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.

Today, John Deere is remembered-some say mistakenly-as the inventor of the steel plow. Who was this legendary man and how did he create the internationally renowned company that still bears his name? He began as a debt-stricken blacksmith who, fleeing debt in New England in the 1830s, set up shop in a little town on the Illinois frontier. There, in response to farmers' struggles, he designed a new plow that cut through the impervious prairie sod and lay open the rich, heavy soil for planting. The demand for his polished steel plow convinced him to specialize in farm implements. In the decades before the Civil War, John Deere envisioned a company supplying midwestern farmers with reliable, affordable equipment. He used only high quality, imported steel and resisted pressure to raise prices. At the same time, he won respectful affection from his employees by working alongside them on the shop floor. Upon taking the helm in the 1860s, John's only surviving son, Charles, expanded the Moline factories to increase production, started branch houses in major midwestern cities to speed distribution, and began to transform the company into a modern corporation. The transformation didn't come without difficulties however: Charles found himself battling the Grange, facing threats of labor unions and strikes led by his own employees, and enduring patent suits and blatant thefts of product designs and advertising.

"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.

What is it that makes a man strap himself into an automobile and drive it hundreds of laps around a track at speeds surpassing 200 miles per hour? Critically acclaimed journalist G. Wayne Miller decided to find out by spending a year on the NASCAR circuit with Roush Racing's legendary owner Jack Roush and his four title-contending Winston Cup drivers: Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, and Kurt Busch. Miller plumbs the allure of speed and the exploding popularity of stock-car racing through the dramatic 2001 season, which opened with the most famous Daytona 500 in history, when NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt died as his car slammed into the wall on the final turn. Miller takes us inside the minds and behind the wheels of the of the hottest drivers of the past two seasons, as they cope with the thrills and the dangers along the way to the Cup. Miller also takes us inside Roush Racing, a $125 million business, showing a side of NASCAR that few fans ever get to see. For longtime fans and curious newcomers alike, Men and Speed takes you for a wild ride through the fastest sport in the land.

Hand picked photos & in-depth captions document the development of Ski-Doo's racing sleds from inception to the present. Though it's been said the first snowmobile race was held the day the second machine was built, the first organized race to capture wide attention was in December 1961 with about 40 entrants. After discovering the impact of this first race, Ski-Doo began devoting attention to building racing sleds in 1967 and still builds models specifically for racing even today. Most engine, suspension system, and chassis improvements in the snowmobile industry are attributed to the efficiencies requested by racing. This book includes some of today's most collectible production snowmobiles like the TNT and BLIZZARD models, along with custom one-off models designed specifically for racing. Many of these interesting Ski-Doo photographs have never been published before.