Introduced at the very end of the 1980s, the John Deere 55 Series was the ultimate evolution of a line of tractors that could trace their history right back to 1960 and the ‘New Generation’ series of machines introduced in that year.
As such, the 55 Series tractors garnered an enviable reputation for ruggedness, reliability, and powerful dependability, as would be expected from such a long period of gestation. With its North American heritage, this range was not going to be the best choice for every farm in Britain, but a farm in East Anglia has been benefitting from the power of one such machine since 1990.
Situated in north-east Suffolk, A Myhill & Sons’ arable farm of 600 acres has been home to a particular member of the John Deere 55 Series for three decades. This was far from the first John Deere machine on the holding, the farm having previously had a 2130, 1640, and a 2140, before moving to a Ford 7810.
It was then decided that a bigger, more powerful machine was needed to take over all the ploughing and heavy cultivation duties. The choice turned out to be a model of John Deere tractor that many, especially in its native North America, consider as one of, if not the best, tractor that John Deere ever built!
This beast of a machine certainly looks the part – with its distinctive, rounded SG2 cab, four-wheel drive, and unique
