What percent of Styled John Deere B's were on steel?

The title sums it up.

I doubt that information exists, but it would be a small percentage.

You are asking about wartime B's (1939-1946) most likely. The war limitation order did not hit hard until 1942 but tractor
production was also reduced drastically. The toughest years would have been 1942-1944 and to some extent 1945. If I had to guess
maybe 15-20 percent of the wartime tractors. The late B series (1947-1952) pretty much would have been on rubber with few
exceptions.

Dad's father's Farmall M arrived at the dealer in March of 1942 with full rubber, electric start, lights, and Liftall. My understanding is that the manufacturers were allowed to use up the on hand inventory of tires, generators, batteries, and lights until it ran out starting shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. On hand inventory was on the order of 30-90 days depending on item and vendors were most likely allowed to ship what was made up to that point. Once the inventory was depleted only a small amount of replacement parts were made in those categories. Most of the production had been switched over to military purposes.

Probably from 35 to 42, the percentage on
rubber from factory progressively increased
as popularity took hold. This likely hit a
peek prior to the U.S. entering the war.
Then during the war (42 through 45), rubber
rationing occurred. Percentage on rubber
during this time went down considerably.
You could still get rubber tires during
this time, (IF) you could produce enough
rubber ration stamps to do so. Not many
could do that. The ones that did, likely
used all of thier stamps, along with all of
thier neighbors, family, and friends's
stamps. Using any extra stamps they could
find. Anyone without a car at that time,
likely sold thier stamps to others.

After the war, the percentage of rubber
basically went back to the peek it hit
prior to the war, and went upward from
there. Steel was not very popular at all
following the war years. And production of
the steel wheels continued to reduce for
the rest of the production.

It's my belief that a higher percentage of
the war time steel wheeled tractors were
converted to rubber after the war, than the
steel wheeled tractors produced before the
war. People that got steel before the war,
got steel by choice. Many during the war
got steel but not by choice. Those people
were more apt to convert, than the people
before that had gotten steel by choice.

It's doubtfull that you'll ever find any
real actual numbers. But if you kind of
know what went on through those years, you
can formulate your own opinion.

In general, rubber tires progressively got
more popular starting from the early
thirties. With the exception of the
reversal during the war. By the time you
hit the early to mid 50s, steel was
basically all but completely phased out.
About the only people still hanging onto
the steel wheel concept at that point, was
the ones that preferred those wheels for
cultivating. And not many were ordering
tractors to primarily only do just that.
Most were going to also use the same new
tractor to do other things. Therefor,
didn't want to be burdened with the steel
wheels just for cultivating.

As far as just the percentage from styled
to unstyled?? The earlier unstyled seen a
higher percentage on steel. This is
figuring the entire run of production. If
you isolated the war years, that number
might be as high or higher. But the entire
run of the styled on rubber, would over run
the low war year numbers.