[kipps]

A quick summary of the Deere/Detroit two-cylinder mash-up.

The basic layout of these tractors started as the model M in 1947. The M used two vertical cylinders, thermo-siphon cooling, a square 4x4 bore and stroke, a four speed transmission, and no live pto. The M was renamed the 40, then the 420, and finally the 430. During this extended lifespan, the engine got bored a little bigger, was fitted with a water pump, live pto option, five speed option, crawler track option, three-point hitch, etc.

Deere realized that there was an increasing industrial market for their tractors, so they established a Deere industrial division to specifically design tractors to that market. The Deere 430 was a very handy tractor for highway maintenance, so they took that model, and specifically remade it for their industrial customers.

Key changes included replacing the center clutch housing with a much beefier version. This new clutch housing had more attachment points for loaders and other mounted equipment. They also built a more bullet-proof grille, simplified the hood, and painted the tractor yellow. To distinguish it from the agricultural 430, they renamed it the 440.

The 430 was the only model that Deere was offering in a crawler(tracked) version at the time, and the Industrial division got their hands on that one as well. They made similar changes to the 430 crawler, such as heavier castings, simplified grille and hood, and yellow paint. This industrial crawler was also sold as a 440, and was commonly equipped with a blade as a small bulldozer.

The market was looking for a diesel engine in this size of tractor, so the industrial division offered both the 440 wheeled tractor and the 440 crawler tractor with the GM 2-53 diesel engine.

This 440, wheeled, tracked, gas, and diesel, was offered for sale from 1958-1960. It may have been built a few years longer, but I don't know that for sure.

The Agricultural division got wind of the success this GM-equipped tractor was having, and re-modified one of the wheeled tractors back to suit their customers. The tractor retained the beefier center casting, but the sheet metal was swapped out for the classic 30-series styling. The radiator of this diesel tractor was wider than the original 430, so the sheet metal had to be widened accordingly. This tractor was sold in conventional green and yellow paint, and was numbered the 435. The 435 was sold in 1959 and 1960.

So this was one of the rare cases of an Ag tractor going to the Industrial division for redesign, and then that redesigned tractor going back to the Ag division for their re-redesign.