Two-cylinder Deere fans get set for annual expo

WATERLOO, Iowa --- Fifty years ago, the last of more than 1 million John Deere two-cylinder tractors for domestic use rolled off the assembly line. Hundreds will make the pilgrimage home this week.

The 21st Two-Cylinder Expo begins Thursday at the National Cattle Congress, across the street from where the vast majority of the vintage machines were built. The three-day event is considered the premiere showcase of antique John Deere tractors worldwide.

Jack Cherry, show co-organizer and editor of the Two-Cylinder Magazine, said it took perseverance and trial-and-error to garner the notoriety. The number of exhibits, including implements, have varied immensely through the years, from as little as 175 the first year in 1987 to a high of 920 in 1992. Tractor quality wasn't always a top concern.

Exhibit standards increased over time and organizers found the ideal number - not too little for people to get bored, but not so many expo goers couldn't see everything.

About 300 antique tractors will be on display. All are in pristine condition, though a few "basket cases" are allowed as examples of what restorers often start with.

"We definitely believe a quality focus is better than quantity. If you don't have standards, it's just another tractor show," Cherry said. "What we have is the finest tractor show in the world. We don't say it, our (patrons) do."

It's not uncommon for people to spend $50,000 or more and hundreds of hours restoring an old Johnny Popper to make it look better than when it came off the line, Cherry said.

"People really like to see those," he said.

This is the fifth year in a row the expo will be held at the NCC grounds. Lonnie Elmore, director of group sales with the Waterloo Convention and Visitors Bureau, is working to make the location permanent. Cherry said visitors and exhibitors like the fact almost all tractors can fit inside McElroy Auditorium, Estel Hall and the Agricultural Building and be protected from the elements, but a decision to permanently keep the show at NCC beyond next year hasn't been made.

The history shared by John Deere and NCC makes the expo a perfect fit for the fairgrounds, Elmore said. Decades ago, Deere would often introduce new tractors at the Cattle Congress' annual fair.

Plus, Elmore said the show is great for Waterloo's economy. Expo officials estimate 9,000 people attend the show each year. Elmore said they spend about $800,000 at local hotels, restaurants, stores and other businesses.

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