History of John Deere® Equipment

John Deere® equipment is known and used around the world, but it didn't start that way. The company came from humble beginnings and slowly grew into the agricultural icon it is today. If you're curious about the history of John Deere, read on! If you want to shop John Deere equipment for sale, visit Stribling Equipment. We have dealerships in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

The Start of the Story

In 1837, John Deere was a repair man and tool manufacturer. He moved to Grand Detour, Illinois, and found that the standard iron and wood plows did not work well with the richness of the soil. He took a saw blade and made a steel plow, which worked well with the soil and caught the attention of others. His plow became quite popular and even helped with westward expansion into the Great Plains.

The Unique Approach of John Deere

John Deere also noticed another problem. The average made-to-order agricultural equipment took too long to arrive. He decided to take a different approach. He built plows before a sale, which allowed customers to see what they were buying and even buy the display plow for use right away.

This selling strategy saw great success. The company grew and grew and in 1842, Deere and his business partner were able to build a factory to keep up with the demand. Deere later bought out the business partners and brought his son Charles into the business.

The First John Deere® Tractors

In 1918, the company purchased Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company. In 1923, John Deere began selling their tractors and produced the John Deere Model D. Other new product launches followed, such as the first John Deere combine harvester and the No. 1 harvester.

John Deere Goes Global

As John Deere continued to grow, the company eventually needed to expand out into different countries. John Deere built an assembly plant in Mexico and purchased a controlling interest in Heinrich Lanz, a German tractor maker.

The Continued Expansion of John Deere

Over the decades, John Deere continued to grow. The product line eventually included industrial equipment for construction, lawn and garden tractors, four and six cylinder tractors, and the first rollover protective structure for farm tractors.

In the 1970s, the iconic company slogan "Nothing Runs Like a Deere'' emerged. In the following years, John Deere acquired multiple companies and also began opening plants in India and China. Today, there are John Deere products used around the world!

Ready to shop John Deere equipment for sale? Explore the selection at Stribling Equipment. See the available models online or at our dealerships in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas.