Author(s): Robert N Pripps

Technology and Transport

To many people, the name John Deere is synonymous with farm tractors. The big, green machines are popular all over the country, and especially beloved are the two-cylinder, general-purpose models known as "Johnny Poppers" for the distinctive "pop-pop" of their engines. John Deere GP Tractors includes all of the early developmental models: the Waterloo Boy; Models D, C, GP, A, B, G, H, and M; the numbered series; and the utility tractors of the 1940s and 1950s. Over 120 color and black and white photographs illustrate the history of the General Purpose tractor from the first experimental Melvin tractor of 1912 to 1959's Model 435 diesel, the last new two-cylinder general-purpose model. <br>