1949 John Deere Restoration

My 1949 John Deere M was purchased new for $1,500 by the late Carl Koenig of Dolores, Colorado.  It was delivered to Cortez, Colorado and then was taken by trailer up to the mountain. Carl used the tractor for farming hay, but it was a staple for the saw mill and the never ending need for firewood at 7,000 feet above seal level where winters can be darn cold.  When he passed, the tractor came to Grand Junction, Colorado with his daughter Patricia (Pat) Sturdevant and her husband Ralph.  It enjoyed limited use and was stored away in an old shed.

I became Pat’s neighbor in 2014 and she saw my interest in history.  She also knows I’m a Type A personality, so when she gifted the tractor to me in the summer of 2019 she knew it would not stay in its aged condition for long.  I began to work on the tractor, taking off a piece at a time and restoring them as I went along.  Restoration included a good sandblasting, then two coats of primer, and two coats of John Deere green paint.  My profession as an attorney did not do me any favors in the tearing apart of a tractor, it was learn as you go!  I placed every nut, bolt, clip, and screw into a plastic sandwich bag, and labeled them so I knew where they came from when time came to reinstall.  New parts came from Steiner and just looking at old pictures showed me how it was supposed to look.  I scoured the internet looking for original parts that were unavailable on Steiner, like the silver ball knob for the hydraulic handle.

When it was totally restored, I drove it over to Pat’s house and she heard that Johnny Popper coming.  She ran (as fast as she was able) to see her Dad’s tractor.  Now Pat isn’t a softy, but she was on that occasion.  The memories of her Dad and childhood were overwhelming when she saw it come up the driveway.  The tears flowed freely; I’m happy that I could give her a gift in return. 

Brad Hibberd of Grand Junction, Colorado

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