Collectors Love These Multi-Colored Deere Tractors

Collectors Love These Multi-Colored Deere Tractors TRACTORS Collectors 25-2-44 What runs like a Deere, but doesn't look like a Deere? Lawn and garden tractor collectors know the answer is the Deere Patio Series lawn and garden tractors, sold from about mid-1969 through early 1971. Jim Lundell and his sons, Brad and Brian who farm near Kiron, Iowa, elected to drop their swine enterprise about four years ago in order to spend more time buying and selling used lawn and garden tractors and parts. Their specialty is Deere's Patio Series. "In the late 1960s, marketing people at John Deere decided they might be able to sell more of their lawn and garden tractors to non-farming people if they were available in colors other than green," Lundell says. Instead of green, tractors were painted Dogwood White, with hoods and seats available in the same color or the buyer's choice of Spruce Blue, Sunset Orange, Patio Red or April Yellow. It happens that these colors were quite similar to colors used by some of Deere's competitors in the farm tractor business. To some, it appeared that Deere wanted to sell lawn and garden tractors to people whose favorite tractor color was something other than green. The Patio Series colors were available first for Deere's model 110, 112, 140 tractors. Later, the 120 tractor was made available with these non-green color options. "The effort flopped. It turns out that people who wanted to buy a Deere tractor actually wanted green paint rather than one that matched their car or their boat or house," Lundell says. "There are more people interested in them now than when they were new." In total, the number of Patio Series tractors sold was small. He says you can't really call them rare, but they are hard to find. Biggest sellers were Patio Red and Sunset Orange. If you see one that's April Yellow, you're probably looking at a rare machine, though. The only difference between the regular green 110s, 112s, 120s. and 140s and the Patio Series was the color scheme. "You can't just take a green one and paint it in the Patio Series colors and be authentic, though," Brad says. "The original color is identified in the serial number of the tractor. If you're looking at buying a 110, 112, 120 or 140 from that period, no matter what color it is when you look at it, you might want to check the serial numbers to find the original color." It's likely that some of the Patio Series tractors were repainted green. And now that collectors are showing an interest in the Patio Series versions, some tractors that were orginally green may get new paint. When these tractors were new, there was no price difference between a green Deere lawn tractor and it's Patio Series cousin of the same model. Now, the Patio Series tractors are worth more to collectors, although how much more depends on the buyer. In addition to tractors and parts, the Lundells have attachments for sale. Lundell says Shelly Rowell, Cortland, Nebraska, has restored a number of the Patio Series tractors. At one time, she also sold parts, but recently sold her parts inventory to the Lundells. Another source of parts, decals and information is Historic American Parts Co. (HAPCO) at Evansville, Indiana. (Internet: www.hapco.com) Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lundell Tractor, 6583 310th St., Kiron, IA 51448 (ph 712 675-4341; email: BL4440@netins.net).

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