John Deere Company is as American as apple pie, but then again, Yanmar is as Japanese as sweet red bean paste. This 1984 John Deere 650 4×4 Tractor is a bit of both worlds. This American-Japanese tractor can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Kaukauna, WI, and the seller is asking $3,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip!
The first inhabitants of what is known as Japan today began around 36,000 BC, which is much older than John Deere, who was born in 1804. His company was founded in 1837, which was much earlier than Yanmar, founded in Japan in 1912. I bet you didn’t know you’d be getting an abbreviated history lesson here today. Our own Jamie Palmer is a John Deere expert and long-time employee, and I bet he can fill in any gaps that I’m glossing over.
This tractor may be small, but it’s pretty powerful and gets great reviews for maneuverability and ease of use. Not to mention, this example has 4WD, optional power steering, and a diesel engine. I don’t see a heated latte holder, so you’ll have to rough it a bit with this one… With a four-way hydraulic system, it’ll handle a plow, snowblower, loader, and other useful features.
I wish the seller had included a photo showing the dash layout. The high-back seat would be a comfortable place to spend some time out doing chores any time of year. There are both hand and foot throttles, and with an 8-speed manual transmission, you’ll have a wide range of speeds depending on the task. John Deere offered the 650 – the smallest in the family of 650, 750, 850, 950, 1050, 1250, 1450, and 1650 tractors – from 1981 through 1988.
The engine here should be a Yanmar 2T80, a 52-cu.in. (0.9-liter) two-cylinder diesel with 17 horsepower and around 14.5 horsepower at the PTO. Power is sent through a manual transmission with eight forward speeds and two reverse speeds to all four wheels. This one has 1,555 hours and is said to run and drive great. Would any of you have a use for a little 4×4 diesel tractor like this one?
WHAT??!!?! No heated latte holder? WOW! That’s a dealbreaker..unless you prefer to drink your coffee hot and black after being made 3 days previous then left in the pot on the burner the whole time..
This would be a perfect fit here especially with a front bucket and a drag box out back but it cost a pretty penny to have it shipped, darn it.
Nothing runs like a Deere. 🦌
Nice post! Thanks for the compliment, Scotty, and I’m admittedly biased because Deere was my career. But I will tell you that those are great little tractors and run forever. We had a similar one that we used at one of the plants I worked at, and we ended up having to sell it because the company was embarrassed that it was so old. There certainly wasn’t anything wrong with it!
Front Wheel Assist( FWA) or Mechanical Front Wheel Drive( MFWD), not 4×4 in tractor circles. Reason for that is, on a truck 4×4, the front drive axle is generally just as HD as the rear axle. On tractors, the rear axle still does most of the work, and the front axle is generally lighter duty,,,to just “assist”. It’s a great tractor, EXCEPT,,,for the diesel. In an application like this, a gas job, and there are plenty, is very capable, and a bit more civilized. Plus, I don’t have to tell you the price of diesel fuel ( $6.69/gal. by me) but probably not as big an issue as what a regular tractor may go through. I’ve found these use “cheap” hydraulics, very “touchy” controls, but durable. The rear hydraulic lift is handy, needs a bucket, but the diesel turns me off. One thing for sure, be the last tractor you’d have to buy. Great find.
This is one beefy looking John Deere. Most certainly worlds apart from the John Deere lawn tractors that are sold in big box stores. Whoever winds up buying this, it’ll probably be the last tractor they’ll ever need. Even though Diesel fuel is really expensive right now, I don’t think the little two cylinder would be too bad. Thank you for the history lesson Scotty. I enjoyed it.