Very few people will ever buy a Waterloo Boy, but plenty of people end up standing next to one: at a show, in a museum, in a family barn, or in an auction listing that calls it "a rare early John Deere." The question then is what exactly it is. Is it the single-speed Model R or the two-speed Model N? Is it a Waterloo Boy at all, or an Overtime, the same tractor sold under another name in Britain and Ireland? And what year was it built?

This page covers how to tell the models apart by features you can see, how to find and read the serial number, and what to look at when inspecting a survivor or one offered for sale.

Why the Waterloo Boy matters

John Deere didn't design its first successful tractor; it bought it. In 1892 John Froelich built one of the first working gasoline tractors, and a group of Waterloo, Iowa businessmen formed a company around it in 1893. Renamed the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company in 1895, it mostly built stationary engines until it introduced the Waterloo Boy Model R in 1914, followed by the Model N, which most sources date to late 1916 or 1917 (Wikipedia).

In March 1918 Deere & Company bought the firm for $2,350,000 (University of Northern Iowa, History of Black Hawk County) and kept selling the tractor under the Waterloo Boy name. In 1920 a Model N became the first tractor tested under Nebraska's new tractor test law. The horizontal two-cylinder layout carried straight into the John Deere Model D of 1923.

Model R and Model N at a glance

EngineHorizontal 2-cylinder, started on gasoline, run on kerosene. Model R: 5.5 x 7 in, then 6 x 7 in, then 6.5 x 7 in bore and stroke. Model N: 6.5 x 7 in (465 cu in)
RatingModel N: 12–25 (12 drawbar hp, 25 belt hp). Tested in 1920 at about 16 drawbar and 26 belt hp
TransmissionModel R: 1 forward speed. Model N: 2 forward speeds
BuiltModel R from 1914 (Tractor Data lists it to 1917; sales continued into 1918). Model N 1917–1924

Engine and test figures are from Tractor Data's Model R and Model N pages. Gas Engine Magazine reports 8,076 Model Rs sold by the end of 1918.

Telling an R from an N

  • Count the forward gears. This is the definitive check. The R has one forward speed and reverse, with a left-hand lever selecting direction. The N has two forward speeds. Sit on it and look at the gear lever and gate, or ask the owner to show you both gears.
  • Fuel tank on a Model R. Tractor Data notes the R's fuel tank changed from vertical to horizontal at serial 4089 (style RJ). A vertical tank means an early R.
  • Rear wheels on a Model R. Round-spoke rear wheels were replaced with flat spokes on the R at serial 1511 (style RG).
  • Steering on a Model N. Early Ns kept the chain-and-roller steering, in which the whole front axle swivels. Late Ns have automotive-type steering, with a worm and sector turning the front wheels on spindles, joined by a tie rod. Chain steering on an N means an earlier one.

Tractor Data counts thirteen recorded variations of the R, lettered RA through RM, plus a single-front-wheel California Special. If you think you have a rare style, document it and contact a two-cylinder club before believing a seller's label.

The Overtime

From 1915 the Overtime Farm Tractor Company of London imported Waterloo Boys partly disassembled, assembled them in Britain, and sold them as the Overtime. Harry Ferguson was one of the agents in Ireland. According to Farm Collector, Overtimes had a dark green frame, front axle and fenders, a gray engine, fuel tank and radiator, and red wheels, with an Overtime transfer on the front of the fuel tank and no Waterloo Boy markings. Mechanically they're the same tractors, so the R-or-N checks above apply. Paint is the clue to an Overtime, but paint is also the easiest thing to change, so look for traces of the original colors under later coats and ask about the tractor's history in Britain or Ireland.

Finding and dating the serial number

Tractor Data gives the Model R's serial number location as the right side of the engine, near the starting crank. It doesn't give a location for the N, so start in the same place and work outward over the engine. Clean gently with a soft brass brush. These are 100-year-old castings, and a steel wire wheel can erase shallow stamping.

Tractor Data's year starting numbers are:

  • Model R: 1914: 1026. 1915: 1401. 1916: 3556. 1917: 6982. Final: 11020.
  • Model N: 1918: 10221. 1919: 13461. 1920: 18924. 1921: 27026. 1922: 27812. 1923: 28119. 1924: 29520. Final: 31412.

Tractor Data's total of 21,392 Model Ns fits a serial run of about 10020 to 31412. Notice that the R and N runs overlap between roughly 10,000 and 11,000, so a number in that range can't tell you the model on its own. Count the gears.

Worked example (made-up number): a two-speed tractor numbered 19500 falls between the 1920 start (18924) and the 1921 start (27026), so it's a 1920 Model N, built the same year a Model N went through the first Nebraska test. If the same number were on a one-speed tractor, something would be wrong: either the number is misread or parts have been swapped.

One more trap: Tractor Data notes that serials 31321 through 31412 are Waterloo Boy Ns built after Model D production had started, so don't mistake a number in that range for an early D.

Inspecting a survivor or an auction tractor

  • Match the number to the tractor. A serial that doesn't fit the model (a one-speed tractor with a late N number, say) means a parts tractor or a misread.
  • Check the castings. Look for cracks and welded repairs on the engine block, the crankcase and the frame, especially from freezing. A cracked water jacket is common on tractors that sat with water in them.
  • Turn it over by hand, carefully. With the ignition off, see whether the engine turns freely and has compression on both cylinders. A stuck engine is a big job.
  • Look at the steering and gearing. Worn chain steering, broken gear teeth and missing guards are expensive to make right.
  • Ask what's original. Many survivors have reproduction fuel tanks, fenders, seats and wheels. That's normal on a restoration, but it should be disclosed and reflected in the price.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Identifying the model from paint or decals. Restorers repaint, and Overtimes and Waterloo Boys trade colors. Count the gears and check the features above.
  • Dating by serial number alone in the overlap zone. Numbers from about 10,000 to 11,000 could be either model.
  • Wire-wheeling the serial area. You can lose the only record of the tractor's identity.
  • Trying to start a long-stored engine without checking it. Clean the fuel system, check the oil and water, and make sure it turns freely before you try. Hand-cranking a big two-cylinder that kicks back can break a wrist.
  • Taking an auction description at its word. "Rare," "original" and "1914" are claims. Check them against the tractor.

For the tractor the Waterloo Boy competed with in the late 1910s, see the Fordson Model F.