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Steve and I had last weekend off - the entire weekend - so we chose to go on a mini vacation.
We chose to venture south and visit Iowa. For years we have wanted to tour the John Deere facility in Waterloo.
When Russell heard of our plans, he decided he wanted to be the third wheel.
I didn't mind one bit that our youngest son wanted to come along to the Hawkeye State. I tried convincing Joey to join us on our glorious adventure to Iowa, but, "he didn't want to sit in a car for four hours just to go to Iowa."
Typical Joey; would rather stay home than take an adventure.
The John Deere tour was awesome - especially the gift shop.
At this particular John Deere facility, they build the large green and yellow tractors. They build tractors that pivot in the middle, have wheels or tracks and heated leather seats - oh the torture. They also build a series of tractors that get shipped overseas. We noticed a few tractors that look just like the ones our friends from Wales purchased several years ago. Just remembering the tour gets me all pumped up. I don't know what it is about the John Deere tractors, but they get me all excited.
This is one production facility should be thankful that Henry Ford came up with the assembly line idea when working on the Model T in 1908. Ford built the assembly line in an effort to improve efficiency (that's what I am all about) and to decrease the cost of cars for the American people (that's what we're all about).
If assembly lines were not building humonstrous tractors in Waterloo, Iowa, the only people that would be able to afford them would be the Bill Gates of this world. At one point on the tour, pieces of machinery were driving themselves by following a magnetic strip in the floor.
It is truly amazing to see a tractor frame sitting in one area of the plant and then observe a family driving that tractor off the end of the assembly line. When a farmer purchases a new tractor, they are allowed to come to the plant and watch it being built and drive it off the assembly line - it's called the Gold Key Club. We were on the putt-putt tour. We rode on a wagon being pulled by a lawn tractor.
According to the tour guide, it takes approximately three to four months from the time a tractor is ordered to driving it off the line. And, by the way, they only build to order - they do not have a "supply lot."
The thing I found freaky was the robotic paint booth. Of course, we could watch those intimidating robotic arms swinging around spraying green paint on every inch of the tractor, but those robots looked like amoebae spraying a toxic gas. The robots were covered in cloth from the floor to just under the spray nozzle.
The tour took us approximately two hours. Oh, and clean! I have never seen a production plant as clean as the John Deere facility.
Touring the John Deere Waterloo factory prepared me for the excitement on our farm Wednesday morning.
Remember, back in December, I wrote about going on a "date" with Steve to Oelwein, S.D. to look at a tractor that we purchased?
Well, a semi pulled into our yard Wednesday morning with a lovely green and yellow tractor on the trailer. OK, so there was a big yellow Caterpillar Challenger on the trailer as well, but it definitely wasn't as gorgeous as the green and yellow John Deere.
And, the Challenger needed to be jump started; so cold-blooded.
Our new, used John Deere 7520 started up without even a grind.
Steve was happier than the dogs waiting to get chicken bones from Grandma Hoffman - which is quite the production when she does bring them.
Turns out this particular tractor was actually made in John Deere's Waterloo facility.
What a coincidence that is. I can picture the spot where it was running through the assembly line.
Our new, used shiny tractor (new to us, but used) is going to be built for hauling manure out of the pit and cleaning out the bedding-pack barn. Oh, I am sure it will be used for many other things, but nothing as dirty as poop spreading.
So it's been a John Deere week for us. Visiting the John Deere plant made getting our new, used loader tractor much more exciting.
For questions, or comments, e-mail me at [email protected].[[In-content Ad]]

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