Commentary

The Subject Is — Color!

On page 17 of the September-October 2005 issue of Two-Cylinder, there was a comment and response in “Commentary” regarding the color of John Deere Tractors. We’re all more than familiar with John Deere ag green and yellow, a color combination that is officially registered and protected accordingly. And we’re also familiar with industrial yellow, generally Pantone 130, which more or less matches the yellow stripes and “no passing” signs along the nation’s highways. What we didn’t expect was the feedback inspired by the remarks. Rather than publish the many brief comments, some for and some against the adoption of a regular alternative ag color option, we’ll cite two responses, both from Deere retirees:

One was from frequent correspondent Wayne Collins, a former product engineer at Dubuque, who recalled in his letter the many colors supplied in response to customer orders throughout the years. The use of alternative colors during the Two-Cylinder Era, dating back to the first year of production at Dubuque, is well documented. What we hadn’t known about were the many colors that continued into the New Generation, which Wayne confirmed with photos. He cast no opinion regarding the use of alternative colors on current or future-production agricultural tractors.

The other response by a Deere retiree came from Dave Badger, former area service manager and service instructor with the Columbus Sales Branch. Dave recalled the Lawn & Garden Patio Tractors of the early ‘70s. With white chassis, and hoods and seats in blue, orange, red, and yellow, they’re quite an item today, but in use were usually a dirty and grass-stained mess. Dealers who took them in as trades often quickly painted them green, thus hiding many from future collectors.

Dave also mentioned the first John Deere Snowmobiles, which were painted traditional JD green. People generally did not like the color, saying it should instead be on tractors. In closing, Dave made a case for product identification and loyalty. Clearly, green and yellow John Deere products are known around the world, so why mess with the primary thing that identifies the brand?

Let’s look at some relatively recent history regarding color, starting with some of the photos supplied with the help of Wayne Collins:

JD-350-B Crawler and 6305 Bulldozer in Red.	Front tractor is a JD 301 in White. Directly behind it is a JD 401 in Surf Blue. A much-paler “Light Blue” was also used.
JD 301 with Roll-Gard, 3700 Side-Mounted Mower, and two-tone (Industrial Yellow with Black) paint job.	Specially built for the State of California, this 544-A Loader has a number of custom features. Omaha Orange paint.
JD 301-A in Red. Some tractors were also painted in a red-orange called “Medium Red.”	One of 160 JD 401s built for the U.S. Air Force and painted White. A prime target for collectors.
544-A Loader painted Minnesota Orange.	2640 painted Industrial Yellow, the most common “option.”