John Deere B

1935 - 1952

Model year 1935-19381939-19461947-1952

Two-Cylinder Letter Series

Row-Crop tractor

Manufacturer

John Deere

Row-Crop tractor

Built in Waterloo, Iowa, USA

Total built

55,670 (all unstyled)

40,057 (short frame)

15,613 (long frame)

The John Deere model B was introduced as a smaller tractor, to fill the needs of row-crop farmers that did not need a tractor as large as the A. It had a nearly 20-year production run, and the versions of the B can be broadly divided into three groups. The original B is often referred to as "unstyled", and includes all tractors built through 1938. In 1939, with tractor number 60000, began the "early styled" model B. In mid 1947, with tractor number 201000, began the "late styled" model B. Within the first year of production, tractors number 1000 through 3042 used a four-bolt front pedestal.

B

tricycle front axle

BR

fixed front axle

BO

Orchard

BN

narrow row-crop

BW

wide row-crop

BI

industrial tractor

BO Lindeman

crawler

John Deere 2.4L 2-cyl all fuel

Fuel tank

12 gal 45.4 L

Aux. fuel

1 gal 3.8 L

4-speed unsynchronized gear

Drawbar (claimed)

12 hp 8.9 kW

Belt (claimed)

16 hp 11.9 kW

Plows

2 (10-inch)

Drawbar (tested)

11.80 hp 8.8 kW

Belt (tested)

16.01 hp 11.9 kW

Two-wheel drive

Steering

manual

Differential mechanical expanding shoe brakes

Open operator station with pressed steel seat.

Rear PTO

transmission

Rear PTO Type

540

Weight

3,275 lbs 1485 kg

Front tire

22x3.25

Rear tire

48x5.25

John Deere Model B: information at RetiredTractors.com

Diameter

9.6875 inches 24 cm

Width

7.25 inches 18 cm

RPM

1250

Speed

3110 ft/min 947.93 meters/min

Ground

positive

The John Deere Unstyled Letter Series by J.R. Hobbs

Tractors 1918-1976 published by John Deere*

Models A & B General Purpose Tractors published in 1936, by John Deere

Facts About John Deere Tractor Wholesale Prices 1935-1961

*Publication contains known errors.

Instructions for General Purpose Tractors Model B (DIR-218) published in 1939

Instructions for General Purpose Tractors Model B (DIR-313) published in 1958

Operator's Manual Model B Series Tractor (OM-R2005R)

Manufacturer

John Deere

Configuration

2-cylinder, liquid-cooled

all fuel

Displacement

149 ci 2.4 L

Bore/Stroke

4.25x5.25 inches 108 x 133 mm

Fuel system

Marvel-Schebler DLTX-10

Cooling system

thermo-siphon

Air cleaner

oil bath

Compression

4.71:1

Rated RPM

975

Firing order

1-2

Starter type

hand-crank

Oil capacity

7 qts 6.6 L

Coolant capacity

22 qts 20.8 L

Sparkplug gap

0.030 inches 0.762 mm

Point gap

0.015 inches 0.381 mm

Intake valve clearance

0.020 inches 0.508 mm

Exhaust valve clearance

0.020 inches 0.508 mm

Manufacturer

John Deere

Type

unsynchronized gear

Gears

4 forward and 1 reverse

Clutch

dry disc

Gear shift lever with speed 1, 2, and reverse. High and low range shift lever.

Ag front

22x3.25 (steel)

Ag rear

48x5.25 (steel)

Length

120.5 inches 306 cm

Width

85 inches 215 cm

Height (hood)

56 inches 142 cm

Weight

3,275 lbs 1485 kg

Rear tread

56 to 84 inches 142 to 213 cm

Distillate 4-speed 2WD November 15, 1934 - April 19, 1935 Link: Nebraska Tractor Test 232 file

Belt power (max)

16.01 hp 11.9 kW

Belt fuel use (max)

2.1 gal/hour 7.9 l/hour

Drawbar performance

Max power

11.80 hp 8.8 kW

Gear 2 used for power test.

Max pull

1,728 lbs 783 kg

Gear 1 used for pull test.