diff --git a/swift/common/db.py b/swift/common/db.py
index e504155c6d..b48219e607 100644
--- a/swift/common/db.py
+++ b/swift/common/db.py
@@ -997,6 +997,7 @@ class DatabaseBroker(object):
                           timestamp will be removed.
         :returns: True if conn.commit() should be called
         """
+        timestamp = Timestamp(timestamp)
         try:
             row = conn.execute('SELECT metadata FROM %s_stat' %
                                self.db_type).fetchone()
@@ -1008,7 +1009,7 @@ class DatabaseBroker(object):
                 md = json.loads(md)
                 keys_to_delete = []
                 for key, (value, value_timestamp) in md.items():
-                    if value == '' and value_timestamp < timestamp:
+                    if value == '' and Timestamp(value_timestamp) < timestamp:
                         keys_to_delete.append(key)
                 if keys_to_delete:
                     for key in keys_to_delete:
diff --git a/swift/common/db_replicator.py b/swift/common/db_replicator.py
index d0edb4b255..3c81985436 100644
--- a/swift/common/db_replicator.py
+++ b/swift/common/db_replicator.py
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ class Replicator(Daemon):
         elif response.status == HTTP_INSUFFICIENT_STORAGE:
             raise DriveNotMounted()
         elif 200 <= response.status < 300:
-            rinfo = json.loads(response.data)
+            rinfo = json.loads(response.data.decode('ascii'))
             local_sync = broker.get_sync(rinfo['id'], incoming=False)
             if rinfo.get('metadata', ''):
                 broker.update_metadata(json.loads(rinfo['metadata']))
diff --git a/swift/container/backend.py b/swift/container/backend.py
index 4a2a8ff1c3..891b2a3988 100644
--- a/swift/container/backend.py
+++ b/swift/container/backend.py
@@ -1266,7 +1266,7 @@ class ContainerBroker(DatabaseBroker):
         :param source: if defined, update incoming_sync with the source
         """
         for item in item_list:
-            if isinstance(item['name'], six.text_type):
+            if six.PY2 and isinstance(item['name'], six.text_type):
                 item['name'] = item['name'].encode('utf-8')
 
         def _really_really_merge_items(conn):
@@ -1362,7 +1362,7 @@ class ContainerBroker(DatabaseBroker):
             if isinstance(item, ShardRange):
                 item = dict(item)
             for col in ('name', 'lower', 'upper'):
-                if isinstance(item[col], six.text_type):
+                if six.PY2 and isinstance(item[col], six.text_type):
                     item[col] = item[col].encode('utf-8')
             item_list.append(item)
 
diff --git a/swift/container/reconciler.py b/swift/container/reconciler.py
index 539288e168..a5469052a9 100644
--- a/swift/container/reconciler.py
+++ b/swift/container/reconciler.py
@@ -95,12 +95,12 @@ def incorrect_policy_index(info, remote_info):
     """
     if 'storage_policy_index' not in remote_info:
         return False
-    if remote_info['storage_policy_index'] == \
-            info['storage_policy_index']:
+    if remote_info['storage_policy_index'] == info['storage_policy_index']:
         return False
 
-    return info['storage_policy_index'] != sorted(
-        [info, remote_info], cmp=cmp_policy_info)[0]['storage_policy_index']
+    # Only return True if remote_info has the better data;
+    # see the docstring for cmp_policy_info
+    return cmp_policy_info(info, remote_info) > 0
 
 
 def translate_container_headers_to_info(headers):
diff --git a/swift/container/replicator.py b/swift/container/replicator.py
index d4cd835cb6..e0e771c997 100644
--- a/swift/container/replicator.py
+++ b/swift/container/replicator.py
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ class ContainerReplicator(db_replicator.Replicator):
     def _handle_sync_response(self, node, response, info, broker, http,
                               different_region=False):
         if is_success(response.status):
-            remote_info = json.loads(response.data)
+            remote_info = json.loads(response.data.decode('ascii'))
             if incorrect_policy_index(info, remote_info):
                 status_changed_at = Timestamp.now()
                 broker.set_storage_policy_index(
@@ -129,7 +129,8 @@ class ContainerReplicator(db_replicator.Replicator):
     def _fetch_and_merge_shard_ranges(self, http, broker):
         response = http.replicate('get_shard_ranges')
         if is_success(response.status):
-            broker.merge_shard_ranges(json.loads(response.data))
+            broker.merge_shard_ranges(json.loads(
+                response.data.decode('ascii')))
 
     def find_local_handoff_for_part(self, part):
         """
diff --git a/test/unit/common/test_db_replicator.py b/test/unit/common/test_db_replicator.py
index 8c9bd36008..44989ca298 100644
--- a/test/unit/common/test_db_replicator.py
+++ b/test/unit/common/test_db_replicator.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import json
 
 import mock
 from mock import patch, call
+import six
 from six.moves import reload_module
 
 from swift.container.backend import DATADIR
@@ -159,6 +160,8 @@ def _mock_process(*args):
 
 class ReplHttp(object):
     def __init__(self, response=None, set_status=200):
+        if isinstance(response, six.text_type):
+            response = response.encode('ascii')
         self.response = response
         self.set_status = set_status
     replicated = False
@@ -689,7 +692,7 @@ class TestDBReplicator(unittest.TestCase):
         class FakeResponse(object):
             def __init__(self, status, rinfo):
                 self._status = status
-                self.data = json.dumps(rinfo)
+                self.data = json.dumps(rinfo).encode('ascii')
 
