I recently wrote about the Okoboji Classic Cars museum in Iowa that I went to on our summer trip. The other part of our trip was spent in Minnesota, where my wife’s uncle has a farm. On that farm, he has a collection of tractors and assorted vehicles that the motorheads around here might find interesting. Click through for some down home fun.
Uncle Boyd’s property is not a true working farm, as he has never farmed it himself. However, he has been leasing the fields to other farmers since he bought it almost 50 years ago and also leases fields for cow grazing. It’s located on the outskirts of a larger city (that I will leave unnamed for privacy), which is where his actual engineering career was spent before he retired a number of years ago. The city is starting to encroach, with a couple neighborhoods cropping up on his road, so it may only be a matter of time before the developers start seriously calling.
Boyd has spent years refining and optimizing how he maintains his property and maximizes the fun that family and friends can have there. The most interesting aspect of that for curbside classic readers is that he maintains a small fleet of classic tractors, unrestored, fully functional and each with a specific job.
Patina Alert: beware of excessive amounts of patina ahead
The 1947 John Deere Model A is used to spread fertilizer/herbicide on the fields. Boyd grew up on a working farm where his father always had Deere tractors, which he believed were most economical. He also favored them because they had a hand clutch rather than a foot clutch. This was easier for young operators to use, as the boys could use the tractors and start doing jobs around the farm at 12 or 13 years old, well before their legs reached maximum length to reach a foot clutch.
Click on the video above if you are curious what a huge, 70 year old two cylinder engine sounds like as Boyd drives it out of the barn.
The Model A was a larger tractor that Deere designed to compete with the large International Harvester models. It had a 321 c.i. two cylinder inline engine, horizontally mounted, putting out 39 h.p. Not a lot of power, but it was geared very low so the maximum speed is rated at 12 2/3 m.p.h. and it has a maximum tow rating of 4110 lb. (at 2 1/4 m.p.h.). An electric starter became standard in 1947. Built between 1934 and 1952, 1939 was the first year for the “styled” front end, when the previous open radiator was covered with sharp art deco-ish sheet metal to create the classic John Deere look everybody loves.
The John Deere model B, approximately 1942 vintage, is used for grading and smoothing the long gravel driveway. The exact year hasn’t been identified because the serial number is (shockingly!) rusted over and illegible.
The Model B was a companion line to the Model A, introduced one year later as a similar but smaller tractor. It had a 175 c.i. engine putting out approx. 27 hp. Like the Model A, it was “styled” in 1939 and built through 1952.
The unique thing about the model B in Boyd’s fleet is that it’s the only one without an electric starter. To start the tractor, you open the choke and spin the flywheel by hand. I tried to do it, but it failed to start after a couple of what I thought were energetic spins. I relented, and Boyd (who is over 80) walks up and starts it with one spin like it was nothing. Guess it’s all in the wrist!
The biggest tractor on the farm is the 1950 McCormick Farmall model M, built by International Harvester. It is used mostly for hauling wood.
The property has a large wooded area, which always has a few trees that partially or completely fall down over the year. Boyd will chop the wood with saws and haul it with the tractor. He will then split it with a hydraulic splitter and place the ready-to-use wood in pre-filled holders he built, which are easily moved to the house (with the front end loader we’ll see below) over the course of the winter for burning in the stove.
McCormick introduced the Model M in 1939 as their first “styled” tractor and sold it through 1952. The engine is a 248 c.i. in-line four cylinder mounted vertically, putting out 36 hp. Not as unique-sounding as the Deeres, but definitely smoother.
The 1946 McCormick Farmall model B is the lawnmower, and easily the most frequently used of the classic tractors. There are other lawnmowers, as we’ll see, but this one has a very wide deck that is great for the larger grass fields around the property.
I’ve driven this one a few times to mow the largest field. Once you get used to using the controls, it’s not hard to drive at all.
The Model B is a much smaller tractor than the Model M, with its four cylinder engine displacing only 113 c.i. and putting out 18 hp. The B is unique with its high-clearance rear axle. The driver sits offset to the right, so he can clearly see the ground below the tractor.
