The Story of the John Deere "MV" - New Jersey's High-Crop Vegetable Tractor You Never Knew Existed

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The Story of the John Deere "MV" - New Jersey's High-Crop Vegetable Tractor You Never Knew Existed

Key Points

The narrator's Italian family immigrated to Philadelphia around the turn of the century and later settled in New Jersey to work vegetable farms
New Jersey earned the nickname "Garden State" due to its sandy, loamy soil ideal for vegetable production along the Delaware River
New Jersey was responsible for significant agricultural innovations including the plum tomato, Red Delicious apple, and various asparagus varieties
Most vegetable farms in the Swedesboro area were 100-150 acres, focusing on crops like tomatoes, squash, asparagus, and peppers
Italian vegetable farmers worked with Swedesboro Supply to develop the Farmall AV high-clearance tractor with 27 inches of ground clearance
The AV featured 36-inch rear wheels, 19-inch offset front wheels, and a square center tube for added strength
Approximately 3,600 AVs were made, with about 2/3 shipped to South Jersey where they remain popular for cultivation
John Deere developed the MV tractor as competition to the Farmall AV, working with South Jersey Implement Company
The MV modification involved cutting spindles in half and welding 12-inch pipe sections to extend height
Custom wheel adapters were created using MC crawler hubs welded to steel plates for 9-bolt wheel mounting
Only about 25 MVs were reportedly built, making them rarer than the later 40V, 420V, and 430V models
The MV could be widened to 60 inches or 5 feet, suitable for standard tomato row spacing
Farmall tractors outsold John Deere high-clearance models due to better engine offset for visibility over crop rows
The MV's operator station was cramped and difficult to access, requiring climbing over the rear to mount
Cultivator toolbars suffered wear from operators stepping on them when mounting the tractor
Extended low-speed cultivation use often prevented engines from reaching optimal operating temperature, causing issues
The telescoping steering column was a weak design point that often required welding for stability
John Deere improved on the MV's shortcomings with the later 40V model, addressing steering, wheel adjustability, and operator comfort

Full Transcript

Language: en
right. So, as a followup to the video I
posted yesterday, um I figured I would
elaborate a little bit more on what this
John Deere MV or M high clearance
tractor really is and what it's about,
how it kind of came to be. And of
course, you can't tell the story of such
an odd and obscure tractor without also
including the tractor that inspired it
here. So, uh, to sort of elaborate on
what I discussed in yesterday's video,
um, again, my family came over from
Italy around the turn of the century, as
did many Italian families. They settled
in the Philadelphia region, and many of
those families, you know, were looking
for work. Uh, a lot of them ended up
coming over the river to New Jersey to
work the vegetable farms in the
summertime to make a living. And uh a
lot of Italian families ended up
settling in New Jersey as a result,
buying their own farms and kind of
taking matters into their own hands. And
again, my family was no exception. My
great-grandparents on both sides of the
family actually came over from Philly in
the summertimes to uh work the vegetable
farms right along the Delaware River
where their soil is real sandy and lomy.
Um which is ideal for growing
vegetables. And it's also the uh the
reason that New Jersey is given the
nickname the Garden State because it's
kind of a uh at this point I wouldn't
say it's a well-kept secret, but it's
something that we're we're proud of. Um
I mean a lot of people when they think
of vegetable production they think of
either Florida or California, but New
Jersey was responsible for a lot of
innovation when it came to produce. Uh
my grandfather helped develop the plum
tomato. The red delicious apple also
came from an orchard right down the
street from where I grew up. That's
where it originated and uh many
different varieties of asparagus and
other vegetables were developed within
my county where I grew up. So definitely
deserves a little bit of recognition.
