R2, Box 187 Gatesville, TX 76528
To bring the story up to date: I refer you to December 1989 GEM,
the picture is of a John Deere GP, WT page 7, article
#24/12/25.
A friend of mine collects old cars. I have to go with him now
and then. Last July in 1989, he asked me to go with him to bring in
a ’42 Ford coupe. He told me there was an old tractor also that
I might be interested in. Of course I agreed to go see it.
We traveled paved road out in the country to the end of a trail
into the woods. Weeds had grown up all around old cars, pickups,
’40 models, some ’50 models and maybe one or two later
years. Among the cars were five or six tractors and way back, in
the edge of the tree line, was a John Deere!
The first thing I did was grab the flywheel. It wouldn’t
budge. I looked for a serial number but I didn’t know where to
find it.
The man that I dealt with was not the owner. He said his uncle,
an elderly man, was the owner. I gave him a price which he would
tell his uncle, and I was to call him later which I did, the first
week in September. I bought the tractor and on the 9th of September
I drove out to get it.
I took the pickup trailer and a B Farmall to help do the job. I
got the tractor jacked up out of the dirt. The front wheels were
spindle deep. The John Deere had been there for twenty years or
more. After getting it up level with the ground we pulled it out to
a clear area so that we could get to it with the trailer.
We loaded it and headed home. At home we unloaded it, took a few
pictures. Then I got the engine to turn a little. I started
disassembling it and had parts all over the shop. Soon I found I
needed a new set of rings. Thanks to an ad in GEM I easily got a
new set of rings. I would like to say thanks to all the guys that
called and wrote letters to me. Thanks, guys!
Also the John Deere Company told me that this tractor was
assembled 2nd of August, 1929 and shipped the same day to Clifton
Simpson, of Waco, Texas.
I started on the inside and re-assembled and painted it. So now
at this time I have a very nice John Deere GP, WT Serial #400033.
The engine was in very good condition inside and I have it now
where it will crank up and run very nicely.
The pictures show it before and after. I kept the camera loaded
and handy so I could take pictures as work progressed.
Now I’m anxious to make it to a few shows to show off my
work and my pretty toy!
