John Deere Diecast Tractors

Deere & Co. went into the tractor business in 1912 and the first tractor produced by John Deere was the “Dain” tractor, referring to the engineer, Joseph Dain who had designed it. There were only 50 to 100 Dain tractors produced and sold, the reasoning behind the limited production of the “Dain” tractor was Deere Company purchased the Waterloo Engine Company also in 1912. This acquisition resulted in the purchase of a factory in which to build tractors. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any diecasts models of the Dain tractor, however a kit does exist. John Deere then continued building Waterloo Boy tractors until 1924 as they were cheaper to build than the Dain. Waterloo Boy tractors were given high praise during WWI. They were sold in the United Kingdom where they were given credit due to its contribution to producing food during the war endeavor. The next tractor produced by Deere & Co. was the Model D which was introduced in late 1923 or early 1924.

Ertl has been the leader in the farm toy business since 1945 and in 1994 Ertl produced the John Deere Overtime tractor from the Classic Vehicles line. The diecast version of the Waterloo Boy tractors were done in 1/16 scale and these models were based on the 1915 model year tractors. Another popular Ertl John Deere diecast tractor was model 5010 which was introduced in 1962. This model was the first two-wheel drive over 100-HP at the PTO and which included a drawbar. This particular diecast tractor has great detail and craftsmanship and is sought after today.

John Deere tractor diecasts continue to be much-sought items. Novices and collectors alike enjoy collecting, trading and admiring these great John Deere tractors. For collectors, these truly are a reflection of American history and farming culture which changed the way farmers worked, giving them these new, efficient tools to help provide for their families and bring food to the table of American's across the country.

Photo Above: Images Copyrighted by Historylink101.com & found at Story of Farming

Diecast Massey-Harris Pony

The Massey-Harris Pony was a small tractor produced by Massey Harris in the late 1940's and early 1950's with a total of over 85,000 units produced.  At just 10h.p, the Massey Harris Pony was a small, but mighty tractor that found favor among farmers everywhere.  With an optional PTO it could be purchased for less than $1000 during its time in production.   Even today, though they are old, a Massey Harris Pony can be a handy little tractor to have, like the one pictured here that is used for cutting grass.
 
 

Diecast Massey-Harris Tractors

Diecast Ford 8N

The N Series tractors built by Ford between 1939 and 1964 were indeed a very important part of the history of tractors built in the United States.  The N Series tractors were the first U.S. built tractor to use Ferguson's 3 point hitch system, which is still in use today.  The design of the N series included collaboration between Ford and Ferguson, which was the predecessor of today's Massey-Ferguson.  Under a previous agreement, Ford was using Ferguson's 3 point hitch system but after the agreement ended, Ford continued to use the Ferguson 3 point hitch system, only they modified it slightly to avoid trouble with patents.

Ford  began production of the 8N in 1947 and soon became the best selling tractor in the United States.  Ford, which was the builder of automobiles, had the advantage of large production facilities that could easily churn out thousands of tractors quite quickly and at a low cost.  During the war, Ford had an advantage over other tractor makers and therefore got plenty of business during that time.  After the war when rebuilding began and equipment was needed, again Ford was able to provide enough tractors, fast enough and cheap enough to make them a hit.

The Ford 8N came with a 4 speed transmission, which was an improvement over earlier N series tractors and in 1952 the tractor could be purchased for $1400 U.S.  As far as power is concerned, they were fairly low powered by today's standards - around 25 h.p, but they still offered farmers many advantages.  In all, Ford built over 500,000 8N's.

As a child, my grandfather owned an 8N, back in the 1970's and 1980's and it was still running fine and we still used it around the farm to rake hay and pull wagons.  Because it was the best selling tractor in it's day, a diecast Ford 8N surely belongs in your diecast farm toy collection.

Ford Diecast Tractors

Diecast Farmall H

Starting all the way back in 1924, Farmall built tractors and other farm implements. The Farmall H, like the one pictured here, was called a row crop tractor and can be distinguished by the narrow front tire stance.  Of the many models that Farmall built, the Farmall H was the second best selling tractor with almost 400,000 units being sold between 1939 and 1952.  It was 1979 when the last Farmall tractor rolled off the line but recently Case IH, the owner of the Farmall name has resurrected the name in some of it's latest models of compact tractors, ranging from 31 to 50 hp.

Farmall Diecast Tractors