john deere GP

1948jr · Aug 23, 2014

what does general purpose mean on old deere tractors

nlastovi · Aug 23, 2014

(quoted from post at 10:09:09 08/23/14) what does general purpose mean on old deere tractors

My reaction is that it means just what it says "general purpose" - as opposed, I suppose, to "special purpose". Intended to be generally useful for a variety of purposes. I'm reasonably sure that there are loads of opinions about what people feel "general purpose" means, so here are some internet snips:

Competition in the form of International Harvester's Farmall John Deere decided there was a need for a smaller tractor that could serve this market and the row-crop farmer's requirements. In 1927 John Deere released the first of many models falling under the category of General Purpose Tractor.I ncluded in this category is the popular John Deere A and John Deere B Tractors.

"General Purpose" name was a marketing ploy to keep in line with International's new "Farmall".

There was also a specific model "GP" referring to "general purpose" but since you asked about "old ... tractors" I'll assume that this is not what you are asking about specifically.

jdal · Aug 23, 2014

From what I've read, many of the first "motorized" replacements for the horse and mule were designed for a specific task like just cultivating or just plowing. I think "general purpose" meant that they were designed to plow, harrow, cultivate, pull binders, provide belt power, etc.

Bob Collins · Aug 23, 2014

The first John Deere tractor, the model "D" was a standard tread tractor, meaning not adjustable tread width. It and others of the period were for plowing and tillage and similar pulling jobs but not convenient for say, cultivating row crops. With the introduction of the GP wide tread and subsequently the "A" and "B" tractors, the farmer could adjust the tractor for different jobs and the term 'general purpose' was adopted.

john deere GP

1948jr

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Bob Collins

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