That’s it for the big boys, but there are a number of smaller vehicles. This 1971 John Deere 120 garden tractor was used for many years for mowing around the house. It’s fully functional, but basically retired. It has long been replaced by newer mowers, but Boyd has kept it around because it’s so neat.
Boyd’s modern lawn tractor is the 2018 X730. This is Deere’s largest lawn-style tractor, though it doesn’t have the fancy 4 wheel drive or 4 wheel steering that is available in the series. At my house, I have a Deere D105, their smallest, cheapest lawn tractor. This X730 feels like a Cadillac to my Geo Metro. The speed, the smoothness, the power steering, the hydraulic deck lift, it is all very cool.
The deck is almost as wide as the Farmall B and it’s really fast, so it can mow a large field in close to the same amount of time. It is also maneuverable enough to mow around the house, but isn’t usually used because Boyd has something even better for that.
The Gravely Zero Turn mower is Boyd’s favorite toy, I think. He will zip that thing around like nobody’s business and make short work of a big yard. I used it once and it is definitely a skill. After the whole yard, I barely felt like I was getting the hang of it. I said I’ll stick to the regular tractors.
Even the kids have a tractor to use on the farm! Here’s my daughter enjoying it, though she says it’s too slow.
The New Holland skid steer loader is useful for hauling all sorts of loads, be it wood, rocks or dirt. This is the primary snowplow for the driveway. It also has been spotted supporting ladders to reach high tree branches. It may look precarious, but Boyd-the-engineer has very well-planned operations that are creative, robust and safe. We’ll see below why he needs to reach high into trees.
Last up we have the four wheel drive Polaris Ranger, for getting around the property. Kids love riding in the back.
Besides all the vehicular toys, the farm has other fun things to ride on. Here is the zipline, a real engineering masterpiece. The Ranger is attached to a pulley system, which pulls the seated rider up to the top of the line in the woods. The rider releases the catch, and zips down the line until he almost reaches the end, which is mounted to a large tree. Bungees catch the rider, though, and spring him back to the starting point (low point) in the line.
Here is a first-person video of the zipline. The zipline system is very solidly designed and constructed. Boyd has a refinement or two that he comes up with just about every year. I would bet that this is the longest, fastest zipline installed at a private residence in the country.
Boyd’s first big ride was the Super Swing. It is hung from an approximately 30 foot high branch. Pulleys mounted on the next tree have a line attached to the swing’s seat and the Deere lawnmower. The mower backs up which pulls the rider (who is strapped in) up to at least a 60 deg angle (feels more like 90) and approximately 20 feet off the ground. When the rider is ready, an assistant on the ground pulls the release to start the epic swing.
For non-mechanized fun, there is always the good, old-fashioned tire swing. The branch is at least 20 feet up, so it has quite a long arc. There are other things to do on the farm, but you get the idea. It’s a hugely amusing and relaxing place to visit. We are hoping to make it there in the winter, when Boyd sets up his snow sled lift. Can’t wait to ride it!
related reading:
actually I don’t think there is another article quite like this on Curbside Classic, but
Paul had a very interesting article on driving tractors as a boy.
Very fun! Looks like your Uncle favors row-crop tractors (narrow front). Love the extra-wide grader attachment, too (could use one of those!).
I know that all farmers tend to also be engineers, but do all engineers have a desire to be farmers too? It would seem to be either an escape from engineering (growing stuff) or an immersion in it (old equipment). Maybe both.
Great picture!
I love the confluence of farming and engineering – which almost always involves tractors.
I learned how to drive a tractor on a John Deere B – an unstyled model, supposedly a 1937. I would have been about 11 or 12 and the stick clutch was easy as could be. And I well and truly remember both the starting ritual (you missed the fun part where the grapefruit juice can gets blown off the stack when it fires) and the fabulous sound of that big old twin.
I find it sad that your uncle (at 80) may be the end of the line for guys who keep these old tractors like this. Sure there are some younger farmers who appreciate the old stuff, but nowhere near the number. My BIL farms and there is not an old tractor anywhere around. And for those of us in cities and suburbs, forget it. There is nothing less useful in my life than a tractor that can’t exceed 12 mph.
I’m a ‘city boy,’ not having grown up on a farm, and hated weeding the huge gardens my Dad kept throughout my formative years. But for whatever reason, we bought a farm and I learned, and enjoyed.