But to get back on topic here, um
essentially, you know, these farms that
were growing vegetables, I mean,
typically weren't more than 100 150
acres. Um, obviously we don't have the
size of farms that you see out west, but
for most of the farmers in the
Sweetsboro area especially, a one row
tractor was usually sufficient because
they could focus on one bedded row at a
time. So, you know, tomatoes, squash,
asparagus, peppers, you name it. Um, and
around the start of World War II,
actually just before the start of World
War II, uh, a lot of farmers got
together. Um, at the time, like I said
yesterday, the International Tractors
were kind of the big seller.
International had the market tied up
before John Deere had really gotten
established with the um, you know, sales
of their two-cylinder tractors and at
the time, Farmall or International had
the Model A, and they were a big seller.
I mean they sold I don't know how many
hundreds of thousands of those tractors
but ultimately they were very popular
and the Italian vegetable farmers
decided that they wanted something a
little bit taller for straddling
vegetable rows. So they worked with the
local international dealer which was
Swedsboro Supply to develop a high
clearance tractor that could straddle
tomatoes and asparagus and things like
that. And essentially they designed the
AV from those early field tests. Uh,
what they did was they took a Model A,
they replaced the 24-in rear wheels with
cast disc 36-in rear wheels like you see
here, and provided 36-in rims and tires
as you see. They replaced the front
wheels with a with an offset 19-in front
wheel and uh or front rim and tire, I
should say, which uses the same cast
iron center as the regular A, but it
obviously sets the front end up a little
higher. Additionally,
they replaced the round front axle
center tube with the square or uh
rhombus shaped center tube used on the
industrial A to give it a little bit
more strength because you're carrying
more weight up front and you have the
weight of the engine and the main
chassis bearing down on the the front
wheels. Uh with that, they also extended
the spindles to add a couple more inches
of height. And ultimately when they were
when it was all said and done, they had
developed a tractor that had about 27
inches of ground clearance, which proved
to be popular for all the tomato guys,
they made 3600 AVs. And I'd say probably
2/3 of them were shipped to South
Jersey. Um, it's still very common to
see farmers using these to cultivate
tomatoes in the Swedesboro area,
especially. I mean, right where I grew
up, you could drive within a 5 mile
radius and see probably two dozen of
these tractors still working regularly.
Um, one of my neighbors even used to mow
his lawn with one with a bid mounted
woods belly mower. So, if that gives you
any indication of how popular they were,
um, and they're easy to service, too. I
mean, you know, the parts are easy to
get for them. They're pretty much
bulletproof, and I'd say probably 2/3 of
all the AVs and super AVs still out
there are still running their original
engines. I know for a fact this one is
85 years old. It's never been rebuilt.
So, the bottom line was the AVs had the
market tied up. The AV later carried
into the super AV when farmers, you
know, wanted hydraulics. Um,
International was quick to add the touch
controls and then that carried on into
the 100, the 130 and the 140 high clear
that followed. And there's those are a
little less common, but they're still
around. There's still plenty of farms
using them. Uh, so needless to say, by
the early 50s, uh, Farmall basically had
the one row high clearance market tied
up in South Jersey. and John Deere being
second in line, you know, wanted they
were a little bit late to the party, but
they wanted a piece of that pie as well.
