The Complete John Deere: A Model-by-Model History

by Peter Henshaw

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0681165782
• ISBN13: 9780681165786
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Lowe & B. Hould Publishers
• Weight: 3.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A great find and read for any farm tractor enthusiast, especially John Deere!

I purchased this John Deere book wondering if it would be worth my money. To be honest, I was delightfully surprised. It has some very good basic information, without being too basic. It is not overdone, nor is it boring. For those "tractor-crazy" guys like myself, do keep in mind, this is not a specification, owner's, or technical manual. The many pictures and the large span of history, from early vintage to somewhat current model tractors, keeps this book very interesting. It is a difficult book to set down until read completely through. I honestly didn't set the book down until I had read it all! Now, like all books, it's already getting "dated", as the most current model in the book is no longer "current". Time sure flies! Regardless, it is an interesting book that I'd recommend to anyone. Whether interested in John Deere's or any other tractor, it's a great read! I've had this book for almost 4 years now, and I still enjoy flipping through it every now and then. I wouldn't dream of parting with it. Now, one last note that you may find interesting... Be sure to check all of your pages in your book! The first book that I received was "defective". It had some duplicates of pages, and others that were missing! I did get a replacement book sent to me, free of charge, that was not "defectively assembled". Perhaps my uniquely "defective" book will one day be worth something more? Well, perhaps, but I'm not going to be holding my breath! LOL! Don't let the chance of getting a "defective" book stop you from buying this book. I have no idea how many are out there like mine. Perhaps I have the only one? (Doubtful, but you never know!) Regardless, you won't regret purchasing this book, I promise! Enjoy!

The Complete John Deere

This item was bought as a Christmas gift and the person who received it was very excited about it. He had a hard time putting it down and enjoyed sharing the great pictures with everyone.

Interesting and well written book on seemingly dull subject

This isn't exactly my typical reading, and as the author points out, tractors are admittedly not as exciting or glamorous as say, motorcycles or sports cars. As a typical guy, I'm more likely to pick up a book on fighter planes or aircraft carriers than on tractors. (I've read that even the Dalai Lama likes to do that). But as the author also points out, tractors embody a certain beauty of pure functionality and practicality and utilitarianism, and there is some value in that. The author himself is an automotive journalist who had written books in other areas before being approached about writing a book on John Deere tractors. The book documents the complete model line from the early 1900s to 2003, although the Deere company had been around for some years before that. During that period, Deere went from being mainly a maker of ploughs to being one of the most diverse agricultural machine and equipment makers in the world. Several times in its over 100 year history, the Deere company's dedication to providing quality tractors at a reasonable cost and their own hardworking corporate culture allowed them to persevere during the inevitable downturns and tough times in the agricultural industry and to survive when their competitors went under. Originally, Deere tried to design a new tractor, but although a fine tractor with many new features and advantages, that pushed the price up to around $1200 back in the teens, when the competition was selling a good tractor for only about $800, and they compromised by buying the Waterloo Boy Gasoline Engine company, which was already a respected and established tractor brand. This gave them the foothold in the tractor industry that they needed. Deere has often grown by acquiring quality companies to expand their product line and enter new markets. The book is organized into two-page spreads that illustrate and describe each model, giving history, features and specs, and how it came to be designed, and even why it was styled the way it was. Some of these models have passed into history but are still remembered fondly today by enthusiastic farmers, such as the venerable model D that served as a workhorse in several versions for almost 30 years. Over the years, the tractors become bigger, more powerful and more capable, giving them the ability to plough multiple rows at once, and the weight and traction to plough heavy, sticky soil (which is apparently a problem in some states for ploughs). One interesting figure of tractor performance was the ability of one model to plough a field for 59 cents per acre, including the driver's wages. Although diesel tractors are common today, Deere didn't introduce a diesel tractor until the early 50s, several years after competitors such as International Harvestor were already offering them. The diesel's low rev, high lugging ability and fuel economy made it a natural choice for tractor application. Interestingly enough, in the early years of tractors there were even models