             @property
             def status(self):
diff --git a/test/unit/container/test_replicator.py b/test/unit/container/test_replicator.py
index 2cafabf164..b2794d18a1 100644
--- a/test/unit/container/test_replicator.py
+++ b/test/unit/container/test_replicator.py
@@ -33,11 +33,10 @@ from swift.common.storage_policy import POLICIES
 
 from test.unit.common import test_db_replicator
 from test.unit import patch_policies, make_timestamp_iter, mock_check_drive, \
-    debug_logger, EMPTY_ETAG, FakeLogger
+    debug_logger, EMPTY_ETAG, FakeLogger, attach_fake_replication_rpc, \
+    FakeHTTPResponse
 from contextlib import contextmanager
 
-from test.unit.common.test_db_replicator import attach_fake_replication_rpc
-
 
 @patch_policies
 class TestReplicatorSync(test_db_replicator.TestReplicatorSync):
@@ -967,7 +966,7 @@ class TestReplicatorSync(test_db_replicator.TestReplicatorSync):
         most_recent_items = {}
         for name, timestamp in all_items:
             most_recent_items[name] = max(
-                timestamp, most_recent_items.get(name, -1))
+                timestamp, most_recent_items.get(name, ''))
         self.assertEqual(2, len(most_recent_items))
 
         for db in (broker, remote_broker):
@@ -1415,7 +1414,8 @@ class TestReplicatorSync(test_db_replicator.TestReplicatorSync):
 
         replicate_hook = mock.MagicMock()
         fake_repl_connection = attach_fake_replication_rpc(
-            self.rpc, errors={'merge_shard_ranges': [HTTPServerError()]},
+            self.rpc, errors={'merge_shard_ranges': [
+                FakeHTTPResponse(HTTPServerError())]},
             replicate_hook=replicate_hook)
         db_replicator.ReplConnection = fake_repl_connection
         part, node = self._get_broker_part_node(remote_broker)
@@ -1518,7 +1518,7 @@ class TestReplicatorSync(test_db_replicator.TestReplicatorSync):
         check_replicate(shard_ranges + [own_sr])
 
     def check_replicate(self, from_broker, remote_node_index, repl_conf=None,
-                        expect_success=True, errors=None):
+                        expect_success=True):
         repl_conf = repl_conf or {}
         repl_calls = []
         rsync_calls = []
@@ -1527,7 +1527,7 @@ class TestReplicatorSync(test_db_replicator.TestReplicatorSync):
             repl_calls.append((op, sync_args))
 
         fake_repl_connection = attach_fake_replication_rpc(
-            self.rpc, replicate_hook=repl_hook, errors=errors)
+            self.rpc, replicate_hook=repl_hook, errors=None)
         db_replicator.ReplConnection = fake_repl_connection
         daemon = replicator.ContainerReplicator(
             repl_conf, logger=debug_logger())
@@ -2316,9 +2316,13 @@ class TestReplicatorSync(test_db_replicator.TestReplicatorSync):
             calls.append(args)
             return orig_get_items_since(broker, *args)
 
-        with mock.patch(
-                'swift.container.backend.ContainerBroker.get_items_since',
-                fake_get_items_since):
+        to_patch = 'swift.container.backend.ContainerBroker.get_items_since'
+        with mock.patch(to_patch, fake_get_items_since), \
+                mock.patch('swift.common.db_replicator.sleep'), \
+                mock.patch('swift.container.backend.tpool.execute',
+                           lambda func, *args: func(*args)):
+            # For some reason, on py3 we start popping Timeouts
+            # if we let eventlet trampoline...
             daemon, repl_calls, rsync_calls = self.check_replicate(
                 local_broker, 1, expect_success=False,
                 repl_conf={'per_diff': 1})
@@ -2355,9 +2359,13 @@ class TestReplicatorSync(test_db_replicator.TestReplicatorSync):
             calls.append(args)
             return result
 
-        with mock.patch(
-                'swift.container.backend.ContainerBroker.get_items_since',
-                fake_get_items_since):
+        to_patch = 'swift.container.backend.ContainerBroker.get_items_since'
+        with mock.patch(to_patch, fake_get_items_since), \
+                mock.patch('swift.common.db_replicator.sleep'), \
+                mock.patch('swift.container.backend.tpool.execute',
+                           lambda func, *args: func(*args)):
+            # For some reason, on py3 we start popping Timeouts
+            # if we let eventlet trampoline...
             daemon, repl_calls, rsync_calls = self.check_replicate(
                 local_broker, 1, expect_success=False,
                 repl_conf={'per_diff': 1})
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index dc7ebeedb4..dc9c86221a 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ commands =
       test/unit/account/test_auditor.py \
       test/unit/account/test_backend.py \
       test/unit/account/test_reaper.py \
+      test/unit/account/test_replicator.py \
       test/unit/account/test_utils.py \
       test/unit/cli/test_dispersion_report.py \
       test/unit/cli/test_form_signature.py \
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ commands =
       test/unit/common/test_swob.py \
       test/unit/common/test_utils.py \
       test/unit/common/test_wsgi.py \
+      test/unit/container/test_replicator.py \
       test/unit/proxy/controllers/test_info.py}
 
 [testenv:py36]