So, at the time, the Model M was pretty
well new. I mean, those came out in 47
as a replacement for the L's and the
H's. And my local dealer, which was
South Jersey Implement Company in
Swedesboro there, right on the lake, u
they had converted a couple of Model L
tractors into high clearance models,
kind of the same way that International
developed the AV. I mean, they put
taller wheels and tires on. They built
taller spindles, but the L's were not
too popular in the area. And when the M
came out, John Deere realized, hey,
we've got a little bit better of a
tractor, a little bit more horsepower, a
little bit heavier. Um, something that
would be a more direct competitor to the
A and the AV. So, they took it upon
themselves to build their own version of
the AV. And thus, the MV was born. and
they marketed it as a basically an
entirely new tractor. Uh I actually
found an old newspaper ad from about
1950 where they introduced it and the
big selling point with these tractors
was more ground clearance obviously an
offset engine which I can't exactly
attest to. I mean I guess if you think
about it the engine does sit off to the
left a little bit but nothing compared
to the offset of the the AV. So, that's
one reason that why the farm walls
ultimately had the upper hand. But, um,
the other thing they advertised was this
tractor's ability to, uh, pull a two
bottom plow, which in sandy soils is
fairly easy. I mean, a lot of the sandy
soil around Swedesboro is like beach
sand. Um, which is great for growing
vegetables because it's very acidic. So,
in that kind of soil, an M should have
no problem pulling a two bottom plow,
but in anything heavier, it would
definitely be a struggle. So, in order
to build the MV, uh, South Jersey
Implement Company had to take a lot of
the same steps that Swedesboro Supply
had to take to build the AVs. Um, it was
more than just simply swapping a larger
set of wheels and tires over onto an M
chassis. Uh, these guys actually worked
with the local machine shop, which
ironically was also an Alice Chowmer's
dealer called Homestead Farm Supply just
down the street. They had a machine shop
in the back and that's where these
things were kind of born. So, what they
did was they took the standard M front
axle or I shouldn't say standard, the
adjustable M front axle, and they cut
the spindles in half right about here.
The spindles or knees, whatever you want
to call them. Typically, on a on a
regular M, the knees, I want to say, are
about 6 or 7 in tall. So, they cut the
knees in half and then they basically
welded a 12-in section of schedule 40
pipe over top of the two halves to
extend it out. And then of course they
had to weld gussets in for reinforcement
to carry all that extra weight. And they
extended the inner spindle shafts to
accommodate. In addition to that, they
replaced the 5x15,
you know, standard M front wheels and
tires with the more common 6x16 front
wheels and tires using the very common
John Deere uh sixbolt four slot wheels,
which the part number escapes me. I
think it might be JD1275R
possibly. I'll have to double check
that. Um, but it was a much more
universal part, much easier to swap over
from another model such as an A or a B.
Um, and easier to find. So, uh, with
that, I mean, that combined with the,
uh, machine worked onto the front axle
raised the front end up to provide 27 in
of clearance to match the AV and the
Super A. And then in the rear,
they rather than use a 36inch tire, they
decided to use a 34inch tire because it
was shared with the MT. Um, in order to
make a 34-in 9-b wheel work on an M, the
machine shop had to get a little
creative and build their own custom
So, what they did was they took a
sixbolt hub from a uh from an MC
crawler, the same hub that would be used
to adapt the sprocket, and they butt
welded a round piece of steel to that
and drilled and tapped it for a 9-b hub
using the correct wheel spacing. So,
they, like I said, they took it upon
themselves to kind of make their own
adapters. And it's it's pretty
straightforward. I mean, there's really
nothing to it. They didn't have to
change the final drives or anything.
None of the gearing in the final drives
are in the transmission. is changed. Uh,
which Farmal actually kind of did the
same thing when they built the AEVs,
which proved to be um kind of a mistake
in the long run because it threw off the
speed significantly. With taller tires,
obviously, you're going to have much
more ground speed. So, these tractors
are kind of kind of unsafe to drive in
fourth gear, but when you're
cultivating, most guys aren't going
faster than second gear anyway. So,
that's my guess is that's why they chose
to leave the internals alone. But I
mean, you can see here's the adapter
from the outside. It's again, it's just
a sixbolt MC crawler sprocket hub with a
ninebolt hub basically butt welded to
it. And there's no axle shaft sticking
out. I mean, you have threads with the
the lock nut here on the end like you'd
have on any other M crawler. Um, that
was one thing that changed when they
went to the the 40V. uh they they
changed to a different adjustment and
had axle shafts that actually came out
like a rack and pinion style adjustment
or something similar. Um so that's one
way to tell these apart from a 40V at a
quick glance. Um so needless to say, I
mean it took a little bit of ingenuity.
