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.

The Golden Age of snowmobile manufacturing was from 1968-1976 with a gradual slow down leading to 1982. During this time literally hundreds of snowmobile manufacturers sprung up and then disappeared. This book is a look at all the most interesting, rare, or collectible snowmobiles from that time period. The big names like Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-Doo, Yamaha, John Deere, Scorpion, Snow-Jet, Mercury, Rupp, Moto-Ski, to the many small-company brands like Allied, Boa Ski, Chaparral, Evinrude, Harley Davidson, Johnson, Polaron, Sears, Skiroule, Sno Prince, Viking, and even includes a chapter of collectible racing snowmobiles in the hobby, like the 1977 Arctic Cat Z that turned Arctic Cats racing program around, and treasures like a 1973 Chaparral grass drag sled or a 1974 Roll-O-Flex called The Wild One. This book would be a benefit to anyone interested in sleds from this time period or looking to buy a more collectible sled from this era.

"Mr. Dahlstrom...has written a superb history of the tractor and this long-forgotten period of capitalism in U.S. agriculture. We now know the whole story of when farming, business and the free-market economy diverged, divided and conquered." —Wall Street Journal Discover the untold story of the “tractor wars,” the twenty-year period that introduced power farming—the most fundamental change in world agriculture in hundreds of years. Before John Deere, Ford, and International Harvester became icons of American business, they were competitors in a forgotten battle for the farm. From 1908-1928, against the backdrop of a world war and economic depression, these brands were engaged in a race to introduce the tractor and revolutionize farming. By the turn of the twentieth century, four million people had left rural America and moved to cities, leaving the nation’s farms shorthanded for the work of plowing, planting, cultivating, harvesting, and threshing. That’s why the introduction of the tractor is an innovation story as essential as man’s landing on the moon or the advent of the internet—after all, with the tractor, a shrinking farm population could still feed a growing world. But getting the tractor from the boardroom to the drafting table, then from factory and the farm, was a technological and competitive battle that until now, has never been fully told. A researcher, historian, and writer, Neil Dahlstrom has spent decades in the corporate archives at John Deere. In Tractor Wars, Dahlstrom offers an insider’s view of a story that entwines a myriad of brands and characters, stakes and plots: the Reverend Daniel Hartsough, a pastor turned tractor designer; Alexander Legge, the eventual president of International Harvester, a former cowboy who took on Henry Ford; William Butterworth and the oft-at-odds leadership team at John Deere that partnered with the enigmatic Ford but planned for his ultimate failure. With all the bitterness and drama of the race between Ford, Dodge, and General Motors, Tractor Wars is the untold story of industry stalwarts and disruptors, inventors, and administrators racing to invent modern agriculture—a power farming revolution that would usher in a whole new world.

At last, a paperback reissue of this classic history of John Deere! Edited by the world's most respected and best known Deere historian and expert—Don Macmillan—this is a detailed and fun history of the great tractor builder. This comprehensive history of the man, his company, and his legacy includes a biography of John Deere, plus excerpts from the writings of Deere engineers and historians, such as Wayne Broehl, Harold Brock, and Orrin Miller. Images are from the Deere archives, as well as noted tractor photographer Ralph W. Sanders. Coverage of plows, implements, combines, cars, snowmobiles, lawn and garden tractors, and bicycles is also included.

"I loved Ralph Plaisted like my own dad. But even if you didn't know Ralph and his team, you will love this book. Ralph taught me the true spirit of adventure by living it. Who else could sit over a glass of scotch in Duluth looking out over Lake Superior's stark winter ice cap and dream of conquering the North Pole by snowmobile? Who else could realize that dream of having a United State Air Force plane radio to him at the Pole proclaiming 'Plaisted, every direction from where you fellas are is south!' That could--only--be Ralph. First to the Pole engages the reader on every twist and turn of this amazing journey. A journey that not only captures the North Pole, but the true spirit of adventure which was the fabric of my dear friend and wilderness mentor, Ralph Plaisted." --Eric Gislason, Longtime KSTP-TV Sports Reporter/Outdoor TV Show Host/Storyteller

Joseph-Armond Bombardier devoted his entire life to finding mechanical designs that would help conquer the elements in his part of the world — Valcourt, Quebec, Canada, where winters are long and deep with snow. One of his greatest inventions was a motorized snow vehicle, the first of which allowed a missionary friend of his to cross miles of woods that would have not otherwise been passable. From that first Bombardier snow machine to the newer Formula series models, all Ski-Doo snowmobiles to 1995 are covered in this Collector’s Guide to Ski-Doo Snowmobiles. The book traces the development of the snowmobiles, their engines, suspensions, and comfort features. It takes you from the age of wooden skis and bodywork to today’s light, powerful, and aerodynamic Ski-Doo models. Technical specifications and year-by-year updates are included, along with 135 photos.