One of the greatest success stories in the agricultural machinery industry started a century ago with the launch of the Waterloo Boy tractor in the US Midwest. Joe Spencer reports.
John Deere’s acquisition of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company in Iowa in 1918 was a controversial investment at the time. Few critics believed in the future of tractors; most were convinced that farmers would continue to rely on traditional horsepower. Today, John Deere manufactures tractors in 12 factories worldwide.
1 Worldwide celebrations
John Deere’s 100 years of success and innovation, from the Waterloo Boy to today’s ‘intelligent’ tractor, was recently celebrated at the company’s factories around the world. The Mannheim facility in Germany even organised a tractor parade through the city.
2 The Waterloo Boy
The Waterloo Boy Model N, manufactured from 1917 to 1924, was the first production tractor built and marketed by John Deere. It was also the subject of the first-ever Nebraska Tractor Test in 1920, which confirmed that the Model N 12-25 produced outputs of 12,1 drawbar and 25,51 belt horsepower (9kW and 19kW respectively).
3 To the UK
Bu hikaye Farmer's Weekly dergisinin April 13, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Farmer's Weekly dergisinin April 13, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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