20 Interesting Facts you may not know about John Deere Diesel Engines

John Deere & Company has a long history of providing quality diesel engines to its customers, from its first in 1949 to today’s Tier 4 PowerTech engine. Throughout this period of time, there have been several exciting developments that have helped shape not just the evolution of diesel engines, but also John Deere history as a whole. Let’s take a look at 20 interesting facts that you may not know about John Deere diesel engines!

• Since 1949, Deere has designed and manufactured diesel engines.
• The first Deere diesel engine, found in the Model R, produced 51 horsepower and was the first to offer a live power take-off (PTO) with its own clutch.

• The innovative design of the John Deere Model R tractor featured two engines—the 416-cubic inch diesel-fired engine and a two-cylinder, gasoline-fired starter engine. The dual engines resolved certain difficulties often associated with starting diesel engines. Firstly, operators could start the engine with the pull of a lever, rather than manually turning the flywheel. Additionally, they had the capacity to warm-up the engine quickly in cold temperatures.
• In 1953, Deere launched the Model 70, the first John Deere diesel-powered row-crop tractor.

• In 1959, the model 8010 paved the way for a line of 4- or 6-cylinder diesel engines, as Deere moved away from 2-cylinder engines at the end of 1958.
• In 1960, John Deere introduced the 300 and 400 Series engines—its first-in-line 4- and 6-cylinder gasoline, LP gas, and diesel engines—in the model 1010, 2010, 3010, and 4010 tractors.
• In 1969, Deere introduced its first turbocharged diesel engine in its 4520 row-crop tractors.
• In 1996, Deere rolled out a new breed of engines, called PowerTech™, to comply with Tier 1 standards. Since then, the company has followed a building-block approach to meeting each new regulatory Tier, systematically adopting technologies for the PowerTech platform.
• John Deere diesel engines range from 49 to 600 HP.
• John Deere has produced more than 5 million diesel engines.
• Deere diesel engines can be serviced at any of their 4,000+ service locations worldwide.
• John Deere diesel engines are produced for agriculture, construction, forestry, mining, generator drives, marine equipment, and thousands of other applications around the world.

• John Deere has been producing diesel marine engines for more than 30 years.
• The 8010 produced a significant amount of power for its time – the 1960s – with 215 horsepower.
• The John Deere 300 series included the company’s first diesel-powered lawn and garden tractor.