This tractor (serial #92349) was made by the John Deere Tractor Company in Waterloo, Iowa. One of those most popular tractor models ever made, John Deere produced the Model D from 1923 to 1953. The Model D makes a distinctive noise while it is running, which has led to the tractor being nicknamed "Johnny Popper" or "Poppin' Johnny." If you would like to see and hear a 1928 John Deere Model D running, you can view a two minute video by clicking or touching here.
The John Deere Model D's Nebraska Tractor Test is #146, performed from October 24th to October 29th, 1927. If you want to see this test as a pdf, click or touch here. Thanks to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, you can view the original Nebraska Tractor Test results for any tractor submitted to testing.
As you walk around it, you might notice that the Model D here at Stuhr Museum has a Schebler carburetor made by the Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company of Indianapolis, Indiana. Wheeler-Schebler's roots can be traced back to the 1890s and the experiments of George Schebler with the carburetor on his motorboat. When Frank H. Wheeler, a salesman for a chinaware company, became aware of Schebler's efforts and of the growing automobile industry, he proposed creating a business with Schebler. Creating their company in 1901, Wheeler took care of the business side and Schebler took care of the manufacturing.
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| From Motorcycle & Bicycle Illustrated, vol. 18, no. 22 (June 1, 1922), p. 22. |
Not realizing the demand they would have for their carburetors, the company initially made between five and twenty-five each week. Once sales jumped up, the company acquired a 600 square foot shop with the equipment to produced 50 carburetors per day. From these origins, Wheeler-Schebler grew immensely. By 1922, the company's factory covered over 200,000 square feet, making carburetors for any type of motor.
If you can see it from the walking area, you might notice that this tractor also has a Wico magneto for its ignition. Originally called the Witherbee Ignition Company (abbreviated WICO), the company may have been renamed the Wico Electric Company sometime in the 1910s. Wico made a wide variety of ignitions, including its EK Magneto, for tractors, automobiles, and engines throughout the early 20th century. Several items in this exhibit have Wico magnetos.
In addition to the Schebler and Wico items, this tractor also has a Donaldson air cleaner. Frank Donaldson, a former employee of the Bull Tractor Company, maker of the Bull tractor here at Stuhr Museum, left Bull to found his own shop to produce air cleaners. As you make your way through the exhibit, you might notice that a couple of the other tractors, including the 1920 Emerson, also have Donaldson air cleaners.
Notes
Information on the Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company is from Motorcycle & Bicycle Illustrated, vol. 18, no. 22 (June 1, 1922), pp. 22-24.
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