R.D. 1, Box 332 Winfield, PA 17889
I purchased my 1931 John Deere G. P. Standard in 1961 from an
Amishman who is my neighbor.
He had stripped everything off all that was left was the engine.
He had it mounted on an engine truck. He used it for threshing and
grinding feed until the rod came loose and the crank shaft hit it
and bent it. This did not break the engine housing. The engine
still ran on one cylinder. He junked it.
I bought it for junk price. This included the engine, fenders,
axles, steering wheel and column, and the front wheels. I purchased
the original hind wheels from another person.
The Amish man helped me reassemble it. I brought it home and
took the engine apart. I got another piston and connecting rod, but
it didn’t fit. I looked and looked for a 6 inch piston and a
shorter rod for a 30 series John Deere tractor. I gave up looking
and decided to junk it. When I went to the junk dealer to see if he
would buy it, he told me he had an old John Deere sitting in his
woods and that maybe it had the parts I wanted. I went and checked
and it was just what I needed.
I brought the piston and rod home, put it in and did a few minor
repairs to the engine. I turned the flywheel a few times and it
started and has been running ever since. Later I steamed off the
old paint and dirt and repainted it.
For years I wanted to take it to an antique show; however
I’m a dairy farmer and the shows are held when we’re the
busiest. But last year I took time to take it to the Shade Mountain
Antique show at Paxtonville, Pennsylvania. Hopefully, this year I
can take it to a few other shows, too.
