The John Deere Model A is a

row crop tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commonly, ...

manufactured by

Deere & Company Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment an ...

. The A was produced in a wide variety of versions for special-purpose cultivation. It received a styling upgrade in 1939 and electric starting in 1947. With the advent of John Deere's numerical model numbering system, the A became the John Deere 60, and later the 620 and 630, 3010, 3020, 4030, 4040, 4050, 4055, and ended with the 7610.

Description and production

The Model A was intended to directly compete with McCormick's

Farmall Farmall was a model name and later a brand name for tractors manufactured by International Harvester (IH), an American truck, tractor, and construction equipment company. The Farmall name was usually presented as McCormick-Deering Farmall and l ...

tractors. With over 290,000 sold by the end of its original production in 1952, it was a popular tractor that used Deere & Company's two cylinder design. Early tractors burnt distillate, a

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

byproduct similar to

kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

, which became a selling point owing to the fuel's low price. Deere & Company's two cylinder design sprang from keeping costs low, improving their current engine rather than develop a new engine. These engines made a very distinctive sound giving them the nickname "Johnny Poppers" In 1938, the tractors received styled hood and grilles, designed by

Henry Dreyfuss Henry Dreyfuss (March 2, 1904 – October 5, 1972) was an American industrial designer. He is known for designing the Western Electric Model 500 telephone, the Westclox Big Ben alarm clock, and the Honeywell T87 Round Thermostat. Career Drey ...

. Tractors from 1939 to 1946 were known as "early styled", and tractors from 1947 to 1952 were termed "late styled". Pre-1939 tractors were termed "unstyled". Variants on the A included the AO (for use in

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

s), AI (for industrial use), AN (with a single front wheel), AW (with a wide front). The AN and AW further varied into models with high crop applications, the ANH and AWH, respectively. The AR was the non-row-crop version. All were manufactured at the John Deere factory in

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

, where 65,031 were built, selling for about $2,400.MacMillan, p. 47

John Deere 60

The A was succeeded with minimal changes by the John Deere 60 in 1952 when Deere changed to using numbers instead of letters. The engine was upgraded for more power, and

LP gas Liquefied petroleum gas, also referred to as liquid petroleum gas (LPG or LP gas), is a fuel gas which contains a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases, specifically propane, ''n''-butane and isobutane. It can also contain some propyl ...

was a fuel option, as well as an optional 3-point hitch and a live

power take-off A power take-off or power takeoff (PTO) is one of several methods for taking power from a power source, such as a running engine, and power transmission#Mechanical power, transmitting it to an application such as an attached implement or separate ...

. The 60 also had upgraded operation station as well as upgraded hydraulic system. The 60 was the most popular tractor of its series. In 1954 the 60 was equipped with power steering and updated rims, 52's and 53's had " window wheel rims". Original price was $2,500 in 1956. The 60 was replaced by the John Deere 620 in late 1956. "Low-seat" 60s were equivalent to the AR, and "high-seat" 60s were the row-crop version. The Orchard 60 (O-60) was an additional variant for fruit growers, using the A powertrain. Only 530 "All-Fuel" O-60's were made, 285 gasoline O-60's, and only 45 LP Gas O-60's.

John Deere 620

The 60's replacement was the John Deere 620, in 1956. Engine power was increased again by reducing engine stroke by 0.375 inches, increasing the rpm. The Orchard 620 or O-620 used the new 620 engine and remained in production after the 630 was introduced. It was the only "20" series tractor in production after 1958.

John Deere 630

The John Deere 630 followed in 1958, with no mechanical changes. The only changes were more refined decal visuals, updated muffler, air intake, hood design, and dashboard. Production ended in 1960. The 630 was replaced by the four-cylinder John Deere 3010.Pripps, p. 66

References

External links

Test 222: John Deere A
at the

Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory The Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory (NTTL) is a program operated by the University of Nebraska in accordance with Nebraska law to test the performance of agricultural equipment that is to be sold in the United States for compliance with OECD stand ...