Kenny Read’s collection of John Deere tractors in eastern Kansas would be considered an outstanding display at any time, but in 2023 – 100 years after the first John Deere Model D tractor was built – it stands out as exceptional. Model D tractors, after all, are at the heart of Kenny’s collection, which includes the oldest Model D known to exist.
“The first Model D was built May 30, 1923,” says Kenny’s son, Justin. “This one (Serial No. 30404) was built on June 3, 1923. It was the fourth one built. Numbers 1 and 2 were taken back by Deere & Co. and destroyed due to main case issues.”
The Spoker D – nicknamed for its spoked flywheel – was shipped to Minot, North Dakota, on June 16, 1923, from Deere’s Minneapolis Branch House. Nothing is known of its subsequent history until collector William “Bill” O. Krumwiede, who lived most of his life near Minot,