Kevin Fry Collects Vintage John Deere Tractors

Kevin and Andrew Fry maintain a collection of 25 classic two-cylinder John Deere tractors, crawlers, and vintage machinery housed in a 540-square-metre shed in Motupiko, Tasman, according to a report. The hobby spans equipment dating back to the 1920s, anchored by the family’s original 1951 John Deere MT.

The 1951 John Deere MT and the Sound of the Shed

Kevin Fry remembers the distinctive exhaust note of the family’s 1951 John Deere MT. The tractor can still be heard from five kilometres away and retains its original exhaust system, standing out among the collection gathered from sheds and paddocks across the country.

As a young man, Kevin believed he would never be able to afford a new John Deere tractor. His son Andrew developed an interest in the brand at age 12 after a neighbour invited him to drive a new model equipped with a cab.

A neighbour rang and asked if Andrew wanted to come and drive the new JD. It had a cab and all, with all the bits and pieces. When he came home, his blood was green.

Top South Now

Fleet Operations and Modern Agricultural Contracting

Decades after his first drive, Andrew operates the latest technology in John Deere tractors through the family’s agricultural contracting business based in Motupiko. The modern fleet works flat out during peak seasons across the region.

Alongside the working business, the father-and-son duo built a 540-square-metre shed over a paddock to house their expanding hobby. The collection now includes 25 two-cylinder John Deere tractors built from the 1920s onward, alongside several crawlers and additional vintage machinery that form what Top South Now described as a sea of green.