Hemmings Find of the Day – 1957 John Deere 420
Henry Ford’s 9N/2N/8N tractors were small, but they made a huge impact. Not only were the N series rigs inexpensive and reliable, but Harry Ferguson’s ingenious three-point hitch with draft control allowed these tractors to outwork larger machines.
The little Ford’s popularity didn’t go unnoticed by a certain Moline, Illinois-based agricultural equipment manufacturer, but it wasn’t until after WWII that Deere made a serious run at Ford’s giant killer.
Deere’s new small farm tractor was the 1947 Model M, a 2,550-pound, hydraulic-equipped workhorse with a 100.54-cubic-inch vertical two-cylinder gasoline engine.
The development of Deere’s Touch-O-Matic hitch system helped the M gain ground against its Ford/Ferguson rival. Touch-O-Matic’s chief advantages were its engine-driven hydraulic pump that allowed the hydraulics to work anytime the engine was running, and on the MT model tractor, introduced in 1949, a pair of cylinders that allowed the operator to raise the left or right side of the tractor’s hitch independently.
John Deere built the Model M from 1949 to 1952, and over its five-plus-year run, approximately 88,000 Model M tractors were manufactured. The M was replaced in Deere’s lineup by the updated, but similar, Model 40 from 1953-1955, which was superseded by the improved and cosmetically face-lifted Model 420.
The 420 was built from 1956-’58 and, in addition to sporting a bold, new green-and-yellow paint scheme, it boasted redesigned cylinder heads that made its engine more fuel efficient and powerful.
Deere phased out its two-cylinder engines by 1960, so this 1957 420 (with its adjustable-width, wide front end) currently for sale on Hemmings.com, represents the last line of tractors powered by Moline’s famous Johnny Popper engine.
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