Um but it's a good indication of the you
know the dedication that the farmers in
South Jersey who mind you really you
know didn't have a whole lot of money. A
lot of the Italian immigrant families
were very poor. They couldn't afford any
fancy equipment like California
vegetable farmers could. So, a lot of
times they were forced to, you know,
build something that worked, you know,
that fit their needs. And it was out of
that, you know, that heartfelt ingenuity
that something like this was created and
then subsequently the 40V, 420V, and
430V. So, uh, at the end of the day, the
MV was not a huge seller. Rumor has it
that only about two dozen of these were
built. I have not been able to prove
that because all the documentation from
South Jersey implement company
disappeared many years ago. Um it got
into the hands of one local two-cylinder
collector, one guy who specialized in a
lot of high clearance tractors. I won't
mention his name. He's passed away now
quite a few years ago, but supposedly
the paperwork from that dealership that
had all the the history and sales
records got lost out of his estate when
he passed away. So there's really no no
way to prove exactly how many of these
were built. But in talking to some local
collectors, some guys who grew up with
these tractors and guys who were just
local to the area, they they seem to all
be in agreement that were that there
were only about 25 of these built. So
that's kind of neat when you think about
it cuz compared to even the the 420V and
the 40V that were that followed these,
um there's more 420Vs out there, more
40Vs, and more 430Vs yet.
Uh, but I will say though, the M has
never really been one of my favorite
models of John Deere tractors. In fact,
it's probably one of my least favorite
models of the two-cylinders. I never
really had much of a liking for them.
Um, I've always took a liking to the
bigger, you know, horizontal
two-cylinders with hand clutches cuz
that's kind of more unique if you ask
me. But when I found out that these were
in existence, I just had to get my hands
on one. Um, you might be quick to say,
"Oh, well, it's really just an MT with a
Y front, but no, it's actually not. The
MT is an entirely different tractor. Um,
even the the front bolster is
different." That would probably be the
the quickest giveaway. Um, the MT has
what I wouldn't really call an anteater
nose, but the front bolster out here
looks different and the front axle sits
further forward than this one does. And
the entire rear on an MT is different as
well. The MT was designed to be a two
row version of the M. So rather than
having drop axle housings like you see
here, the axle shafts actually stuck
straight out. Um, and they're very
obviously not as narrow. So, like I
said, you may be quick to say, "Oh,
well, it's just an MTW." But no, it's
not. Trust me, these are a lot cooler in
my opinion. And the MT is one tractor
that I vowed I would never own. So when
it was all said and done, South Jersey
Impleman had essentially developed a
tractor that sat 27 in higher off the
ground and could be widened out as far
as 60 in or 5T. Not quite as wide as you
could go with an AV with the proper
wheel spacers, but uh for most of the
farmers in the area, 5T was wide enough
cuz that was probably around the time
that a lot of farms were starting to go
to 5ft rows for tomatoes. And that's
more than wide enough to straddle two
rows of asparagus at one time. Uh, as
far as adjustability goes, I mean, you
you still had the full adjustability of
the front axle on these. You could still
extend them out as far as they would go
on a regular M. Um, probably one of the
the detriments to this design with the
9bolt rear hubs was the only way to
change the rear wheel tread was to
simply switch wheels from one side to
the other, changing the offset. So you
really only had two positions you could
run these wheels in. Unless of course
you opted for a um a spacer, you know,
wheel spacer, but I to date have not
seen any of the surviving high clearance
M with any kind of wheel spacers in use.
So that's another that was another spot
where Farmall had the upper hand. But if
you really wanted to go wider than 5
foot with a good machine shop, it
probably wouldn't be too hard to do.
