Are these what I think they are?

[billey100]

Remember I said I was heading over to my grandpas, the one with the liquidator to help clean up. We opened a box and found these... can someone please tell me that these are the same shocks as the picture in the prototype page on this site? Do any of these even exist anymore? Someone cut them off whatever they were on as you can see in the picture. But I am putting two and two together here guessing these are the same...

http://www.jdsleds.com/images/prototype ... esifs.html

[Matt]

Same idea, but most likely they are off another brand that did use them. Yamaha used them for years.

[ICCSF 108]

I agree with Matt, probably off a Yamaha, if you look at the 85 proto pics there is a bolt at the top of the shocks where these do not have that style of mounting..
BUT it would be nice to know what your grandfather had in mind when he kept these??

Kenny

[billey100]

Thanks guys, ironically I went to the open house at my Yamaha dealer today after I saw those and they had a bunch of Phazers there in the back barn. Never really looked that close at a phazer before then I see those shocks twice in one day? I will have to really look them over when I get to them again to see if they have something on them. I would assume if they were yamaha they would have some sort of number or tag there but I really didnt look them over to good, to much to get to so they very well could have some numbers someplace.

Also I forgot they weigh a ton, must be made from cast iron were the phazers made like mack trucks back then?

[guitardude081]

Those look like 90s Vmax struts to me. The scissor on the JD ones was silver and it was thinner if you look closely at the pics. That's a nice find though. Most junk yards want a couple hundred bucks for a pair of those.
~Jack

[billey100]

Still researching but I havent been able to get back to them yet to look them over again, maybe this weekend. dont think they are phazers b/c at looking at a few more closely I dont see any phazers with that gold bracket on the top of the shock. I need to pull up some pics of some vmax's and look at those more closely as well. I am correct in that if they were yamahas from anytime or any sled they would most likely have some sort of marking or part number on them someplace right?

[JoeRainville]

Hi Billey,

These are the only underhood pic's I could find showing the Deere's IFS sleds. Looking closely you can see a regular looking coil over shock inside the top of the strut. I do not think Deere used a motorcycle type of charged strut. I think the tube Deere used was only for structure and stearing while the shock handled to spring and damping of the suspension travel.

I do not know where yours came from, but nor will I say Deere never tried them out. Only the Horicon engineers can say for sure. Ed Kruel, can you help answer these questions?

Thanks,
-Joe Rainville

[billey100]

Thanks for the pics Joe, makes a lot of sense now that the ones I have must be later or more refined probably like they said from a Yamaha. They were in a box by themselves that was shipped to him, which means he ordered them or got them from someone for a project he must have been planning. Had he not owned a JD dealership I would not have even considered them to be something from deere. I dont know what good they would have been since they were basically cut off whatever they came off of, unless he wanted something off of them or was planning or rewelding it.

Side note I am still working on getting the pics of the Dator, have to make a trip to my dads house one of these days. Sounds like we are going to keep it in the family thank god. All cleaned up it is in great shape I think, Joe H says it was invoiced for 78 so there is a good chance it sat in a crate for a few years and he scooped it up new in 78?

[JoeRainville]

Hey Billy,

Here are a few pic's of the Kawi IFS Strut set up they were going to use before going under in 82. I thought you might find them interesting.

I was also wondering if your grandfather was going to build a custom Liquifire like the proto's with struts and such. Although I can't confirm it, I am going to send you pic's to a few Yami guys I know and see if they can help identify your struts.

-Rainville

[billey100]

Thanks Joe, heading back to the shop on Sat I will look for some markings or stamps of any kind. May make things a little easier, I gave them the once over but not really good may have missed something obvious. So far the yamahas are closest.