80 John Deere!

 A few years ago a friend of mine gave me a call.   He said he had found an 80 John Deere and was wondering if it sounded like a good deal.   Well, I am poor guy to ask…..it is hard not to buy a John Deere and most of them sound like a good deal!!   He once told me he would like an 80 John Deere and I would like an 80 John Deere.  The 80 John Deere replaced the R.   A 1949 R John Deere was the first tractor I ever drove.  I can remember seeing my dad and grandfather baling hay with the R while pulling a New Holland 77 baler and mom plowing with a 4 bottom Oliver plow. My prize possession, of a tractor, is my R, so of course I said you better go buy that 80!!
 A little history:  The R was in production from 1949-1954, then the 80 replaced it.  The 80 was manufactured from 1955-1956.  There were over 21,000 R’s manufactured, but only 3485 model 80’s.  The R was a big horse, but the 80 was bigger! The R produced about 43 drawbar horsepower, as tested in Nebraska, while the 80 topped 60hp!  If you see the two tractors sitting side by side you may not see much difference, although there is.
Probably the most visible difference is the flywheel cover.  On the R it is round and on the 80 it is described as “tear drop shaped.”  The front axle on the 80 is slightly arched letting the front stand a little bit higher.  Standard front and rear tired were the same size and the operators platform was basically the same.  
 I can remember when I was a kid driving by a neighbors place and I would see his big 80 in the field, WOW! what a site.  I can remember driving by and his son, younger than myself, was driving the 80 with the cultivator behind.  Was I jealous?........Yes!
I have had the privilege of sitting around the coffee table at the cafe in Oklee and I have heard my friend, Ambrose Beaudoin, talks fondly of the 80 John Deere that he used to farm with. In fact he said it was the best tractor they ever had. I find that easy to believe!

How about a little tractor trivia!
  1.  Did the model R and 80 ever come with a factory cab?

  2.  The R had 5 forward speeds, how many did the 80 have?

 3.   T or F The bore of  70 Diesel and the 80 Diesel was the same, 6.125 inches.

 4.  T or F  The stroke of the R John Deere and the 80 Diesel was the same,  8 inches.

 5.  What model replaced the 80 in John Deere’s two cylinder Diesel line-up?

Answer:  1.  Yes, they are highly collectible  2. 6 forward speeds  3.  True   4.  True
5.  The model 820 replaced the 80.