John Deere Snowmobiles: Development, Production, Competition and Evolution, 1971-1983

By Ronald K Leonard, Richard Teal, Richard Teal

Long respected as a manufacturer of sturdy agricultural machinery, the John Deere Company began in the 1960s to build a line of consumer products in a dedicated factory in Horicon, Wisconsin. Starting with a lawn and garden tractor in 1963, Deere soon entered the fast-growing snowmobile market, introducing two models in 1971. The next 13 years would see a succession of models as Deere vied against tough competitors in a weather-dependent market.

This detailed history, written by two key participants in the snowmobile program, describes the development of John Deere snowmobiles from start to finish: the design and engineering decisions that shaped each important model; reception of the snowmobiles by consumers; the factory race teams; the introduction of front-engine and water-cooled models; the process of selecting engines and negotiating with suppliers, including when problems developed; and the snowmobiles' impact on product engineering. The text provides an inside view of Deere's Consumer Products Division at a time of rapid growth, and of the people and processes that made it all happen.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786478373
• ISBN13: 9780786478378
• Release Date: February 2014
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.9" x 9.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher