History’s Mysteries - 1933 John Deere Model A Experimental

When is a 1933 Model A tractor not a 1933 Model A tractor? When it belongs to Jim Wang. In 1933, Jim's grandfather, Erwin Wang, visited his brother-in-law's John Deere dealership and walked away $400 lighter with a brand new, hard-to-get ’33 Model A in tow. Jim, who lives in Malcom, Iowa, has the pictures to prove it.

The mystery began when a local school instructor familiar with Jim’s tractor wrote to John Deere requesting the tractor’s build history—and it came back as a 1934 model. Upon closer examination, the tractor was one of ten experimental A models—originally classified as AAs—built and tested prior to official release in 1934. So what happened? It turns out that this tractor was shipped directly to the dealer with one serial number, and was recalled six months later for evaluation. John Deere made a few changes and returned the tractor to Erwin with another serial number so it would correspond with impending release of the new Model A line.