The company John Deere has used a variety of different types of materials to make its tractor equipment over the years. If you have an antique piece of John Deere equipment and you want to find out if it is made out of cast iron, you can do so by figuring out the age of your tractor and determining whether or not your unit was produced within a few specific years, or you can perform a few basic tests on the material from which it is made. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Check on the tractor itself to see if it the year it was built is listed anywhere on the device. John Deere only made cast iron tractors between 1836 and 1837 before switching to steel. The year in which your antique tractor was produced could be pounded into the frame of the unit at any location, so check carefully.
2. Chip off a small piece of the metal on your antique John Deere tractor with the sharp end of a tool like a file or a pair of pliers. If your tractor is made from cast iron, the metal on the unit will break off into small pieces as you move your sharp tool across its frame. If your tractor is made from cast steel (as John Deere tractors were after 1837), you will be able to make a continuous indentation along the side of the unit with your tool.
3. Rub your hand along the metal frame of your tractor. If it is made from cast iron, you will notice a gray streak left on your hand after rubbing. This streak is graphite from the older cast iron used to make the tractor. If no streak is present, your antique tractor was likely not made of cast iron.
Tags: John Deere, cast iron, your tractor, from cast, made cast, made cast iron
