PHOTOS: This vintage 1968 Deere JD544 wheel loader is still one clean machine

Updated Jun 19, 2024

This year, John Deere is celebrating its 50th year of wheel loader production. To commemorate the anniversary, Deere has been showing off a beautifully restored 1968 JD544, which you can see in the gallery of photos below, taken earlier this year at the World of Concrete show.

Powered by a 6-cylinder, 303-cubic-inch engine delivering 94 net horsepower at 2,500 rpm, this JD544 combined articulated steering, power shift, all power controls, bucket control from a single lever and a torque converter to provide jobsites of the late 1960s with a lot of capability.


John Deere 544 Wheel Loader

John Deere 544 Wheel Loader

John Deere 544 Wheel Loader

John Deere 544 Wheel Loader

John Deere 544 Wheel Loader

John Deere 544 Wheel Loader seat

John Deere 544 Wheel Loader

John Deere 544 Wheel Loader