I found the info

A week or so ago I commented that JD had a "shift on the go" feature somewhere around 1933. A couple posters expressed their doubts. I was wrong, it was 1915.
I promised to find the reference. Here it is. A book titled John Deere Farm Tractors, A History of the John Deere Tractor, written by Randy Leffingwell, 1993.
Briefly, Joseph Dain sold his haymaking machine factory in Ottumwa Ia to Deere Company, and took a position on the engineering staff at Deere. He was commissioned to develope a tractor. AFIK of the 150 or so tractors being built at the time, all were single speed. Dain developed a 2 speed, shift on the fly system using a double faced clutch & gear train. To confirm, see chapter 3, page 17ff in the above book.
After building and testing several experimental tractors, he was authorized to build 100 units. Problem is he died before the project was completed. Soon the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co, with a tractor already on the market, came up for sale, so Deere bought them, and did not further develope the Dain tractor. All 100 of the Dain all wheel drive tractors were sold to a dealer named Brumwell through the Huron SD branch.
With the purchase of the Waterloo company, they got the Waterloo Boy model R and the rest is history.

Willie

Some years ago, I remember they had a Dain tractor at the Albany Pioneer Days.

aren't there 2 mostly complete and running dains and part of a third surviving? thought I read somewhere that remains of possibly part of the prototype of the D had been found somewhere, anyone know for sure

There was an article in the GM last year on a prototype D.

I remember seeing a Dain at a show 10 or 12 years ago, but don't know which show.
Also according to this book, the Deere execs didn't know about it until the deal was settled, but Waterloo had 1 or more D prototypes & got them & all the drwaings in the deal.
Willie

There was a Dain at Rollag in 94

Did a little research on the Rain. Looked at a half dozen sites hoping to get some details on the sift on the fly but no details on any of the sites.

Sounds like pioneering tractor in it's design. Too bad Deere didn't build it instead of the Waterloo Boy.

The Dain wouldn't have lasted more then a few years once the Fordson vs IH price wars got going. As advanced as the Dain was, farmers were not going to drop $1,500 on one when they could buy a Waterloo boy, IH Titan, or a Fordson for $1,000 or less.

I believe this is the referenced prototype "D" which was displayed at Gathering of the Green in 2012.

Didn't the Fordson get as low as $395? Less that the cost to build one! Henry Ford buying market share.

Yep. At the high point Henry Ford owned 76% of the market with just one tractor model. Deere and IH didn't drop their prices that low but did throw in a free plow. Back then if you could afford it that would have been fun to buy a tractor and get a free plow.