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question for the old john deere people

S

swindave

Member
does anyone remember the switch when john deere changed from the two cylinder tractor to the 4 and 6
im sure their was a lot of fan fare, but also any doubts?

my grandpa always said when he heard the rumor that deere was dropping the 2 cylinder
he went a bought a 730 diesel, he was familiar with 2 cyl and hand clutch

any one with any stories on the the switch or change? thanks
 
1961. Introduced at the big convention in Dallas Texas.JohnDeere spent 7 years developeing the 'new' line. It was a 'super duper' top secret.
 
I remember it very well. Our John Deere dealer and his wife flew to Dallas along with just about every other John Deere dealer in the country to see the big roll out. It was a very well kept secret. A lot of fanfare and the John Deere company block men telling us that the crankshaft in a new Deere was 50 pounds heavier than "the red one". Those new 10 series tractors were not without their problems and we heard a lot of remarks about how John Deere had probably changed too much. The quoted price of a new 3010 JD in 1961 was $5400 which doesn't sound like much today but that was big money back then. You could buy two Ford 861s for that and have money left over. Our old John Deere dealer, who had sold tons and tons of As, Bs, and Gs, retired shortly after this time period and left us without a local John Deere dealer so when the move to larger tractors arrived it was International, Case, Allis Chalmers, Oliver, etc. that we saw most of. Guess what, though? Some of those old As and Bs are still putting around the neighborhood mostly doing light farm chores. I doubt that My 6125M will be still running in 2090 but who knows?
 
So, top secret operation, how would they pull that off, all those workers at the Quad Cities plants would have been in the know about it. So you old timers, was there lots of rumors and guessers, speculation previous to the unveiling. After all not everyone can keep a secret. gobble
 
(quoted from post at 10:55:10 10/03/20) So, top secret operation, how would they pull that off, all those workers at the Quad Cities plants would have been in the know about it. So you old timers, was there lots of rumors and guessers, speculation previous to the unveiling. After all not everyone can keep a secret. gobble
Click to expand...

The blabber mouth anonymity of the internet did not exist.
And there was more willingness and will power to not blab.
 
JD had a very small select group of engineers working in a nondescript warehouse(an old grocery store). JD took great pains to keep the project secret.the project has been written about in several books that I have .Even the field testing was secret. The tractors were 'dressed' in 2 cylinder 'clothes',and had cardboard coverings. The testing was done in texas,in a remote area. Even the truck that hauled them was an old nondescript outfit that was not to attract attention.JD still tests in secret. They have tested combines and hay machinery in this area. They always pick places away from major roads,and practicly have armed gaurds keeping people away. And the farmers all have to sign nondisclosure agreements.
 
(quoted from post at 08:24:19 10/03/20) There was a huge event in I believe Dallas Texas, all the dealers where invited to attend.
Click to expand...

It's human nature most people don't like changes

I attended the New Generation debut in Dallas at the Texas State Fair Pavilion. I still remember seeing the shining 4010 sitting on turntable with spotlights shinning on it while was going round-n-round.
 

My father was a Farmall user because he DID NOT like the 2 cylinders and he did not like that hand clutch. When the new generation Deere's were introduced, dad bought a 4010. The first one in our neck of the woods.
 
Our neighbors, who were one of the biggest operators around, drove John Deere tractors exclusively, but when the new generation JD's came out they figured that it was too much change, so they switched to some Fords and other brands. They even asked if John Deere would make a 730 out of parts just for them, but wanted nothing to do with the new JD's.
 
The Furrow magazine, October 1960.
cvphoto58105.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 11:48:07 10/03/20) The Furrow magazine, October 1960.
<img src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto58105.jpg">
Click to expand...

There was something on the ceiling above the Tractor and Wm Hewitt.
 
The last 2-cylinders were built in Argentina. The 730 did very well in Argentina. It was well suited to the conditions and farms in the country and Deere had success selling it there. All things must end, though, and the tooling for the 730 was beginning to wear out, having been in use for more than a decade when production ended in 1970.
 
My grandfather tried out a new 4010 gas. Ended up buying a 630 instead. This after being Massey for years. Did buy a 2010 a few years later. Went back to Massey after that.

Still have the 630.
 
My Dad bought a new John Deere M back in the day with all the attachment tools. He liked it because he could do just about anything with it around a small farm. He owned it forever....
 
In the fall of 1960 dad bought a new 630 instead of a 3010 because he thought those new tractors Deere was selling were too new and unproven. Deere was having a fire sale on the last of the two bangers which I am sure had the most influence on his decision to get the 630. When I saw a picture of a 4010 right after the Dallas show I thought it was ugly as all get out. It took me awhile to get used to the new styling. I was 9 1/2 years old at the time but I was very aware of tractors.
 
