Deere Collection Reaches Nearly 15,000 Items

Deere Collection Reaches Nearly 15,000 Items Dave McEachren has had John Deere green in his thoughts since he was a boy. He started collecting Deere toys at age 10, and by 16, he was into Deere literature and memorabilia. At 18, he bought his first 2-cylinder. The southeast Ontario native specializes in Canadian-related Deere items and 2-cyl. Deere tractors built from 1947 to 1960.  “I have somewhere over 40 2-cyl. Deeres, all built at the Dubuque, Iowa, plant, as well as some yard art tractors from the 1920s and 1930s,” says McEachren. Tractors might be the largest items he has collected, but they’re not the most numerous. The McEachren Collection at Forty-87 is nearing 15,000 items, including a complete set of bound Furrow magazines. It’s all available for viewing upon request. “I don’t have set hours,” says McEachren. “If I’m home, I’m open. I encourage people to call or email me if they’re in the area. I’ve had people come and spend a couple of days with the collection.” It’s easy to understand why people visit more than once. The main building measures 40 by 80 ft. and has an old-fashioned storefront look. It mainly displays farm toys, literature and memorabilia. A 60 by 90-ft. building houses his collection of over 40 tractors, while a 40 by 72-ft. building is nearly filled with snowmobiles, bikes and more tractors. He owns several thousand pieces of literature and thousands of toys dating from the 1930s to the present. Some are from Europe and South America. He also owns a unique collection of service pins. “Employees received pins for every five years of employment, from 5 years to 50,” says McEachren. “I’m only missing about half a dozen years. I have two fairly aged 50-year pins.” Having everything cataloged, especially the bound Furrow magazines, makes visiting even more interesting for many. The Furrow collection includes every issue published in every country for each year the magazine was published, from the 1900s to 1970. At one time, there were as many as 42 editions of each issue. “I’ve collected them for years. Last year, I had an opportunity to acquire the complete set,” says McEachren. “Because they’re all catalogued, a visitor can mention that a neighbor or relative was featured in a certain year, and I can go to the collection and dig out that issue.” Of course, no Deere collection would be complete without tractors. Unlike his Furrow magazines, his tractor collection is not yet complete. Nearly every 20 and 30-series model had seven different chassis types. They ranged from crawlers to trike and single-wheel front ends, as well as row-crop and gas, propane or all-fuel options. “The sky’s the limit on how many you could collect,” says McEachren. “Then there are the colors. I’ve documented mine with the color they had when they left the factory. In addition to green and highway-use yellow, there are brown, white, and a recorded total of eight that were red. I chase after non-green, often yellow, designed for highway use with a low center of gravity for roadside mowing.” McEachren continues to search for them or other items for his collections. Facebook, eBay and online auctions have made collecting both easier and more time-consuming. The good news for Deere fans is that this likely means there will be even more to see in the future.  “Every time people come, they see something different,” he says. “I’m passionate about the history of John Deere and just want to share it with other people.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dave McEachren, 4087 Olde Dr., Glencoe, Ontario, Canada N0L 1M0 (ph 519-931-1516; mceachrenfarms@aol.com; Facebook: The McEachren Collection at Forty-87).

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