i have been throwing around the idea of building a john Deere snowmobile characteristics of a john Deere liquidator for a couple years, but would built from a john Deere cyclone 340 chassis using the stock chassis, and stock f/c 340 engine.im going to be picking up a nice re-buildable sled here pretty soon that i can start working on this spring or summer after i graduate college this may. i have been doing my research and finding out specs, facts, and info on the dators and what makes them a very cool looking sled and unique. The build would be somewhat like a standard restoration of a JD but with a little fabrication and building that would make this sled different just your average john Deere sled. But a sled that can be raced around the hay fields in NY and build trough out the summer and fall, disassembling everything, cleaning, degreasing sand blasting and prepping for paint. Some idea's for what i have for building this is doing all the work to the bare chassis all the paint stripping, prepping and painting myself a acrylic enamel JD green and nice black. chassis would stay the same with no modifications, except for repo dator decals, maybe stirrups, and nice paint job, the steering assembly would be the same as the original cyclone except instead of having the tradition style bars i going to fabricate a a custom steering post that has a 4 bolt handle bar clamp and a set of oval racing handle bars, with a teather switch. I’m going to purchase a repo dator hood and do all the prep and painting myself, and also a set of dator decals to go along with it. the gas tank will remand the same but my friend has a liquidator he is going to be storing pretty soon and said he will let me barrow the seat foam so I can get a pattern made that’s identical to a liquidator seat foam, and has the fuel tank in the rear of the seat. I’m going to build an aluminum fuel tank for under the seat using an original tank to get the measurements from. get a nice seat cover made for the foam that either snaps on or bolts on from under Neath the tunnel. Replace all hardware and parts that will need to be replaced on the rear suspension, along with new limiter straps, bushings, slides, and idler wheels. Find a really nice 2/3 cleated track, or clean up the one that’s on the cyclone and rebuild that as well, replace all the drive train bearings, bushings, and hardware. New drive sprockets, polish up the chain case assembly, not to a mirror finish but so it looks nice, sand blast all the steel suspension and drive train parts that can be blasted and painted. get new jack shaft bearings, new brake pads, clean up all the cast aluminum pieces so a shine, but a new set of skis, and paint the springs, shackles, ect... rebuild the 340 f/c motor with all new gaskets, seals ect... and clean the motor up. rebuild the carbs, new throttle cable and brake cables as well, replace all chassis hardware, new suspension rear shock, and leaf spring shocks, thinking about lowering the rear suspension a couple inches and adding tunnel protector slide strips, if i do that then i will have to get a set of skis and leaf springs that are shorter like north stars or so. and if i can find someone to make a set of custom pipes for the cyclone 350 that look similar to the dator pipes then I’ll have a set made for it as well, there are a lot of ideas for building this Deere that makes it a special sled to me, and with help with great friends, long nights in the garage, and buying all the parts and fabricating, helpful hints and ideas will go into building this sled this summer after i get out of college. and $ not being a real big issue i plan on spending about $4000 into building this but the time it’s all said and done
wanted to see what all you guys think about building a project like this with the different ideas i have for a sled that i would look forward to taking my time and building, and hopefully riding it next winter
Here is a sketch of what i have in mind for this build
If you guys have any suggestions, comments, idea's or places that i can get parts for this build i would greatly apprecaite it
Matt - JDsleds.com Administrator
