Scottish mechanic’s 14-year restoration wins Best John Deere in Show

Scottish mechanic’s 14-year restoration wins Best John Deere in Show

After travelling more than 300 miles from East Kilbride, near Glasgow, mechanic and collector David Kerr was rewarded for his dedication when his painstakingly restored John Deere 3120 took home the Best John Deere in Show award at this year’s Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show.

David brought several John Deeres from his collection to the event – a 2120, 3120 and 4240.

“It’s what I was used to when I was younger,” he said. “It’s the style and the look of a John Deere, there’s just something about them.”

The star of his display, a 3120 fitted with a rare Sta-Dri cab, was rescued from a wreck in Ashford, Kent. “It was parked up next to a gatehouse with ivy growing right over it,” he recalled. Registered in 1971, the tractor was in a sorry state when he found it in 2011, but its transformation into a show-stopper has been a labour of love that took 14 years to complete.

The 86hp machine was built in Mannheim, but David says there are very few in collectors' sheds around the UK.

There would be one fewer if it wasn’t for his dedication to a full strip-down and rebuild of his particular exhibit.

“I bought it in 2011 as a non-runner. It had been sat there for 25 years. The lorry driver who collected it phoned me to say it was green – I said most of them are, and he said, ‘yes but this one’s green with moss and there’s a tree growing out of it!’

“The engine was seized, so were the pistons, but it did have evidence of being serviced in its day. It’s taken me 14 years to fully restore it. 

The Sta-Dri cab itself, produced by Bristol Components, added an extra challenge. Few were ever made and David’s carries serial number seven. “There weren’t many options for cabs at that time,” he explained. “You could either have a Sta-Dri or a Duncan cab because John Deere didn’t make their own then.”

The finished machine gleamed in its signature green and yellow at Newark, where it caught the eye of the judges. It wasn’t the first time David had tasted success at the show. He last won in 2015 and has been back every year since.  

“I brought the 3120 here in 2011 when it looked nothing like this,” he said. “It’s taken me 14 years to get it to where it is now.”

Despite travelling a huge distance to attend Newark, with three lorry loads of tractors, David was not the winner of the exhibitor who had travelled the furthest. That accolade was won by Gordon Riddell whose machines made a 424-mile journey.