John Deere Evolution chronicles the design and engineering evolution of John Deere tractors from the first models to the most current, with lavish imagery that includes contemporary and archival photography, concept drawings, and more. The beautiful book is also encyclopedic, with images of and data listings for every model line built by John Deere since 1919. 

Matching the fantastic new visual material in the book is an in-depth history that includes interviews with John Deere engineers, industrial designers, dealers, and farmers who created, sold, and used the machines. The list of interviewees includes industrial designers Chuck Pelly and William Crookes as well as dozens of John Deere engineers, many of whom provide insight on developmental evolution and secret prototypes. Among the unusual machines profiled in the book are the little-known John Deere rotary engine tractor prototype built in New Jersey in the 1980s and a prototype articulated combine built with a competitor’s separator inside. Read about back-acre espionage, the development of the 7000 series, the evolution of the Sound Gard body, four-wheel-drive development, the high-horsepower two-wheel-drive program, and much more.

John Deere Evolution

The Design and Engineering of an American Icon

Author: Lee Klancher

Pages: 350 pages

Publisher: Octane Press

Publication Date: December 2021

Specifications: 10.5 × 10.5 × 1.5 in; 5.5 lb

All Image Credits:

Photo by Lee Klancher, courtesy of Octane Press.