Iconic Colors of Tractor Brands (Green, Red, Yellow, Blue)

1John Deere (Green and Yellow)

There isn’t a brand out there that can pride itself with such a traceable history as John Deere does. Even though the company started in 1837, its path through history can be easily accounted at every point.

This is unlike other major brands which, even though younger than JD, have passed through many hands, being sold and consolidated multiple times.

Even with such a well-preserved history, there isn’t a consensus on why green and yellow were chosen.

However, the best guess has to do with the fields that John Deere tractors travel round-the-year. Green would be for the fields and yellow would symbolize the crops. Pretty straightforward and in-touch with the brand’s activity.

At some point, John Deere shifted the green nuance used on its equipment. Older farmers will be able to tell the story of the original “Classic Green” found on 2-cylinder tractors and the more modern “agricultural green”.

2Case IH (Flambeau Red)

There’s a bit more fuss in the history of Case IH compared to the big mean green John Deere. Although it was founded in 1842, the company went through multiple ownerships. However, Case IH brings along a strong heritage and owners will always pride themselves with the smoother drivetrains and lower price tags compared to John Deere.

In 1842, Jerome Case founded Racine Threshing Machine Works to build its innovative thresher, which, no surprise here, was painted in a bright red. Although the business then expanded towards steam engines and became the biggest manufacturer by 1886, a decade later Case became the first company to build a diesel tractor. Once again, it was coated in bright red, as per the founder’s wishes.

Fast-forward to the 20th century, and we get an official mention of the “Flambeau Red” applied on the Farmall tractor built by International Harvester.

3Allis-Chalmers (Orange)

Even today, the bright orange coating of Allis-Chalmers tractors will jump right out from any lineup. Named “Persian Orange”, the colorway went well with Allis-Chalmers tractors especially during the ’30s where the aforementioned manufacturer resided as a big player in the industry.

The company was also the first to introduce air-filled rubber tires on its tractors, with other producers quickly following the trend and getting rid of steel cleat wheels.

Allis-Chalmer's bright orange reigned in popularity all the way through the early 70s when it was no longer a primary choice for farmers.

4Ford Tractors (Blue)

We all know Ford for being one of the pioneering brands of today’s multi-trillion-dollar automotive market.

However, Ford also keeps a troubled farming equipment piece of history in its heritage. While setting up as the leader in the car industry during the early 1900s, Ford was also pushing hard on the farming sector.

The 1920s recession hit hard on Ford’s tractor development and production, pushing Ford to move production to Great Britain and partner with Harry Ferguson. During the early 30s, the colorway adopted for the new tractors was “Gunmetal Gray”. It was later switched to red and white a decade later, then set for the better-known blue and white mix which debuted in 1961 with the 6000 Series tractor.

5A Mixed Result (Other Colours)

Apart from technological advancements, loads of power, various integrations, and options, tractor brands will always carefully consider their design when it comes to coatings. Colorways are heavily related to the brand’s historic heritage.

For most large tractor manufacturer and their customers, having a green and yellow, red, and white or blue and white tractor is an act of pride.