DEERE DELIGHTS

For four decades, from 1918 until 1960, John Deere became famous not only for its ubiquitous green and yellow livery which still exists today but also for its tractors powered by two-cylinder horizontal engines.

Popping Jonnies

So successful were these “Popping Jonnies” during these years that when their reign was over and they were to be replaced by the “New Generation of Power” range in 1960, they received “rivers of tearful mail” from the public. Some even thought that the change would mean the end of the company. What then was the secret to the success of these two-cylinder tractors, remembering that it was this breed of tractor (from the Waterloo Boy to the end of the Letter Series) that saw the eventual transition from horse power to horsepower.

There was, and still is, much to admire. First, the two