Floyde Adams was always very fond of John Deere tractors. We have restored quite a few JDs, but his favorite was always the “R”.

This tractor belonged to his beloved grandfather, Harvey Hiram Taylor, who lived and used this tractor since new on his extensive farms in Mexico. Floyde remembered it from his youth in Mexico and inquired of his uncle Ashton, who then owned the family farms, what had ever become of it. Turned out it was rusting away and in extremely bad shape. Ashton said Floyde could have it as long as he vowed never to sell it out of the family. The deal was struck and Ashton met Floyde at the border, where, after the proper mordida was paid (bribes to officials on the south side), the exchange was made and the tractor was taken to one of our restoration workshops.

Floyde spent several years slowly bringing it back from the grave. He said many times had the tractor not belonged to his grandfather the amount of work required would have been too much since it was in such bad shape.

Good friend Dan Cook came to our aid in the crucial final step of setting up the diesel delivery system, which is something very few people know anything about anymore and far less have the tools required.