Tractor Trivia

My Grandson, Callan!
     After celebrating Christmas with family this past weekend it reminded me of the birth of my grandson on October 9, 2020.  My son, Heath, and his wife, Kaylee, had a bouncing baby boy, my second grandson!  His name is Callan Heath Mickelson.  When my first grandson was born his name was Archer-so grandpa bought him a toy model A John Deere Tractor.  So, now when Callan was born grandpa had to go looking for a toy.  I considered a Farmall C toy but really wanted a John Deere.  You don’t hear much about a model C John Deere, but I found one on ebay and TA DAH!  My grandson has his first toy John Deere!  But what is a John Deere Model C?
       By the mid-1920’s the John Deere model D had propelled the company into race as far as tractor sales.  Henry Ford’s Fordson was first followed by International Harvestor.  Third was John Deere followed by Case.  John Deere only had one tractor on the market at this time, the Model D, while IH had three tractors(the 10-20, 15-30, and the Farmall Regular).  
    Since Farmall had came out with the popular tricycle design and multipurpose tractor, Deere and Co. engineers went searching for a tractor more suited for row crop farming.  Their answer was the Model C.  Smaller than the D, with an arched front axle, the C was able to cultivate or plant three rows at a time instead of two(like the Farmall).
     Soon phone conversations made distinguishing between D and C difficult.  In August of 1928 the decision was made to change the name of the C to GP(General Purpose).  The GP was the only John Deere tractor with a horizontal engine to use the L head design.
      Deere officials soon found the three row  design was a failure.  The GP’s also had some trouble in the field so engineers looked to repeat the success of the Farmall tricycle tractor.  Their answer was the the GPWT(General Purpose WIde Tread).  The narrow front tricycle design of the GP became a success in areas where the  cultivation of crops like cotton and corn was necessary.  By this time Henry Ford had left the tractor business, now Deere was running second in tractor sales behind only International Harvestor.  Interestingly a couple of other special versions of the GP were adapted for market needs.  In 1930 a special Series P was built for potato farmers in Maine.  Others were fitted with tracks by the Lindeman Company of Yakima, Washington.  They were called GP-O(orchard) crawlers.  
        John Deere’s C/GP had  relatively short production run, but  the GP and GPWT met the needs of many farmers.  This kept John Deere in the “race” as far as tractor production was concerned.  I am glad I was able to find a Model C for Callan!  More recently my grandson Madden was born. What do you think he got…..yes, a Model M John Deere. Grandkids are awesome.

How about a little tractor trivia!
The GP was tested in Nebraska on Dec. 10, 1928. The max belt horsepower was
     ________.
15.51hp     B)  21.9hp     C) 24.97hp
 2.   The GP had a  ______  speed transmission.
2                B) 3           C)  4
3.  The maximum rated speed of a GP in “Road Gear” was ________ mph.
 11.50mph   B)  9.33mph     C) 4.33mph
 4.   Why was the crawler design popular in the west?
 steep orchard slopes   B)  added traction   C)  easy manueverability
5.    Lindeman company made 24 GP-O tractors with tracks.  What John Deere model replaced the GP as the next tractor to be fitted with tracks?

 Model AR    B)  Model BR    C)  Model G

Answers: 1. C. 24.97hp   2.  B. 3 speeds  3.  C. 4.33 mph  4. A. steep slopes  5.  B. Model BR
Eric Mickelson

Green Magazine

RIchard's Publishing

Oklee, MN 56742

218-791-9157