Model H

The story

John Deere designed the Model H as a low-cost row-crop tractor for small farms, sitting below the Model B in its range. The first examples were made at Waterloo, Iowa, in late 1938, and one was tested at Nebraska that autumn before sales began in 1939.

It had a horizontal two-cylinder engine of just under 100 cubic inches that ran on distillate, and power was taken off the camshaft rather than the crankshaft to save cost. A foot throttle let the driver raise engine speed above the normal 1,400 rpm when travelling.

As well as the standard H there were single front wheel HN and high-clearance HWH and HNH versions. Wartime shortages interrupted output, and the last one was built in February 1947.