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The Next Generation of Innovation
The spirit of invention lived on in John Deere's great-grandson, Charles Deere Wiman. Wiman, who led the company from 1928-1955, was a lover of innovation and engineering. During Wiman's tenure as President, he placed an emphasis on expanded research and aggressive new product development, even during economic downturns. In 1934, in the heart of the Great Depression, the company introduced the famous Model "A" tractor. The Model "B" followed it the next year. Both models were so popular that they remained in production until 1952. Wiman also oversaw the company's entry into the construction equipment market in 1949.
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| Introduced in 1954, the 10 Two-row Corn Head was the first corn harvesting attachment offered on a combine. |
Firsts for the company under Wiman's leadership included:
- Mechanical tractor lift, introduced in 1928. The first hydraulic power lift was introduced in1934, and remote hydraulic power to tractors was introduced with the Powr-Trol in 1945 (for variable control of integral and drawn equipment)
- Cotton stripper, 1930
- Sugar beet harvester, 1943
- Automatic wire-tie baler, 1946
- Front-mounted "Quik-Tatch" row-crop cultivators, and planters with remote control cylinders, both introduced in 1947
- Safety trip standard offered on moldboard plows, 1950
- Power steering on tractors, 1954
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