by Jason Hasert

1990 Toy Tractor Times John Deere L by Spec-Cast

The 5^th Toy Tractor Times tractor was the John Deere L. 1990 was the magazines 7^th Anniversary and the L continued the tradition of small horse power tractors. The L was the first TTT John Deere model. The first four small hose power TTT tractors are now part of the AGCO heritage. At the time they were licenced through indepent companies then known as Massy-Ferguson, Deutz-Allis, and White-New Idea.

The L was produced by Spec-Cast for the magazine. It was packaged in a collectors edition box highlight TTT and the John Deere L’s history. Spec-Cast also packaged the L with a flyer on Spec-Cast’s own magazine Spectacular News. Spectacular News like TTT is an on-line magazine today and is available at: . The TTT L has a collectors insert that identifies it as the 1990 Anniversary tractor. The 1/16 model shows what a rugged and simple design John Deere had in the L tractor.  A total of 3,450 L's were sold by TTT in 1990.

The L was John Deere’s tractor to mechanize the 40 acre farm, still worked with horses. Introduced in 1930 the L would be produced through World War II. The l ended production in 1946, giving way to the John Deere M. The M was released in 1944 to compete with the popular Ford-Ferguson 9n.

The L was produced at the John Deere Wagon Works in Moline, not at the famous Waterloo works. Deere was quite successful with the L in the small horse power market. In the L’s first two years of production, over four thousand units were sold. In 1938 the famous Drefuss family styling was added to the L. The L shared styling with the bigger John Deere such as the D, A, B, H and the latter G model.

Initially the L was powered by the Hercules motor. In 1941, a Deere engine upgraded the L at serial number 640000. By this time the Wagon Works had become the Moline Tractor Division. The L with either the Hercules or Deere engine was rated at a 7.01 draw bar horse power and 9.27 belt horse power. John Deere offered a line of implements for the L, that included the L-1 plow, L-630 vegetable cultivator, L-636 planter, a one row mid-mount cultivator and a mid-mount No. 7 mower.

The L was a flexible tractor with the variety of tools it could be matched with. John Deere also offered a Hi-Clarence version of the L and a a yellow industrial version called the LI.

John Deere’s description of the L: The lightweight, economical tractor that handles all the work ordinarily done by a team of horses. Powered by a 2 cylinder vertical engine, the Model "L" furnishes ample power for deep 1 bottom plowing and eliminates the need for hand planting and hand cultivating. With a selective type gear range of 2 miles/hour in first to 6 ½ miles/hour in third, the tractor allows for an ample range of speed for most jobs. Fitted with rear tires of 6.00 x 22 and front tires of 4.00 x 15, the "L" boasts a 7 foot turning radius. Weighing in at 1,550 pounds, the Little John Deere has a wheel base of 61 inches, overall width of 49", over length 91", and a radiator height of 50".

1/16 scale John Deere L

TTT Box Side

TTT Box Back

Spec-tacular News insert