John Deere and the Motor Cultivator
March/April 1970
Lowell Carlson
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Courtesy of John Deere and Company, Moline, Illinois.
John Deere
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Route 5, Maquoketa, Iowa 52060. (The photograph photocopies are
through the courtesy of John Deere and Company, Moline,
Illinois.
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Deere and Company's involvement with the production of
tractors includes some unique experimental firsts. There is Max
Sklovsky's one-piece, cast iron body which was the first
experimental tractor to use such a frame. C. H. Melvin's
integral power lift was unique when he experimented with his model
at the Deere Plow Works from 1912-1914. And Joseph Dain's
all-wheel drive tractor that could change from low to high gear
without clutching was certainly unusual in design.
John Deere was anxious to retain its important position in the
implement trade and it was only prudent to recognize the potential
change the tractor might bring to the implement industry. Thus,
through several board directives, engineers and designers were put
to work on a broad front. A motor plow design, a heavy tractor and
various motor cultivators were all pursued from about 1912 to 1921.
When Deere acquired the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company, Waterloo,
Iowa, in 1918, most tractor work was focused on the re-design of
the Waterloo Boy.
There were quite a few motor cultivators on the market by 1916.
International Harvester, Moline Universal (Moline Plow Company), B.
F. Avery, Emerson-Brantingham, Toro, Allis-Chalmers, Parrett and
Bailor all produced either one or two row models. The Model D
Moline Universal, introduced in 1916, was perhaps the best known of
the early motor cultivators; it was one of the first tractors to
use a storage battery for starting, ignition and lighting.
Unfortunately, the cross-mounted motor had no air cleaner and
limited forward vision further decreased its usefulness. The
International Harvester motor cultivator also presented some
distinct limitations. Its center of gravity was so high that it was
dangerous to operate on hilly ground. Also, the small rear drive
wheels left objectionable ruts in the field. Later models of the
International included a PTO which was probably a result of the
influence of E. A. Johnston and Bert R.
Benjamin, two men of extraordinary engineering ability. While
articulation of the front and rear sections of the Moline provided
a means of dodging row crops, it had the drawback of dividing the
operator's attention between steering and dodging the rigs. The
International motor cultivator was faulted by this same
limitation.
Theo Brown, Early tractor Development, this was one of the
twenty-five 'Tractivators' built at the Marseilles Plant in
East Moline in 1917.
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