FEATURED TRACTOR FOR John Deere was born in Rutland, Vermont, U.S.A. in 1804. After com- pleting an engineering apprentice- ship he established a blacksmithing business in Grand Detour, Illinois in 1936. He produced his first steel plough in 1837, plough produc- tion was moved to Moline, Illinois in 1859, in 1876 the leaping deer trademark was introduced. While the company showed some interest in tractors in 1892 nothing materi- alized until they acquired the Wa- terloo Gasoline Tractor Co. of Wa- terloo in Iowa in 1918. The Waterloo Boy Model N tractor was sold in the U.K. as the Over- time Model N, in 1923 it was re- placed by the John Deere Model D. Many Model D’s were sold in Eu- John Deere tractors at 2011 Steam Show rope between the two World Wars, plough day at Bill and Lorna Vincent’s farm many of which were still in use up to the late 1940’s. NOTHING RUNS 2012: All of the John Deere two-cylinder tractors from the original Mod- el D in 1924, to the last series in 1958/1960 were called “Johnny Poppers” or “Poppin’ Johnnie’s” be- cause of their distinctive exhaust note. During the course of two rev- olutions (a four-stroke cycle) of the engine (720 degrees) the first cylin- der fires at 0 degrees, the second at John Deere was the only major U.S. 180 degrees, then the engine coasts tractor manufacturer without a 540 degrees until it fires again be- European factory, in 1956 they ac- ginning the next cycle. quired a share in Lanz, subsequent- ly they purchased the Mannheim factory in Germany in 1960. The Lanz Bulldog tractor was discon- tinued after being in production for 35 years, following a vast invest- ment in the Mannheim factory, the first of the John Deere Lanz series of tractors appeared in 1961. To this day the John Deere Com- pany still has preeminence in the production and supply of tractors for the global marketplace. LIKE A DEERE!.