My 1912 John Deere Model B Manure Spreader

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My 1912 Model B was an accidental find on Craigslist. I didn't need another spreader.
I didn't want another spreader, but you know how that goes!
When I saw the ad I just HAD to have it! I got it for $800

I think that is a very good price considering the fact that a restored 1913 Model C
sold for $16,250 in 2007! Interestingly, the front corner brackets
and knee angle brackets on this spreader are not correct and belong on a spreader made after 1915.

Here is a video of Brian Holst of the John Deere Archives with the 1913 spreader.

When I picked up the spreader I was a little sad to find out that one of the front corner braces was missing. I was, however, very glad to see that the remaining corner brace had the original serial number of the spreader stamped into it. The number is 161329. How amazing that this bit of information has survived.

The spreader is otherwise very complete.
It just needs lots of sandblasting and new wood. Someday I'll get this thing done!

So I found the left front corner brace on a random photo of a spreader on flickr.com. It was in a pasture in southern Manitoba.
On June 4, 2015, I drove up to Pipestone, MB, Canada and bought a 1913 Model C for $300, complete with the left front corner brace.
That part alone would have cost about $800 to have custom cast! Here are some photos:

My problem now is whether to restore the 1912 as a Model B, it's original state, or a Model C.
The only difference in the B and C was the length of the spreader bed. I think a Model C was more common and all of the literature I have seen portrays a Model C.

It would seem more acceptable in my opinion to restore it as a Model C, so it is consistent with all the documentation that I have collected.

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Here is an original 1912 sales brochure showing the benefits of the new John Deere Low-Down manure spreader.

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Here is complete information about US Patents for the early John Deere spreaders:

Patent Information

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