TxJIm I don't know how you jump to where I said the closed center system was German designed.
I NEVER SAID THAT THE closed center system was a GERMAN design feature. I did SAY THAT the 20 series utility tractor was Mannheim influenced and leaned toward THEIR "new" design over the Dubuque engineer's design.
JD Corporate put out that they wanted a "new" utility tractor that did not have the 10 series problems. This was in 1962 or 63. Waterloo, Dubuque, and Mannheim ALL worked on design proposals for the "new" 20 series JD utility tractor. Some general requirements included a closed center hydraulic system. So all three design locations included that feature. Eventually Waterloo and Dubuque engineering was combined in Dubuque for the utility tractors.
The Dubuque tractor design proposal was slightly different than the Mannheim design proposal. They both had the closed center hydraulic system but they differed in PTO, driveline and chassis design. JD corporate chose the Mannheim design as the one they wanted to refine. So then both locations of engineers worked on the final tractor.
My friend always maintained that the Waterloo/Dubuque designed tractor was a simpler one. One of the differences he told me was the internal steel lines. The Mannheim designed tractor had them the Dubuque designed tractor had the external lines like the larger Waterloo row crop tractors.
You need to understand some internal JD cooperate politics too. The New generation Row crop tractors where such a hit that really gained JD market share. Then compare the 10 series utility tractors being subpar when compared to the row crop tractors. JD Cooperate knew they had an issue with the utility tractor line. The "blame" landed on the Dubuque engineering department. So when the "new" JD utility tractors where being designed the Dubuque engineering department got the cold shoulder treatment so to speak.
All of this is from years of talking with my friend. HE should have been in the "know". When he retired he was the number two man in the engineering department in Dubuque. He always felt that JD cooperate laid the blame for the 10 series problems on the Dubuque Department only. Never mind that JD cooperate did not give them the time or money the row crop guys had in Waterloo, to design a 10 series utility tractor.
So here is what he felt happened with the entire utility tractor design and manufacturing. When the draft proposals of the 20 series utility tractor where presented to JD cooperate, the Mannheim design proposal was chosen over the Dubuque one. Then both departments worked on the final design. Here is where he was kind of bitter. He claimed that an idea/change out of the Dubuque department was rarely seriously considered. The Mannheim department's ideas faced less resistance.
You need to understand that the utility tractor market was larger over seas than it was here. JD cooperate talked about moving the utility tractor manufacturing over to Germany when the 20 series came out.
So it is NOT just one feature that was US or Mannheim. Its just that the JD, 20 series through the 55 series, utility tractor was mainly Mannheim controlled/influenced.
I have always maintained that the JD utility tractor was not in the league of the row crop tractors. The JD utility tractors always had a complicated hydraulic system that was a real pain to repair when something went wrong.
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