Like I said before, ultimately at the
end of the day, the Farmall offset
tractors continued to outsell their John
Deere counterparts. And the reason for
that was pretty obvious. Um, Farmall
from the beginning had the engine offset
so you could easily look over top of the
row you were straddling. John Deere
tried to advertise their creation as an
offset engine as well, but obviously not
as extreme of an offset. And if you've
ever driven a John Deere M, they do not
have a reputation for being a very um
comfortable tractor uh to drive or to
mount or dismount. Um they really did
not leave hardly any space in the
operator station and both of your feet
kind of sit down in two holes. And in
fact, with these 34in tires, they don't
help um you know, ease of entry and
exit. So to get on one of these, you
actually have to climb over the back.
You step on the rear culivator tool bar,
which of course over time is going to
take its toll and stress different
parts, especially where the bend is
here. You can see where they welded this
gusset in for reinforcement. Um, like I
said, ultimately over time that that
does take its toll. People tried to
climb up on these and they step on the
cultivator tool bars and
that's the result. They get super
sloppy. Um, I've never cultivated with
one of these, you know, myself, but I'
be curious to put one of these in the
dirt and see how straight these
culivator shanks actually track because
with that much slop, I mean, at this
point, with however many hours this
tractor's got on it, I' I'd think it
would have a hard time trying to track
straight. And ultimately, that's why my
grandfather decided to go with a 520 for
cultivating instead of a 420V that he
demoed, which I later found out was
actually the very first 420V built, but
that's another story for another day. Uh
he did not like the way that the Deuke
John Deere cultivator shank design sort
of pushed the cultivator shanks as it
traveled across the ground. Cuz
typically what would happen over time is
as these would wear out and it would get
slop in them, it would actually push the
uh the points outward and you'd have to
keep readjusting them to straighten them
out. Um a spring tooth style shank, the
tractor kind of pulls them along. So I
think he he was more inclined to go with
that style of cultivator. um because
they don't need to be adjusted as
frequently. Granted, they don't do quite
as nice of a job ripping up the ground,
especially in hard, dry ground. But um
either way, the 520 was his tractor of
choice. But in hindsight, I do kind of
wish he had bought a 420V because
they're so rare and collectible now. And
the fact that he got to demo the very
first one built, uh in hindsight, I'm
kind of kicking myself that he didn't
keep it. But I know where that tractor
is now. Belongs to a good friend of
mine. It's in his collection in New
York. Um, I don't know. Maybe if I can
convince them enough, I can add that one
to my collection someday for a pretty
penny. Um, but you can see here this
this tractor has what's known as the
M100A series cultivator. This is the
later style. Um, the earlier style used
a tool bar that mounted up inside the
the torque tube here with the use of
those special brackets. And actually,
the other MV that I have, the one that I
had torn apart,
had a set of those cultivators with it
as well. I I have them sitting on the
skid there. And you can see the planter
assembly, the side dresser.
Uh so they switched from that style, the
M10A to the M100A that you see here. And
I think at least in my opinion, these
are a little bit of a better design. Um
because these kind of these don't float
quite as much. So they have less of a
tendency to spread apart like I was
talking about earlier. Um, but
cultivating is a as easy as it is on the
tractor and transmission, it's actually
kind of a death sentence for these
things because most of them only ever
get run in first or second gear, low
throttle. They don't hardly ever get run
hot enough to really, you know, work the
engines hard. That's why so many AVs had
cracked blocks because they never got
hot. And ultimately, when you're dealing
with one of these things 75 years later,
like I said, they got a ton of play in
them. So, still neat to have the
original set of cultivators on this
tractor, though. I just threw the shanks
on it this morning um to make it look
appropriate again. A lot of times guys
will pull the shanks off just to make
them easier to transport and store, but
you can't have a a true high clearance
cultivating tractor without the
cultivator shanks installed. So, I threw
them back on there. You'll also see this
tractor here is equipped with the rear
PTO and the belt pulley drive. Um, I
have nothing that I can power with the
belt pulley, but it's a neat little
add-on to have. And I'll show you how to
climb on. Like I said, there's nothing
easy about it. You have to kind of climb
up over the back seat and then you're
sitting down here in a hole. Once you're
up on the seat, it's not terrible,
But they also welded the steering column
on this one just like many other M's
because this telescoping steering column
was not one of their better designs.
