Deere & Bombardier

JDGuy · Post by **JDGuy** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 10:03 am

From the October 2005 Issue of Farm Industry News:

"...............The popular agricultural equiment manufacturer entered the ATV market just two years ago with a line of mid-sized vehicles based on Bombardier's ATV platform. Deere has ended its arrangment with the Canadian manufacturer and now is designing and building its own vehicles............"

Post by **Matt** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 11:30 am

Wow, that didn't last long.

JoeRainville · Post by **JoeRainville** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 12:02 pm

Hi Guys,

I guess the "Traxter" based Deere ATV's didn't sell very well according to any of the Dealers I spoke to. I wonder what Deere will do next, if anything. Hey Matt, should you start www.jdatvs.com? (Just kidding!)

Have fun guys,
-Joe Rainville

Post by **Matt** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 9:53 am

Good idea, Joe. Next question is, will Deere completely drop all support and almost deny knowledge that the ATVs ever existed? (like the snowmobiles)

harleysportster · Post by **harleysportster** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 11:01 am

This info is on the JD web site. Maybe they are sole proprietors of the new BUCK series.
http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/...uck_series.html

Post by **guitardude081** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 4:53 pm

The way it sounds, Deere will never build a snowmobile again. I talked to a guy who was a JD sled mechanic in the late 70's, and is still a mechanic at the local dealership, and he said that it cost to much in research and development to keep running the sleds. They may have been the best, but they still never really turned a profit. He said that the name "Wildfire" was never established by Deere, in fact the 550cc liquid with IFS was sold to polaris under the name "Liquifire". They were planning on scrapping the snowmobile line since 1980, but continued until 1984. He said they all laugh when they hear the name "Wildfire", or when they hear that deere will produce another snowmobile. I have actually heard this from a few other people. Deere sold all of it's technology rights to Polaris, and Polaris used a lot of it. If there is a "Wildfire/Liquifire" out there, Neither Deere nor Polaris have it, unless they are denying it.
~Jack

RSplash40 · Post by **RSplash40** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:27 pm

Someday we will find out the truth..and yes, we can handle the truth!

grasscutter97 · Post by **grasscutter97** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:00 pm

You guys are completely forgetting about Deere's Race Sno Pro series that never got off the ground so to speak. Their ForestFire line was to be a factory sponsored race team. I have yet to see one of those. Supposed to resemble a Kawi Interceptor with IFS. Who knows maybe there's one in somebody's basement?? Keep looking!!

grasscutter97 · Post by **grasscutter97** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:03 pm

Deere also had the 'mini' sled line as well. The BrushFire was a 50 cc sled, that came in longtrack if you special order the longtrack option. Supposedly there is one that is coming up for sale in MN (that big 600 sled collection that is going on sale on Thursday the 20th). Probably last one in existence.

Post by **guitardude081** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 8:00 pm

Was the brushfire thing a joke? If it wasn't I'd like to see pictures.
~Jack

oldslednut · Post by **oldslednut** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:05 am

LOL i just had to poke a little fun at this, there is another deere that never made it to the public, it was supposibly just for hill climbing events, it was called the "Backfire" lol it had a yamaha motor in it, a track out of a sno-pony, take the JD hood from the 100 series and ad the flip up headlight from a bubble nose ski-doo, painted in moto-ski orange.. think about the possibilities, lol i love reading this stuff about the supposid sleds that were almost reality,, the "Backfire" is ny far the rarest of all!!!

Post by **guitardude081** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 2:05 am

Are you sure the backfire isn't my 1981 Spitfire with the wrong decals? I've had a few carb fires with that in my day. Before the restoration, I taped over "Spitfire" with duct tape and wrote "Backfire" on it.
~Jack

Post by **Matt** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:14 am

Brushfire! bwahahahaahaha!

That is all.