reliable, nimble little tractor, with a ready parts supply. 1250 Diesel models seldomly are re-powered, being that repowering a stressed block tractor is much more difficult than dropping a replacement engine into a frame as in the 1250 Gas.