It's something I'm glad they eventually
did away with. Um, but it's I mean, for
what I'm doing with it, for the little
bit that I'm driving this tractor
around, it shows and stuff, it's not
terrible. I just had this thing running
a few minutes ago, but let's get it
fired up here. I already got the fuel
turned on, so we'll turn the ignition
on. It shouldn't need choke, but we'll
see here.
[Applause]
We're still tinkering with the
carburetor a little bit. I had to throw
another set of points in it because the
points that were in it were pretty much
shot. It kept losing spark.
But once she fires up, she runs pretty
It'll puff a little smoke when you
throttle it down. And I think the valve
guides and seals are probably on their
way out. I mean, I don't know if this
thing's ever been rebuilt, but
like I said, having a tractor that spent
it whole life cultivating is a blessing
and a curse because it's hard on certain
pieces of hardware, but easy on others.
So, someday things go well, I'll uh get
the engine rebuilt, we'll we'll do a
proper restoration on this one.
Unlike my other MV, the one I have torn
apart right now, this one actually had a
good clutch.
Like I said, still trying to iron out
some of the issues with the carburetor.
I had to swap another carburetor over to
it cuz the throttle shaft is worn out.
it runs better and better the more I run
Man, I can see my house from up here.
Basically, this would be your view if
you were cultivating
This thing has a little bit of death
wobble when you get up to higher speeds.
So, I I try not to run it in third or
fourth gear too much, but
Honestly, for something that spent its
whole life cultivating
on a vegetable farm in New Jersey where
equipment was usually run into the
and something that also lived near the
Jersey Shore where the salt air is not
kind to anything metal.
I really don't think this tractor is all
that bad.
I've seen them come out a lot worse. And
like I said, a lot of these tractors
really didn't survive.
And getting off is a whole another
challenge.
Yeah, not the most comfortable thing to
climb on or off of, but they took all
the uh the little quirks, the little
issues that they have with these
tractors, uh namely
the front steering knuckles and spindles
separating and the lack of adjustability
on the rear wheels and of course the not
so friendly operator station. and they
improved on all those items when they
came out with the 40V a couple years
later, which proved to be a much better
tractor. I would like to add a 40V and a
420V to my collection someday. I know
where a bunch of those tractors still
are. Uh someday with tons of we'll try
and scoop one up, but this is what I'm
working with right now. So, I'm just
getting it cleaned up. I've been going
over it, servicing it, you know,
assessing everything that's potentially
wrong with it. Eventually, it is going
to need a head gasket
a bit of oil. And I would like to swap
over the sheet metal with another good
set of sheet metal I have,
but it all takes time.
And it would be neat to find another
engine for this one here to try and uh
try and get it back together and have
two consecutive serial number tractors
that are complete. But it just takes
time and money. So, I don't know. We'll
see what uh we'll see what happens with
this one here. That another project for
another day. So, that's going to do it
for now, but uh hopefully that answered
some of your guys' questions regarding
these uh specialty high clearance M's.
Uh you'd be very hardressed to find
another one. I mean, like I said, I know
of one more here in Pennsylvania, one in
New York, two that ended up all the way
down in Florida, and two that ended up
in Canada. So, I mean, word was getting
out. the collectors are starting to
scoop them up, but at the end of the
day, they're a New Jersey born and bred
tractor and they're kind of close to my
heart because of that. And it's
especially neat that they were built
designed and built in my hometown. So,
again, still is not one of my favorite
tractors, but it's neat to have one of
these. It's a it's a neat little symbol
of good old Italian ingenuity from back
in the day. So, if you guys have any
questions, feel free to leave a comment
below. And uh I'm going to start getting
this tractor out on the show circuit
here pretty soon. But uh thanks for
watching guys. I hope you enjoyed the
video and we'll catch you next time.

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