JD History Question

[KPotts]

My kids have a history question to research tonight and so far we do not have a definitive answer. The question is: Why and when did JD change their color to green?
Thanks for the help.

 

[ruglad03835]

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe it happened when Deere and Co. went from the 2 cylinder tractors to the New Generation units back in 1960.

 

[Partsman2]

Umm - I may be missing something here but I believe they have always been green. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gifDeere & Co. bought out Waterloo Boy sometime in the 1910's. The Waterloo Boys were green and have been ever since.

There were some models in the 50's that had some wider yellow stripes but the tractors were still predominately green.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I am assuming we are talking strictly ag equipment. Not construction or forestry.

 

[robison]

I have a think book "John Deere - History of the Tractor" by Leffingwell. It's a Deere publication.

It shows pre 1910 John Deere carts and implements in green, before they had tractors.

In 1911 they looked at buying and reselling Twin Cities tractors, which were grey and red according the photos in the book.

In 1915 they came out with their own tractor, which was green with yellow wheels.

In the war years they came out with industrials in yellow as well.

 

[beenthere]

The question is confusing, in that it implies that the Deere were not always green. Maybe the teacher is confused, and that will make answering correctly more difficult.

 

[Partsman2]

Robison,

The book I have which is a history of tractors states that John Deere attempted to build thier own tractor but I don't know the year. Apparently the engine design was flawed and it flopped. They ended up buying the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. in the early 1910's. This company made the Waterloo Boy which was a twin cylinder gasoline powered tractor. This was how John Deere (then called Deere & Co.) got into the tractor business. As far as I know the ag tractors have always been green with yellow wheels and trim. Even the Waterloo Boy in the pre-Deere & Co. years was green w/yellow wheels.

Basically I agree with what you are sayng with the exception of how they got started in the tractor business.

 

[robison]

Partsman, my Deere history shows those Waterloo units also, it just showed the Twin Cities units being bought in first. They apparently gobbled up a number of little farm implement companies.

 

[hudr]

Are you sure they are talking about John Deere? Other than their Industrial line and maybe one or two exceptions, I thought their colors had always been green w/ yellow "Trim".

 

[JerryG]

Here are some pretty good answers.

 

[garchib]

I think "ruglad03835" is correct, based on my readings

 

[KPotts]

Thanks for all the help. I suspect the teacher may be working without all the facts. The kids are going to pass-on the information from everyone here that helped out. I'll post the teachers answer when they get it.

 

[trlong]

KPotts,

Although some of the books may have more info, this is from J.D.'s website;

<font color="blue"></font><font color="blue" class="small">( Why are John Deere tractors green and yellow?
No one really knows. Some like to think the color combination symbolizes the colors of corn - green for the stalks and yellow for the ears. The earliest color illustration of Deere equipment with the green and yellow color scheme is of a Deere sulky plow in the 1905 Deere & Webber catalog. There are probably earlier implements painted in this color scheme, but we haven't been able to verify that. )</font></font>

This matches with the info and old add's I saw at the John Deere exhibit in Middlebury, VT, this Fall. Before that add, all the "exhibited" drawings were black and white. No mention of changing color scheme. So, the "assumption" is green and yellow was nothing new when the tractors came along.

Could the teacher be refering to seat color change?

Tom

 

[beenthere]

What are your 'readings' ?

Deere was green loooooong before 1960. Don't leave us hanging here. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Whatta ya know that we 'don't' ?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

The John Deere green goes back a LONG time before the New Generation tractors. The Waterloo Boy tractors were Green, with yellow wheels, and RED engines. Deere was already painting wagons green before then. The colors of tractors remained basically the same when the model "D" came out in the early 1920's. The red engines turned green at that point.

Sometime in the mid-1980's, Deere's traditional green changed ever-so-slightly, to a shade "brighter" green (with the same yellow) It was an attemt to make their product more visable. As the old green weathered, it got a touch darker. The "new green" weathers to a color near to the "original green" when it was new.

My theory is, someone at Deere knew how valuable their products were, even back in pre-depression days, and decided to make their tractors THE COLOR OF MONEY! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[beenthere]

Reformulation of paint to get rid of the lead and keep up with EPA rulings likely had something to do with the new green paints. It is remarkable how the new paints 'match' the old.

Seems I read somewhere a good while back that the selection of green had to do with the colors available at the time and the formulation of a lasting color. May have dreamed it, because I can't find it now.

But I'm good with the "color of money". /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif