Legendary John Deere Tractors

This book celebrates an icon of American agriculture and industry with more than 400 pictures of legendary John Deere machines from one of world’s most famous tractor photographers.

DIVIf you’re a tractor enthusiast with a passion for tractor photography, Legendary Farm Tractors is a dream-come-true pictorial produced with you in mind. Containing more color photographs of more types of farm tractors than any other book in print, Legendary Farm Tractors presents tractors from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan—models from the 1880s to today—along with detailed captions, together offering a comprehensive photographic history of tractors. Organized alphabetically by make so that readers can find their favorites easily, the tractors covered here include everything from familiar manufacturers like John Deere, Ford, Farmall, Case, Caterpillar, and International Harvester to obscure tractors that have seldom been seen, such as the special streamlined Porsche coffee plantation tractor that looks more like a sports car than a piece of farm equipment. The extensive variety and distinguished photographs by noted photographer Andrew Morland make this an exceptional book for tractor buffs and the perfect gift book for any machine enthusiast./div

The Complete Book of Classic John Deere Tractors explores the range of iconic “green tractors” with which Illinois-based John Deere has become one of the world’s most recognizable brands. Part of Motorbooks’ Complete Book series, this fact-packed volume takes you through dozens of John Deere farm models, beginning with the 1892 Waterloo Boy and ending with the game-changing New Generation and Generation II lines. With selected text from The Bigger Book of John Deere by late legendary Deere historian Don Macmillan, this book details year-to-year model changes within each series and offers comprehensive specs charts compiled by Deere authority John Dietz. In addition to the Waterloo Boy, you’ll witness the entire 40-plus years of two-cylinder “Johnny Poppers,” from the 1924 Model D through the 830 Series models in 1960, and the styled tractors of the prewar and postwar years. Also featured heavily are the groundbreaking New Generation tractors launched to much fanfare in 1960 and their successors, the New Generation II lineup with their Sound-Gard cabs. Standard, row-crop, orchard, and even a selection of experimental models…they’re all here. In addition, you'll find coverage of John Deere’s rich international heritage, with tractors produced in Spain, Germany, and Australia. Illustrated with incredible color photography and period advertising, The Complete Book of Classic John Deere Tractors isan essential edition for the library of any Deere fanatic.

"Mr. Dahlstrom...has written a superb history of the tractor and this long-forgotten period of capitalism in U.S. agriculture. We now know the whole story of when farming, business and the free-market economy diverged, divided and conquered." —Wall Street Journal Discover the untold story of the “tractor wars,” the twenty-year period that introduced power farming—the most fundamental change in world agriculture in hundreds of years. Before John Deere, Ford, and International Harvester became icons of American business, they were competitors in a forgotten battle for the farm. From 1908-1928, against the backdrop of a world war and economic depression, these brands were engaged in a race to introduce the tractor and revolutionize farming. By the turn of the twentieth century, four million people had left rural America and moved to cities, leaving the nation’s farms shorthanded for the work of plowing, planting, cultivating, harvesting, and threshing. That’s why the introduction of the tractor is an innovation story as essential as man’s landing on the moon or the advent of the internet—after all, with the tractor, a shrinking farm population could still feed a growing world. But getting the tractor from the boardroom to the drafting table, then from factory and the farm, was a technological and competitive battle that until now, has never been fully told. A researcher, historian, and writer, Neil Dahlstrom has spent decades in the corporate archives at John Deere. In Tractor Wars, Dahlstrom offers an insider’s view of a story that entwines a myriad of brands and characters, stakes and plots: the Reverend Daniel Hartsough, a pastor turned tractor designer; Alexander Legge, the eventual president of International Harvester, a former cowboy who took on Henry Ford; William Butterworth and the oft-at-odds leadership team at John Deere that partnered with the enigmatic Ford but planned for his ultimate failure. With all the bitterness and drama of the race between Ford, Dodge, and General Motors, Tractor Wars is the untold story of industry stalwarts and disruptors, inventors, and administrators racing to invent modern agriculture—a power farming revolution that would usher in a whole new world.

When you're "out in the field" scouting for John Deere tractors, don't forget to take along The Field Guide to John Deere Tractors: 1892-1991—the first-ever, full-color pocket guidebook to these popular tractors, now available in paperback format! This convenient, easy-to-use field guide puts a wealth of information right into your hands! You'll find brief histories, model runs, specification details, and eye-catching color photographs of more than 500 models of John Deere tractors, from the two-cylinder series of 1892 to modern multi-cylinder models. The late Don Macmillan is considered one of the world's most respected John Deere historians. Inside, he breaks down John Deere's rich heritage into distinct eras: The Pioneering Years, 1892–1924 The Unstyled Years, 1923–1938 The Styled Years, 1938–1960 The Numbered Series, 1952–1960 The New Generation of Power, 1959–1972 Generation II, 1972–1987 The Modern Years, 1982–1991 A wealth of photos of every John Deere tractor—from the legendary two-cylinder Waterloo Boy that started it all to six-cylinder, 200-horsepower machines of the 1980s—are accompanied by detail-rich descriptions of the tractors' features and back stories, as well as concise charts presenting key specifications. For fans of old iron, there's no better quick reference that's equally useful at swap meets and in the armchair.

The ultimate encyclopedia of John Deere tractors from around the world, The Big Book of John Deere Tractors is a model-by-model historical reference to John Deere tractors-including European models-and more, from their beginning in 1892 until today. --Publisher.

DIVAn entertaining look at the tractors which enthusiasts all know and love—as well as those oddball models that fans find fascinating. /div

This comprehensive volume chronicles the history of the tractors that have carried the distinctive green and yellow livery for the past century.