[AT] Restoring 1936 John Deere B

[Dean VP]

Arthur,

Congratulations on the successful restoration. I think the condition of the tractor is why some people
say that a free tractor is sometimes too expensive to restore.  But there is a huge amount of personal
satisfaction. I'm actually surprised you only have 250 hours into it.  I don't know if you have done a
Serial Number search on it at JD but I do have some information on that serial number. In case you
don't have this info already

Build date: 01 30 1936
Ship Date : 02 03 1936
Branch: Moline, IL
Destination: Maquoketa, IA
Skeleton steel wheels
Configuration: ab4

Ab4 = 48" Skeleton rear wheels with 1.5" guide bands and cast lugs.

 I happen to know some farmers in Maquoketa, IA if you happen know some of the history of your
tractor.


Dean VP
Snohomish, WA 98290

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent
virtue is the equal sharing of misery."  . Sir Winston Churchill

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
Arthur Southwell
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2015 3:03 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: [AT] Restoring 1936 John Deere B

Hello AT List,

I've lurked on this list for years. Now I have something to contribute. Hope 
it is of interest to you.

Dec. 2014 I took on the job of restoring a 1936, Unstyled John Deere model 
B. SN. 15942. I finished it May 5, 2015. I put over 250 man hours into the 
project.

At lot of time spent drilling out broken bolts and removing bearing races in 
blind holes and bearing races I couldn't drive out with a punch.

It had stuck exhaust valve in one cylinder and a stuck intake valve in the 
other. The piston rings were worn out. On the clutch drum end of the 
crankshaft,

the splines were badly worn from running a long time with a loose "Galloping 
Gear" ( driving clutch disc ). The rear axle bearings were worn out, as were

the steering gear bearings and the governor shaft bearings. A lot of this 
was old age, but the governor bearings suffered from lack of proper oiling 
as the oil

pump screen was totally coated with a thick layer of sludge. The engine oil 
hadn't been changed in many years, probably because the drain plug was 
rounded

off so badly a pipe wrench couldn't get a grip to remove it. After the 
engine was torn down and the crankshaft removed, I drilled the oil drain 
plug out and re tapped

the threads. By using the inner net I was able to procure all the parts, new 
and used, that I needed to restore the old Popping John to it's former 
glory.

Believe it or not, NAPA had the best price on the steering gear bearings and 
the governor bears. They were the same P/N as 1957 Chevy outer front wheel 
bearing.

NAPA # PB 01.

Arthur Southwell
Arcadia, FL, USA

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