John Deere acquired a majority stake in Heinrich Lanz AG in 1956. The old Lanz Bulldogs were deemed hopelessly outdated, and the development of new models was started from scratch. The exterior design was modeled after American John Deere tractors. A special feature was the closed side panels. The basic structure of the tractor was a separate frame, meaning the engine was not a load-bearing part. The engines were designed in the USA, and the transmissions were developed from Lanz’s previous gearboxes.

In 1960, the first new John Deere-Lanz models were introduced: the 300 and 500. They had short-stroke, 4-cylinder, water-cooled pre-chamber diesel engines (28/36 hp). The engine was mounted on rubber mounts. There were 10+3 gears. The gearing ratio was unusual, as the gearing of the basic gears within the same range was sparse, and the highest range (the third) started already at 4.9 km/h. A differential lock was standard equipment. There were two PTO speed settings, and the tractor had two side-by-side rear axles. In the 500 model, the power take-off was independent of the driving clutch. The front wheels were suspended. In 1963, the 300’s power was increased to 30 horsepower, and the 500’s to 38 horsepower.

In spring 1962, the smallest model in the range was introduced, the JD-Lanz 100, whose 2-cylinder engine was half of that in the larger models. It had 6+1 gears. The weight transfer system on the 100 was introduced only from 1964 onward.

Another new model in 1962 was the larger 700 with 50 hp. Unlike the smaller models, the track width of the 700’s front axle was adjustable. Hydrostatic steering was available as an option. At the same time, production began in Mannheim of the American series 65-horsepower 3010. With this, the series was complete, and the production of Lanz Bulldogs ended.

After the larger models had already been replaced by the new 10-series models, the JD-Lanz 100 was replaced in 1966 by the 25-horsepower 200. The engine was still a 2-cylinder pre-chamber diesel. The design with closed side panels was old-fashioned, but the extended wheelbase matched that of the larger 10-series models.

In France, tractors equivalent to the 300 and 500 (the 305 and 505 models) were produced, which, unlike the German versions, used Standard-Triumph engines.

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