Autoblog

Ghost ride the whip, John Deere combine edition

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos

A company's livery is an important part of its image. If a brand has done a good job of things, you can generally tell its wares by its color scheme or logo without the need to spell out names. When we think of famous liveries, images of Martini & Rossi, John Player Special and Silk Cut-clad racing machines pop into our head. If you live in Minnesota, however, you might prefer the green and yellow scheme belonging to the farm equipment czars at John Deere. One couple in particular decided to highlight their mid-80's John Deere Turbo 6620 combine in a rather unique way.

Are you familiar with the term ghost riding? For the three percent of our readership isn't, allow us to explain. To ghost ride, is to put a vehicle in gear then exit it and walk or dance alongside it as it ambles along. (Full Disclosure: We don't really get it either).

Many have tried to ghost ride with all manner of vehicle, but this is the first time we can recall anyone ghost ride a John Deere combine. The couple's amusing video, which throws in Petey Pablo's Need for Speed for good measure, is posted after the jump.

Continue reading Ghost ride the whip, John Deere combine edition

Ghost ride the whip, John Deere combine edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Driverless John Deere tractor terrorizes Walmart parking lot

Aaron Richardson — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos

John Deere Walmart rampage - Click above to view video after the jump

A couple in Richmond Hill, ~~Georgia~~ Ontario were returning from the car wash when they noticed a strange late-night gathering at the local Walmart. Curious, they stopped to see what the fuss was about, and were confronted with the spectacle of a driver-less John Deere Tractor careening around the parking lot.

The tractor in question wasn't just your regular, run-of-the-mill lawn tractor, either. No, the phantom tractor was a four-wheel-drive Deere equipped with enough snowplow to clear Vail in January. The tractor spent five minutes jogging circles around the parking lot, gouging the side of the Walmart and annihilating an unsuspecting Suzuki SX4 and Toyota Corolla while slackjawed onlookers stood by doing nothing and area police literally drove in circles.

Eventually, someone with enough cojones decided to climb aboard the wayward farm machinery and try to stop the madness... but did they succeed? Click past the jump to find out for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Marshall!

[Source: YouTube via VW Vortex]

Continue reading Video: Driverless John Deere tractor terrorizes Walmart parking lot

Video: Driverless John Deere tractor terrorizes Walmart parking lot originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poll: Foose/Deere 4020 vs John Deere 620 Orchard

Alex Nunez — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:15:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Work, Specialty

Which one would you choose? The Chip Foose John Deere 4020 or a John Deere 620 orchard model? Vote after the jump!

Chip Foose's John Deere 4020 is pretty kickass, but the reality is this: You needn't enlist the services of a famous pro rodder to get a slick-lookin' John Deere tractor. Take, for instance, the John Deere 620 orchard model shown above. Standard-issue 620s have a traditional tractor look to them, but the ones fitted with the additional orchard equipment have a streamlined appearance that looks like it's a set of giant-sized moon caps away from making a land speed record run at Bonneville.

In fact, all that extra bodywork has nothing to do with aerodynamics or improved performance; its shielding designed to let the tractor operate in an orchard without the tires causing damage to the the tree branches. So, not only does this 620 look great, it does so for totally functional reasons.

And so, we come to tonight's poll: Which one of these tractors would you rather have? Follow the jump and declare your Deere.

[John Deere 620 image via TractorClocks.com]

Continue reading Poll: Foose/Deere 4020 vs John Deere 620 Orchard

Poll: Foose/Deere 4020 vs John Deere 620 Orchard originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEMA 2008: SMART goes John Deere green

Chris Tutor — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: SEMA Show, Etc., Smart

Click above for high-res gallery of the Black Deere smart from SEMA

Tom Mutchler at Consumer Reports says his first drive in a SMART reminded him of his John Deere x300 lawn tractor. Slow and noisy, but they both fit in his garage. Apparently, Black Deere LLC had the same impression of the little car and showed up at SEMA with one in John Deere's green and yellow livery. Other than being painted to match farm machinery, the SMART ForTwo Passion Cabriolet sports four air horns and an air-compressor powered truck horn. You might not see this thing coming at you, but by God you'll hear it. Unfortunately, we can't find out much about the car's customizer, Black Deere. SEMA's information lists an inactive URL and Google turns up only the story from SEMA.

Gallery: SEMA 2008: Black Deere Smart

Photos copyright (C)2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

SEMA 2008: SMART goes John Deere green originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TGIF Video: Oh, Deere... it's combine derby time!

Chris Paukert — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 11:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Work

Every year, the sleepy farming burg of Lind, Washington goes from a population of about 500 to a bustling party of 4,000. What's the big idea? Combine destruction derby, of course. FarmersAlmanacTV (who knew?) chronicles the shenanigans in great detail, including breaking down the rules (several heats, all farm implements must be 25 years of age or older, etc.). Check out the video here.

Learn more about the town of Lind and the derby here, and make plans to see the next one for yourself on June 10. Remember, there's a grain truck race at intermission, ya'll!

[Sources: FarmersAlmanacTV via Google Video; Lindwa.com]

TGIF Video: Oh, Deere... it's combine derby time! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Apr 2006 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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