One of the realities I quickly learned about farming is that it’s about 10% prep, planting and harvesting and 90% fixing things. So a farmer becomes an engineer by necessity. By the way, I’m an industrial designer, which is sort of half art and half engineering.
There’s a small community of actual engineers (ME, etc.) at work that also farm or, like myself, hobby farm for post-work therapy. And there are a small number of young people out there that are interested in vintage farm equipment. The Yesterday’s Tractors forum I’ve been on for 15+ years usually sees a few new younger folks joining, asking for help with an 8N that was their (grand)father’s. Unfortunately, we’ve seen just as many of the old guys pass away in the same 15 years.
Given over 500K 8Ns were made (and high numbers of the other color brands), they’ll be around and working for years to come, or at least as long as parts support is there (don’t get me started on the poor quality of said parts from ‘the land of almost right’).
The “trick” to starting the old John Deeres is to get the flywheel rotated so that it is just at the beginning of the intake stroke-feel for the resistance in the wheel. If it has compression release plugs, make sure they are open. Then, a quick snap will bring it right over top dead center, while the big spark plug fires and, if the stars are all in alignment, the engine will fire. And then the muffler can falls on your head, or at least dumps some carbon deposits and rust on its way past.
The old JD tractors should have a brass serial tag, which would clean right up with some polish. Usually on the block, right in front of the belt pulley.
It has the serial tag, but is quite rusty. The number looks obliterated. That’s a good idea to polish it, may be worth doing. I’ll have to try it next time I’m there.
Ach, I should have written “compression stroke” instead of “intake stroke.” Just like on a lawn mower with a pull cord to start, except you are grabbing a big flywheel instead of a little handle.
That pedal tractor is the old “narrow” front end. I’ve got one just like it that was given to me on my 3rd birthday. Dad repainted and re-stickered it when I was in college so its not original anymore.
My parents were living on a property with 3 acres of grass when I was growing up. I fantasized about those old tractors with belly mowers on them quite a bit. Seemed like it would be much more fun than the 46 in decks on the old John Deere garden tractors we had.
I liked the garden tractors better when there numbers were easier to understand. Like our old John Deere 112. 100 – series 12 hp engine. Or grandma’s 210. 200 – series 10 hp.
Cool! How old do you think that pedal tractor is?
I’m 42 and a 1/2 roughly so I’d say about 40 years give or take 5 years either way. They eventually came out with a wide front end model that had a more complicated steering linkage but also a slightly better turning radius.
However take that with a grain of salt. The dealership my Dad worked at (where my tractor came from) they would buy a shipment of something like toys and then keep them until they sold, whether that took a few months or several years.
Right, that little tractor has a terrible turning radius!
Great stuff — I love the tractors, but that zip line and Super Swing really got my attention. I’m glad you included the videos because the still pictures alone just don’t do them justice. It must be a truly great feeling for Uncle Boyd to design these things and see them bring out so much enjoyment.
It’s funny about the lawn tractor — my in-laws have a slightly smaller John Deere riding mower, and sometimes when I’m visiting I’ll mow their property. And of course, I’ll give my kids a ride on it. It’s amazing to me how something so slow can be so fun for the kids. Definitely the highest ratio of fun per mph of anything on wheels.
Yes, everything on that property is fun including the stuff I didnt mention like the great woodshop. I love visiting there. For the family relationships of course (and the toys!)
I want a go on that zip-line! Children 50+allowed?
Any speculations as to why the John Deere is such a thwacking great capacity for just two cylinders? I mean, that’s 2.5 litres each cylinder! Surely even the simplest two bearing four of the same size would produce the same (I imagine) low-speed torque with about 97% more civility?
Good question! I don’t know what Deere’s philosophy on engine configuration was but they probably went to the same school as Harley-Davidson.
The style of this toy tractor mimics the “Generation II” series of field tractors, which came out in the early 70’s, so it is likely 40+ years old. They were hard to pedal on anything other than concrete or really packed gravel, but it was fun to mimic what Dad was doing with his big tractor. The turning radius was indeed very large, but the tractor body itself was made of cast aluminum and thus very light. As you got older and stronger you learned that to make a sharp turn you could just “buck up” and turn the front end by pulling back hard on the steering wheel and then wheeling the tractor around. Hey, it was the country. The first thing to wear out on one of these toys was the bolt that mounted the steering wheel to the steering shaft.
