John Deere: from the steel plough to precision farming and construction

Deere & Company, trading as John Deere, is the world's largest manufacturer of agricultural machinery and one of the top construction and forestry equipment makers. Its green-and-yellow colours and leaping-deer logo are among the most recognised trademarks in any industry.

History

Blacksmith John Deere built his first self-scouring steel plough in Grand Detour, Illinois, in 1837. The company moved to Moline in 1848 and entered the tractor business by acquiring the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company in 1918. Its two-cylinder "Johnny Popper" tractors became farm icons. Deere began building construction equipment in the 1950s, entered forestry, and in 2017 bought the German Wirtgen Group (Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm, Kleemann), making it a leader in road building too.

What John Deere is known for

• Precision agriculture. Deere has invested more than any rival in GPS guidance, automation and data: AutoTrac, See & Spray and autonomous tractors.
• Large tractors and combines, including the 8R series and S-series combines.
• Construction machines built for North American contractors: crawler dozers, motor graders, backhoes, loaders and articulated trucks.
• Forestry, where Deere is a world leader in cut-to-length harvesters and forwarders built in Finland, such as the 1270G.

Buying advice

Deere's dealer network is excellent in North America and strong in Europe, Australia and South America. When buying a used Deere, ask for the JDLink history and confirm software subscriptions (guidance unlocks, for example) transfer with the machine.