Driving Memories: The Story of My John Deere B Tractor

This is my 1941 John Deere B. I got this tractor when I was 14. I have loved John Deere tractors especially 2 cylinder all my life and have multiple family members who collect and pull the old 2 cylinders. But this was my first tractor. When I was a kid I loved going to my grandpa’s farm. I would spend weeks there in the summer helping. Grandpa always paid me for the work I did on the farm but never gave me the money. He just put it in a coffee can in the cabinet. One day we were at an auction and we saw this tractor, I loved it and told grandpa one day I will own one. Well to my surprise grandpa bid on it and won, I wasn’t there during the auction nor do I know how much grandpa paid for the tractor, but the next time I came to the farm the tractor was there. 

We began to go through the tractor, it didn’t run but was still in very good shape. We sent out the carburetor and the magneto to get rebuilt. We changed all the fluids and replaced a couple leaking gaskets. We got the tractor running in a couple weeks and she ran perfect. Once we got it running is when grandpa told me about the money, and that the tractor was mine. 

I drove that tractor everywhere, I pulled grain carts and hay wagons. I drove the tractor to church a couple times to give the kids at church rides. Every time I went to my grandparents I drove that tractor around the farm. I’ve taken the John Deere to a few shows over the years and always kept her running tip top. Haven’t really had to do to much since we got her running that first time in about 2008-09. I cleaned the carburetor once after the tractor sat for a winter outside, changed oil and plugs and in the process of rebuilding the magneto again. After the hours I have put on since then it is about time. 

I am 30 years old now, that tractor is still my baby even through I have a few tractors, and some garden tractors. It is still my favorite, it is also the favorite of my 4 kids Logan (8), Stella (4), Cora (3), and Stevie (2). They love to just put around and steer themselves. They all learned or are learning how to drive on that tractor. Eventually when the kids get older and I have more time and money it will get completely restored for my grand kids to drive one day.

Kyler W Swanson
Elk River, Minnesota

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