Before 1918, when John Deere acquired Iowa-based tractor and engine manufacturer Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company, Deere had specialised in implements and stationary engines –the latter through a partnership with Root and VanDervoort Engineering.
It had experimented with its own tractor range – the AWD or Dain Tractor – which had a shift on the move transmission and a McVicker four-cylinder engine, producing 12hp at the drawbar and 24hp at the pulley, but by the time models were available commercially, the acquisition had been completed, and John Deere opted to stick with the more recognisable Waterloo Boy.
Following the purchase of Waterloo, the company brought engine development in-house. The Waterloo Boy N was in production at the time with a two-cylinder kerosine power unit.
\It was the first machine to be put through Nebraska’s tractor testing programme, with results showing 15.98hp at the drawbar and 25.97hp at the pulley, compared with claimed figures of 12hp and 25hp, respectively.
The first John Deere-produced engine was the stationary, single-cylinder E model, released in 1921 with outputs of 1hp and 1.5hp. This introduced several improvements over the Waterloo design, including an enclosed crankcase that meant the engine was self-lubricating.
A spark plug variant was introduced in 1924, replacing the rotary magneto and igniter system with a flagship 3hp model, but the company returned to the igniter in 1928.
Production of the single-cylinder stationary engines continued until 1945, with a final 3hp model leaving the factory in 1946, but were winding down by the early 1940s, starting with the 6hp unit that was introduced in 1926.
Competition and increased demand for tractors drove this decision, and John Deere had been developing its tractor engine portfolio behind the scenes.
Power on wheels
Deere introduced the Model D in 1923, the first Waterloo-built tractors to bear the John Deere name. Using a two-cylinder kerosine engine, the tractor initially had a tested output of 30.4hp at the belt and 22.53hp at the drawbar.
It would go on to be the company’s longest-serving tractor range, remaining in production up until 1953, with various developments.
It outlasted the C and GP (general purpose) ranges, as well as the A and B row-crop models, the first John Deeres to be offered with rubber tyres, and would remain on the market for four years after the company’s first diesel engine was introduced.
That diesel-powered tractor was the Model R, introduced in 1949, with diesel engines then slowly added to further ranges, including the 70-series.
As well as moving away from gasoline-powered engines, the Model R also saw the introduction of a live PTO with a separate clutch, enabling the drive to the wheels and the PTO to be independently adjusted.
The company claimed a drawbar output of 35hp and 43hp at the pulley, but Nebraska testing showed that the engine far exceeded this, with Model R tractors producing 43.15hp and 48.58hp, respectively.
The design was simple and focused on heavy-duty use. The two-cylinder setup, with just two crankshaft bearings instead of the five or more found on engines at the time, reduced the number of moving parts. More than 21,000 units were produced before the range was discontinued in 1954, but the effect of the engine continued to be felt.
Two years after production of the Model R ended, a John Deere diesel engine was once again put through its paces at the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory, where a 720 tractor set a fuel efficiency record of 17.97 horsepower hours/gallon at 100% load. This would remain unbroken for nearly 30 years.
From Iowa to Mannheim
While the Model R engine continued to impress, John Deere was looking at other self-propelled equipment. In 1947, it introduced the 55 combine harvester, using a six-cylinder gasoline engine sourced from Ohio-based manufacturer Hercules Engine Company, similar to the pull-type combines previously.
In 1956, the company increased its tractor-producing capacity with the acquisition of German company Heinrich Lanz AG.
Based in Mannheim, where John Deere’s European operations are now headquartered, the company was best known for the Lanz Bulldog tractor range (200,000 of which were made before the acquisition), which was transitioned to John Deere green over the next two years.
The Bulldog tractors ran on diesel but used an outdated single-cylinder engine, so it was quickly updated alongside John Deere’s American facilities to produce vertical inline engines.
The New Generation tractors introduced in 1960 were offered with four-cylinder engines on models up to the 3010, producing a maximum of 61hp, while the larger 4010 featured six-cylinder power units producing up to 89hp.
The New Generation offered several upgrades over the two-cylinder models. The first of these was a closed-centre hydraulic system said to take just 1.5hp from the overall engine output at standby, and one that could run at much lower pressures than competitive units. It also introduced hydraulically powered braking.
In Mannheim, four-cylinder engines became the norm, but there were two-cylinder engines used in smaller tractor models for customers who were still using horses. The Model 100 used half of the Model 300 engine, essentially creating a vertical two-pot engine, producing about 18hp.
A new engine production plant was constructed and opened in Saran, France, which made power units for 310, 510 and 710 models launched from Mannheim in 1964. The first two featured three-cylinder engines, a style the company has continued to use through to its 5-series tractors today.
Building on success
Much of the engine technology we see today in John Deere builds on the success of the New Generation. Turbochargers were integrated into the ‘Turbo-bilt’ 4520 model – a first for the company, though some aftermarket options had previously been available.
There were also efforts to reduce the effect of the engine on the operator when the company introduced the Generation II-series in 1972.
The optional Sound-Guard body operator station used rubber bushings, with insulation to limit noise and temperature influences from outside, and a panel of foam and lead under the dashboard to limit heat and noise from the engine.
Gradually, the power range has extended. While still far below the 913hp put out by the latest JD18X engines, the late 1970s saw the company reach 275hp with its articulated 8640 tractor, and it then went further with the 370hp 8850, which at the time used the company’s largest engine – a 15.6-litre V8 unit.
John Deere was also developing its compact and utility models, updating its smaller power units to offer the same comfort and performance as its larger tractors.
There were also efforts to increase the efficiency of the engines through additional tractor features. The 50-series in 1982 included mechanical front-wheel drive, which was said to increase the pulling power by 20%. The 4850 saw success in testing, being the most fuel-efficient tractor above 60hp.
In 1983, the company’s success was solidified when it broke its own record at the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory. Thirty years after the 720 set a fuel efficiency record, the 1650 67hp machine achieved 12.1 litres/hour, although this was with a Yanmar four-cylinder engine, so the achievement is shared.
As we step out of the 1980s, we see increased power and displacement, both in the company’s tractor engines and its other self-propelled equipment.
The new decade also comes with the first moves towards emissions regulations, something that would dominate development for all engine manufacturers for the best part of two decades. But that’s something for a second article.