Two cylinder John Deere tractors date back to the Model R Waterloo Boy of 1914. It had the engine in the horizontal side-by-side configuration, making 15 drawbar horsepower and 25 at the belt pulley. One of its main selling features was that it could operate on kerosene, which was much cheaper than gasoline. When John Deere bought out Waterloo Boy in 1918, they kept this tractor (now with two forward speeds as the Model N, top speed of three miles per hour, whoopee!) in this configuration, and kept successfully marketing it while developing its intended successor, which became the Model D, Deere’s first in-house tractor. The D kept the two-cylinder horizontal engine, but now with the cylinders toward the front and the crankshaft toward the back, driving the rear wheels through an enclosed chain drive. When Deere produced the Model A and B, they kept this drivetrain configuration, but now with a sliding gear transmission. As for keeping the two cylinder, Deere was a very conservative company, who did not make changes without thorough R and D and a lot of internal discussion. So they kept dancing with the one what brung them for a long time, through 1959 in fact, marketing it on the basis of simplicity (many of the tractor buyers of this era were trading in their horses for their first tractor), reliability, fuel economy, and torque, the last two of which the two-cylinder had in abundance. If you look at the Nebraska Tractor Test data for two-cylinder John Deeres of that era, you will see that the torque “curve” is really a flat line, from rated power right down just about to idle, which gave them a tremendous operational advantage when working in varying soil and moisture conditions. No need to stop and shift to a lower gear, you just kept powering through. And throughout the 1950s, the most fuel efficient gasoline tractors by test were all John Deeres. The company only went to the upright, multi-cylinder tractors when their existing multi-plate clutch mechanism, housed in and limited by the size of the belt pulley, could no longer be updated to handle the increasing power their engineers could get out of those two cylinders.
Excellent stuff, thankyou Mr Hawk of Iowa.
Perspective does alter perception: 1914, replacing a horse, and in 1947 when this tractor here was made, 1914 was 34 years earlier – rather sobering to realize that’s the equivalent of 1985 now. And for an industrial usage, proven old designs commonly outlive their motoring contemporaries by long years. To my amazement, I found out from this site that you can still buy a 1966-released 300ci Falcon six from Ford, and ’66 is a lot longer ago than ’85.
The flat line torque reading you mention is also important in explaining the use of two huge cylinders, as is rated HP for long and steady (and gearchangeless) use in the field. Indeed, for a relevant illustration, that stationary Falcon motor is rated at something like 70HP at perhaps 2,800 rpm, where the road version was well north of 100 at quite a few more revs.
The Ford N Series engine was rated at ~25 HP in the tractor, but was also used in the 1940-41 Ford pickup and delivery as well as the GP Jeeps Ford built early in WWII – rated at around 40 HP in those applications.
First, thank you Jon for the summary of many of my toys! I finally got around to reading the whole thing. You mentioned I’m in my 80’s. Actually, 83.
One very minor correction. There is actually no ignition switch to turn on on the B John Deere with hand crank. I think that was true of all hand crank John Deeres.
In about 1956, just out of high school, I farmed on my own and bought a D John Deere to plow with. I put many hours in plowing with a 3-14″ plow. One day there was a sudden crash-bang and it stopped. The crankshaft had broken and the flywheel was tilted at a crazy angle. Needless to say, that was the end of that tractor.
I also remember in my high school days plowing with my Dad’s B John Deere and a 2-14″ plow. That was a slow process compared to the D. I still have the John Deere 2-14″ plow that I used as a kid and I can still plow with it, and have done so on a couple of occasions.
One other item. That D had rubber wheels. A few years before that when I was in High School, my dad had a D, but it had steel wheels with lugs. It really got my attention when I was plowing and the wheel in the furrow would ride up on a large buried rock and that wheel would start slipping. Needless to say there was a whole lot of shaking going on!!
Thanks for adding your insights, Uncle Boyd!
Steel tires sounds like a rough experience, kind of like driving really old trucks that had solid rubber tires on the road.
Great job on telling this story buddy…. See y’all when it gets cold!