In this video I give a brief comparison of the Farmall B and John Deere MT. The B and the MT were both targeted at a similar market, are around the same age, and pretty similar power-wise. This video is not a full in-depth review or a comparison of each tractor, but I thought it would be fun to show them off and have them be parked next to each other.
| Model: | John Deere MT | Farmall B |
| Years Produced: | 1949 – 1952 | 1939 – 1947 |
| Total Built: | 30,472 | 75,241 |
| Original Price: | $1,200 | $770 |
| Drawbar HP: | 14.08 | 16.21 |
| Belt HP: | 20.78 | 18.39 |
| Engine Size: | 1.6L 2-cylinder | 1.9L 4-cylinder |
| Dry Weight: | 3,183 lbs | 2,400 lbs |
| Transmission: | 4 forward, 1 reverse | 4 forward, 1 reverse |
| Ref Links: | Deere MT Tractordata | Farmall B Tractordata |
As you can see from the table above, the two tractors are pretty similar in many ways. In my own opinion and from my own reading, I would guess that the John Deere Model M was designed to compete against the Farmall A. Keep in mind that tractor development takes several years, so the two years between the two doesn’t mean the one wasn’t influenced by the other. Plus, no development is done in a vacuum (completely independent thought from the other). Also, given that the JD M may have been in response to the Farmall M, I would guess that the MT was in response to the B (as the M and A are both wide front “standards”).
Since the MT was developed later, they were able to make some improvements over the B, such as a better live-hydraulic system and a quick-attach system that was also hydraulically controlled. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a standard three point system (due to patents having yet expired), so the system Deere came up with for the MT was quickly abandoned once Deere was able to implement a standard three point system. However, the hydraulics introduced on the M would remain with Deere throughout the remainder of the two-cylinder tractors era.
Though the Farmall A continued to live on for several more years as a “Super A”, the B was to be no more. It was replaced by the C, which physically more resembled the layout of the Deere MT than the B that it replaced. The Super A and C would live on for many more years, and the M would see direct replacements until the 430 was eventually discontinued in 1960.