This year’s Two-Cylinder Expo was held at the National Cattle Congress grounds in Waterloo, Iowa, June 18-20. This year’s show featured more than 400 tractors on exhibit.

For Bud Redford of Glenarm, Ill., he enjoyed the 630 all-fuel standards together at the show. They are extremely rare because they were all-fuel in one building on display.

Many other John Deere tractors were also on display both inside and outside, with most inside – which was wonderful, since it sprinkled rain and was rather hot and humid during the show.
The highlights of the show included Shawn Jordan’s restored JD 4010 Diesel. This was the first 4010 tractor sold at Balsley Implement in Morrisonville, Ill. The dealership is now closed, bought out by Sloan Implement, based out of Assumption, Ill.
Several hi-crop tractors and standard models as well as restored new generation tractors were on hand. One tractor that received a great restoration job was a 1937 JD AOS. This was the orchard version of the A.

Implements were also part of the Two-Cylinder show. One that visitors seemed to flock to was a 246-247 corn and cotton planter that belonged to Jim Slinde of Janesville, Wis.

One 1937 G had a special history. The sign in front of this tractor, over 70 years old, stated: “This G was pulled from the production line in Waterloo, Iowa, to be displayed at the Cattle Congress in September of 1937.”

Verlan Heberer of Belleville, Ill., was making homemade ice cream with his JD tractor, which ran a PTO-driven ice-cream maker. Visitors waited in line for this treat that is a memory-making event each year.

Along with the tractors, there was a show toy. Two-Cylinder magazine stated: “The 2009 Expo Show Toy marks the end of the Two-Cylinder Club’s six-year ‘30’ Series run. It was planned that a specific version of each model series, from the 330 through the 830, would be offered. The final toy is the 630 Standard (gasoline version) with a number of popular options (weights, pre-cleaner, hydraulics, etc.).

“The Standard was chosen over the General-Purpose and Hi-Crop for several reasons: The 2008 Show Toy was a Hi-Crop (the 430 LP), the 2007 Show Toy was a General Purpose (the 530), the 30 Series Toys started in 2004 with a Standard (the 830), but mostly because the 630 Standard was chosen as the ‘best looking’ and ‘best proportioned’ of all 30 Series Two-Cylinder Tractors by a panel of two-cylinder experts, including two designers, already back in 2002.

“As wide as the 730 Standard, but shorter and lower, it has the appearance of being ‘exactly right.’”

This year’s show was one of the first of the antique tractor shows that are still taking place all summer long. For John Deere enthusiasts though, it is “The Show!”

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.