For the best deal on a used John Deere tractor or farm machine look no further than our extensive listing of second-hand John Deere machinery. Deere & Company, the owners of the John Deere brand, began in 1836 in Illinois. Beginning with steel ploughs the business soon grew to include a wide range of tillage and harvesting equipment, and from 1918 agricultural tractors, the first to carry the John Deere name arriving in 1923. The firm built its first self-propelled combine in 1947 and expanded production into Europe in 1956. Today the firm is a global leader in farm tractors and harvesting equipment.