Way before I was born but our local Deere dealer said Deere made a mistake. They went to the bank and borrowed money to buy up a bunch of two cylinders to have something to sell untill Deere realized they were wrong and went back to the two cylinders. After the first few 4010's arrived at the dealership and farmers started trying them out they realized their mistake. It took years untill they sold the last few 630 and 730's. Tom
 
It wasn't right away, but the spring of 1966 when the first 2510 in the area replaced the 50. What a great day. I hated the 50, and it hated me. We never looked back. My uncle had traded his old B for Dad's 50. They liked the 2510 so much that one year later, the 50 was gone for good, and another 2510 showed up!
 
Pretty sure that scenario played out quite a bit across NA. JD
didn’t get to No 1 without some farmers jumping ship from
brand X to the 4010.
 
See Mel--Deere does make tractors with more than TWO cylinders!!!!! Did you know that before today?? Thanks for the video--saw that along time ago. I was there when they introduced the "D"---Tee
cvphoto58124.jpg

V-8 power
 
Yes, I was a lowly peon in the engineering department of the two cylinder factory during '57 to '59 before going back to school.
JD had hired a bunch of young draftsmen and engineers just before I got there, but it was never clear what my acquaintences were doing...no body talked. Of course they all signed papers agreeing to......

My job was not secret. JD cleverly went on with fooling folks by having Drefuss tart-up the old thirty series with yellow paint, even spending money on finally getting the steering wheel back to ergonomic position that they had left in the 1930's. That took money to redo the dash and new hydraulic steering, making it one of the neatest tractors of all time in my opinion.

They even went to testing a TA on a 620 we had in the transmission brake test cells...just so that would "leak out" I am sure...kinda neat, the clutch lever engaged the first level, then when pushed further, went to the second level. It survived the first durability runs OK, but I don't think it was ever field tested.

But it showed by rumour that JD was still pursuing improvements to the two cylinder design.

It was time to leave the design as the horsepower needs were creeping up and it was obvious to corporate that the pulsing power flow probably wouldn't work for sales much longer, besides, there was new blood at the top!

If one had to work for a large corporation for a living, I think JD was probably one of the best, most well run companies one could choose.

After I left to finish college, teaching and later small factory design work in the seed and peanut handling area, I went back to JD, signing the secrecy biz and had a good go at seat/ride improvement and new series cab design. Leo
 
I heard there were 30 series sitting there for a long time after the 10 series came out. Some sitting there on flat tires eventually.

Grandad said the John Deere salesman came out to their farm in the late 50s and asked my Great-grandfather what it would take to sell them a Deere. Great- Grandad told him a foot clutch and an engine with more than 2 cylinders. The Deere man said he didn't think they'd ever do that...
 
Neat story and info. Keeping the New Generation project a secret was incredible on JD's part. On the other hand JD was sending out clues they were getting ready to drop the 2 cylinders. They were already making 6 and 4 cylinder engines for use on combines and other
engine driven machinery. They showed off the 8010 in 1959 which should have made people wonder what the new number was about.
 
I was 18 years old at the time and don't remember it being such a big deal, even though we had only ever had 2-cyl John Deeres, along with many in our neighborhood, although I remember a few who were MM, Case, etc., who bought new Deere tractors and other equipment when the new generation came out. One big operator who had always farmed with Deere tractors (he always had two tractors, one for him and one for his wife) from D's to 830's, switched to 5010's and then 7020's as soon as they were available. One of my uncles who was a die-hard Case man (farming with two LAs and a DC) switched to a JD 5010. One neighbor who was using M&Ms waited until the 5020s came along and never looked back and stayed with Deere. The last 2-cyl I farmed seriously with was an 820 and in about 1969 I switched to a Deere 4020, which I still have.
 
SV, I would like to get the book with the red 4010 and OX prototype. Could you give the title? Thanks!
 
During thos eyears dad had the D-4 for heavy work and the IHC H for planting and lighter work. Not till 1963 did they get a bigger tractor and it was a Massey Harris 44. Never had a JD tractor till We rented one in the early 80's or late 70's 4230 to pull 6- 16's. Worked good but was a mountain of cash when I asked what they wanted for it. I thik it was like 14,000 for it. I could buy the 806 a year or so later for about half that.
When The Massey broke the main shaft in the transmission he bought an 830 gas case. I never liked that gas engine in it.
 
(quoted from post at 13:47:26 10/03/20) 1960 was the last yr. for the 2 cylinders.
Click to expand...

With the exception of 730s being built
for Argentina in 1961 . Along with a batch of 1961 model 840 industrials .
 
Do you have any pictures of the cats working? I love to see the ag cats used to be a guy that posted using them
 
DO U MEMBER, AT THE DALLAS STATE FAIR, 2 MOS LATER, THEY WERE SIMPLY GREEN, NO FANCY LETTERING??? I WUZ THERE...WE BOUGHT NEW 4010 DSL STANDARD, BAREBACK...FINE MACHINE, WAY TOO TOUCHY WET BRAKES...ALSO 2010 DSL, WOULD NOT LIFT POST HOLE DIGGER FROM GROUND...4010 ATE FEW WATER PUMPS, WARRANTY...BE BLESSED, GRATEFUL, PREPARED...
 
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