Happy 3/09 – Let’s Honor The 309ci Lay Down Two Cylinder John Deere That Helped Farm America For Many Years


Happy 3/09 – Let’s Honor The 309ci Lay Down Two Cylinder John Deere That Helped Farm America For Many Years

When it comes to the most legendary engines in American history, the famed “Johnny Popper” two cylinder John Deere plants need to be recognized. These things powered tractors by the millions over the years and they helped, and in some cases are still helping to feed the world. Their simple, powerful, reliable, design meant that the farmers using them had more time in the field than in the shop and they worked so well in various forms over the years that they became a hallmark of the working farm in America. Today we talk about the 309ci version of this engine which was produced up until about 1940 before expanding.

So how do you get 309ci out of two holes? A 5.5-inch bore and a 6.5-inch stroke. Horsepower was somewhere in the mid 20s and torque was lots and lots more than that. You could rev the thing to 950RPM if you wanted but that was likely a very rare occasion, it would run on anything combustable with its 4.5:1 compression ratio, and the firing order? Yeah that was 1-2. Oil changes were 9.25 quarts, and the cooling system held about 30 quarts of liquid.

These engines are lots different than most that we feature at this time of the year but so wasn’t their job. It was not about speed, agility, the need to accelerate out of a corner, etc. Nope, this was a mechanical draft horse and that’s something they did better than so many others have over the course of history. Viva la Johnny Popper!

Press play below to listen to some of these wonderful two-bangers working!


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