|
Hello The "G.P." was a tractor, originally designated "C" first built in 1928. John Deere changed the designation after a production run of about 100, supposedly because "D" and "C" sounded too much alike. The "D" was a "Standard" tread tractor and IHC was selling a LOT of Farmalls at this time (specifically the tractor now refered to as the "regular"). John Deere needed a "general purpose", smaller tractor to compete. They built the "C", renamed it "GP" as a three row tractor. This idea was a failure---farmers wanted either two row or four, not three. There were some other mechanical problems as well. After several years of disappointing sales, Deere replaced the "GP" and it's variations with a new series--- the "A", and "B". These tractors were also built as "general purpose" tractors and were so marked with silk screening on the hood. By this time "General Purpose" had come to be a generic term---essentially meaning "ROW CROP", as opposed to "STANDARD" (wheatland or western). You can note that over at IHC, the "Farmalls" were ALWAYS a "general purpose" or "rowcrop" tractor. The designation of "F-something" was reserved for the row crops, they always called their standard tread tractors "Internationals". The GPs were considered a failure by most everybody at the time. It is only after they are no longer used for farming, that collectors have begun to greatly prize them. Then again, collectors prize their "EDSELS" too, and for the same reasons.
|