John Deere Farm Tractor Books - History

John Deere Evolution : The Design and Engineering of an American Icon

This visually stunning work blends tractors photographed in custom-built studios with concept drawings and behind-the-scenes looks at how the machines were designed and built. The beautiful book also is encyclopedic, containing examples of every model line built by John Deere since 1919. With contributions from industrial designers Chuck Pelly and William Crookes as well as detailed accounts of new technology for John Deere engineers, the book takes you deep behind the scenes to understand how these machines were designed and built.
The stories inside include the fascinating rotary engine Deere prototype, detailed evolution of the Sound Gard body from both designers and engineers, a detailed account of the 7000 series engineering, and machines you never heard of including the rotary articulated Deere combine prototype from the late 1970s!

The book includes dozens of drawings and images from the archives of the Henry Dreyfuss Archives housed at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in Manhattan, many of which are from a newly-uncovered and previously unlabeled box of materials showing tractor design and development.
In-person research was also done at the Theo Brown Archives kept at Wooster Polytechnic Institute. Period images from the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, and other notable historic archives add visual depth to the history. Matching the strong visuals is an in-depth history that includes interviews with John Deere engineers, industrial designers, dealers, and farmers who created, sold, and used the machines, many of whom provide insight on developmental evolution and secret protoypes.

The book features more than 300 images, including many depicting one-of-a-kind machines and serial number ones.

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John Deere Tractors

John Deere is one of the world's leading tractor companies and this fascinating book brings together the full account of production in both the United States and in Europe.
Using modern photography and a largely chronological account of tractor development, the author provides an excellent overview of the evolution of John Deere tractors over the decades.

Starting with the early two-cylinder tractors developed in the USA and moving through the creation of multi-cylinder engines after the takeover of the Lanz business in Germany, the book covers the 40 and 50 series of the late 1980s and the innovations in the 1990s when John Deere effectively re-invented the tractor with their full-frame designs.

Bringing the reader right up to date with the latest designs that bristle with technological sophistication and covering the evolution of John Deere tractor development, this book will be an essential read for both John Deere enthusiasts and all those interested in the history of tractors, old and new.

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The John Deere Century

In "The John Deere Century", acclaimed author and photographer Randy Leffingwell uses his unique brand of storytelling to chronicle the company and the tractors that have carried the distinctive green and yellow livery for the past century.

Iconic John Deere tractors ranging from the spartan Waterloo Boy to the Model AOS, and from German and Argentine models to the acclaimed New Generation tractors are featured in this celebration of industrial tractor design. Loaded with photographs, both modern and vintage, and excellently written info, this book will have John Deere fans salivating.

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John Deere Tractors and Equipment 1837-1959 (Vol. 1)

Authors Don Macmillan and Russell Jones chronicle the development of each of the Deere product lines from 1837 to 1959. This story of The Long Green Line is told in two sections. The first traces lineage, where the machines were derived from, in five chapters of company chronology. The second, a large pictorial section, shows developments in each category, such as tractors, combines, etc. with a collectors attention to detail.

Tractor buffs, restorers, and those who simply enjoy reliving the old times will appreciate the easy-to-read narrative set forth in a fresh, pictorial format. Includes 970 photos, drawings, and illustrations (many in full color) . . . from the plow to John Deeres first diesel.

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John Deere Tractors and Equipment 1960-1990 (Vol. 2)

Here are John Deere tractors as youve never seen them! Don Macmillan continues the intriguing saga of this well-known product line with the help of retired Deere & Company engineer Roy Harrington. Volume Two picks up where Volume One left off, covering the years 1960 through 1990 in a very enjoyable and informative 400 pages.
Get the inside story of Deere & Company in the modern period of the past 30 years. Enjoy the inside stories behind the development, plus over 700 photographs, including some equipment that has never been produced.

The appendices include Nebraska test results, specifications, serial numbers, and more creating the ultimate must have for all John Deere enthusiasts. Hours of enjoyable reading now, a collectors item in the future.

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L'héritage des tracteurs John Deere

Despite the skepticism of many in his country, in 1837, John Deere, a simple blacksmith from Vermont, changed the world's agricultural landscape forever. That year, he produced the first plow made of high-quality polished steel. The story of this man and his vision for the future is told in this book by Don Macmillan, the brand's most renowned expert.

This volume contains not only a biography of John Deere, but also a remarkable collection of unpublished documents contributed and commented by exceptional engineers and historians - such as Wayne Broehl, Harold Brock, Orrin Miller - with fascinating anecdotes on the development of tractors such as the Waterloo Boy or the twin-cylinder and on the life of the firm, including during the Second World War. Chronologies allow us to situate, chapter by chapter, the key dates in the evolution of the company until its accession to the world's number one ranking. The superb photographs of Ralph W. Sanders, an internationally recognized specialist in agricultural tractors, complete this essential work for all connoisseurs of "green" mechanics and enthusiasts of John Deere & Company machines.

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Tracteurs John Deere, l'avant-garde du design industriel

Long considered purely utilitarian, 20th-century John Deere tractors were in fact at the forefront of industrial design. This exciting book brings together more than 200 specially produced photographs detailing 30 extremely rare examples of production and prototype tractors from the famous Keller Collection.

Shot in a specially constructed studio, the never-before-seen photographs represent an unprecedented gallery of creations from the imaginations of Deere & Company engineers and Henry Dreyfuss and Associates designers.
The result is a look at the form-follows-function principle that has brought John Deere to the forefront of the agricultural industry and made it a major player in industrial design.

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