This is LI, serial number 51308, which makes it a 1945 model. The tractor has the early unstyled L type wheels, and according to the original owner's son, came from the factory in green paint! It is a very unique LI!
It also has the tube type frame, instead of the solid frame specified for the LI in 1941.
There are some possible explainations for the strange parts and paint...
- The tractor was built during World War Two, and Deere was building tractors with whatever materials it could find. The frame is a normal L frame-it could have been substituted to save material. One other person said that few LIs got the solid frame, anyway.
- The wheels may have been taken from a parted out L-this was a cheap way to get good rubber on a tractor. The current owner also recieved a Hercules engine with the LI-this type of enigine was used on early Ls with the "spoked" wheels.
- There are three layers of paint on the tractor. The lowest is industrial yellow, covered by a layer of green-which has a full set of decals, and no grease underneath. The third layer is the usual dirty paint job with cheap paint that is often applied to a tractor by its owner to keep it protected.
- What does this mean? It may mean that the tractor was originaly painted yellow at the factory-but for some reason an "agricultural" version was needed, so the factory or dealer painted it green, and sold it, leading to the memory of a green tractor.
The owner of the tractor supplied pretty much all these theories, and it makes sense to me. Thanks for the help!
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The frame and tag
View of the wheels
The tag
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