General Information

Serial #

7212637

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

METAL/ RUBBER WHEELS & HOSES/ VINYL SEAT/ GLASSLIGHT COVERS/ BACK OF LIGHTS & KNOBS ARE PLASTIC

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

341.0 cm

Width

220.0 cm

Height

216.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Agriculture

Category

Power sources

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Deere

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Iowa

City

Waterloo

Context

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Iowa

Period

Unknown

Canada

The museum's restored 1957 JD 720LP was acquired after use in Ontario.

Function

The tractor is a motorized vehicle used to pull and actuate other vehicles or implements that are not power-driven. Tractors are primarily designed for agricultural work: for cultivation, spraying, and harvesting operations. The first tractors, developed in the mid-nineteenth century, were steam-powered and were not very mobile: their main purpose was to power threshers and other equipment. The development of gas-engines in the late 19th century, and their integration into tractors, gave the machines more mobility and flexibility. Robert C. Williams writes in "Fordson, Farmall, and Poppin' Johnny: A history of the farm tractor and its impact on America" (1987) that "Of all the farm implements, the tractor has had the greatest impact on rural life...In one generation between 1920 and 1950, most farms in the United States changed from dependence on draft animals to dependence on mechanical power."

Technical

John Deere produced the 720 series of tractors between 1956 and 1958. It was a multipurpose row-crop tractor, equipped with power steering. The LP variant used liquid propane as its fuel source. John Deere's "20" series of tractors were introduced to replace the existing series in 1956 with a choice of fuel-efficient increased-horsepower engines, improvements in operator comfort and, for the first time for John Deere, a two-tone colour paint scheme. Another improvement was the "Custom Powr-Trol" hydraulic system which features a system of returning to present implement depth settings after raising, and automatic implement depth-control during operation. The Museum's 720, powered by liquid propane, illustrates tractor manufacturers' continuing efforts to offer alternative fuels for farm work. Acceptance was limited, however, and only a small percentage of the 29,000 model 720s manufactured between 1956 and 1958 were built for LP-gas fuel. (From David Richeson's "Demonstration Artifact Fact Sheet No. 2" May 19, 1993 from curator's vertical files.) It was manufactured at the John Deere Waterloo Tractor Works factory in Waterloo, Iowa.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

MFR'S PLATE: 'JOHN DEERE/ SERIES 720 LP SERIAL NO. 7212637/ JOHN DEERE WATERLOO TRACTOR WORKS OF/ DEERE MANUFACTURING CO WATERLOO IOWA/ MADE IN U.S.A.'/ MARKINGS ON LEFT & RIGHT SIDE READ: 'JOHN DEERE/ 720/ POWER STEERING/ ROLL-O-MATIC'/ ON REAR READS: 'JOHN DEERE'/ ADJUSTABLE SEAT WEIGHT SCALE/ 'BE CAREFUL/ DRIVE TRACTOR AT SAFE/ SPEEDS.../ BE CAREFUL/ STOP POWER SHAFT BEFORE/ DISMOUNTING.../ JOHN DEERE/ CUSTOM/ POWR-TROL'/ ON RIGHT SIDE READS: 'ENGINE CRANKCASE/ SERVICE EVERY 150 HOURS...'/ ON STEERING WHEEL IS: 'POWER STEERING'/ ON INSTRUMENT PANEL ARE: VAPOR & LIQUID WITHDRAWL VALVES/ MFR'S PLATE ON PROPANE TANK READS: ‘PRESSED STEEL TANK CO./ MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN/ NAT'L. BD. HSB & PST 930373./ MAX. WP. 312 LBS. AT TEMP. 300 DEG. F/ ELL IP. HEADS AND SHELL.205/ FOR LPG ONLY W. 39 GAL. TW./ [W] YEAR BUILT 1957 MADE IN USA/ CRN 4033.234 ABOVE GROUND/ OUTSIDE AREA 16 SQ. FT.'/ INSTRUMENT PANEL HAS THE FOLLOWING: FUEL GAUGE WHICH READS THE PERCENTAGEOF FUEL IN TANK; DASH LAMP; TEMPERATURE GAUGE; AMMETER GAUGE; OIL PRESSURE GAUGE; IGNITION LIGHT SWITCH; FUSE; SPEED-HOUR METER WHICH INDICATES ACCUMULATED HOURS OF SERVICE [204]; CIGARETTE LIGHTER; FUEL CHOKE CONTROL LEVER.

Missing

REAR RED LIGHT/ SETTINGS FOR IGNITION LIGHT SWITCH [OFF], L, B, D]

Finish

YELLOW & GREEN PAINT (NOT ORIGINAL)/ BLACK VINYL & PLASTIC

Decoration

YELLOW & GREEN MFR'S LOGO PLAQUE ON FRONT OF TRACTOR/ LOGO IS A RUNNING DEER