Deere Pick Up Truck??

HGM · Jan 19, 2006

( Last I heard it cost a billion dollars to produce a new model. 

thats why I say it should be no frills and classed just so that it stays under Nader Radar. Keep the cost down. Besides I'll bet one of JD's $250k combines has more parts than a pickup (and a nicer interior)
those arent cheap to tool. )

No argument there, just keep in mind that the truck would likely require 95% new parts that cant come from any other product because of size and application.

EquipmentJunkie · Jan 19, 2006

I have my doubts about a brand-new Deere truck. It is just too cost-prohibitive.

Think about all of the hurdles that Deere would have to overcome: designing a vehicle completely from scratch, on-road emissions certification of the engine, crash-testing, sourcing all of the purchased components, not to mention a dealer network that has zero experience selling vehicles.

I find the idea of a Deere-edition trim package of an existing truck brand much more believable. I could see that idea having a huge appeal, nationwide. Deere has carefully honed their brand over the years.

While I think it would be a good move to introduce a Deere-edition truck, I'd personally have a hard time driving something like that. I'd feel like I have sold my soul to Moline.

Would the Deere-edition pickup have cow flop on the floormats, standard from the factory?

unreconstructed · Jan 19, 2006

I like rdin's idea of a truck. I bought my last f250 in the XL package with a 6 speed manual. I happily roll up the windows and have no nasty carpet. With GM probably going down the tubes and Ford maybe behind them, maybe JD oughta do it.

gamble77 · Jan 19, 2006

GM is not going down the tubes, come on now...don't fall into all of this media hype about GM going bankrupt. If there is one industry I follow as closely as the ag industry is the automobile industry. My grandfather use to own a GM dealership back in the 50's and early 60's and my father has made his living in the aftermarket high performance parts business...

GM may be having little trouble but they still put out world class vehicles and they will continue to do so for many years.

beenthere · Jan 19, 2006

I think you are right about GM. They may feel the ebb and tide of the market, and adapt to that by closing plants here and there, which lays off people and makes for big hype media stories. Like when Boeing lays off 30,000 people. Makes news.
A healthy company has to shift its workforce from old, non-productive plants to new plants and in doing so, probably cuts back on the number of employees. That is just good business. Hard on employees who have opted to make plant-life their career and get caught without other options.
I expect to be able to buy GM cars and trucks in the future and have them perform as good as the many different ones I've been driving for the last 30-50 years. Which reminds me, just turned 100,000 miles on my Trailblazer and plan on looking at getting a new one. Thought I'd trade my Deere 4300 in before the SUV, but don't look like it will happen that way. Also, don't think Deere is going to make a pickup truck so will not wait for that to happen.

AKfish · Jan 20, 2006

Nope... the whole idea doesn't make good business sense for JD. The concept doesn't play to their strengths. Although it sure sounds like a good business strategy to supply diesel engines for a new model F150. Man, I'd look long and hard at that truck!!! Especially if they could tweak it to get 25+ mpg. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif AKfish

HGM · Jan 20, 2006

Hate to be a downer, but I dont really see the engine coming from Deere either. They would run into the same issues because(to my knowledge) they dont have anything that needs to pass federal "on road" emmissions standards.. They would need to start from scratch because they dont currently produce an engine that size capable of 350-400hp.

Again, I may be wrong about what they have out there, but it would take quite a while to get an idea like this to market. It would need to be very well planned and might need to be in the 500hp range with EGR, comman rail, mass airflow detection, urea injection, etc... Just sounds to me, from being involved, that if you arent in the bussiness now its going to be nearly impossible to get in...It would take 5-10yrs to get it together... Like I refered to earlier about the space shuttle /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.. You wouldnt go to a clinic for brain surgery..

BTW, I feel I need to add the disclaimer that JD is among the top of their market and very capable of building quality tractors and utility vehicles. I just think the truck and engine idea would be such a departure from their "comfort zone" that it would hurt the company..

unreconstructed · Jan 20, 2006

I think a lot of the old companies with defined benefit pension plans are going to have trouble--GM being just one example. The rumor is that Wachovia may buy a lot of GM's debt at a deep discount--there's several financial analysts on this site who might comment on that. Don't really know about the media hype, just know that a lot of companies as well as the US govt have long term unfunded benefit problems--medicare and social security in the case of the Govt.

Uncle Sugar bailed Chrysler out 25 years ago. Maybe Greenspan's successor will print enough money to take care of GM et al. Hold on to your wallets.

EquipmentJunkie · Jan 20, 2006

Believe it or not, but Deere would be positioned to be a engine supplier for either medium-duty or heavy-duty truck engines. I am not saying that this is fact, I'm just saying that their engine line is broad enough. Deere has Tier 3 compliant engines up to 600 hp.! The largest engine is in the 13-liter class, the model 6135H @ 600 hp.

I spoke with a Deere Powertrain person at the ConExpo construction show last March and specifically asked about Deere's intentions for the trucking industry. There were no plans at that point...but he said that it is not out of the realm of possibility due to on-highway and off-highway emission regs getting closer together.

I doubt that there is anything currently in the Deere product line to supply the light-duty pickup market. The 1/2-ton through 1-ton truck market would require a fast revving and quiet engine. A light-truck engine would need to be a clean sheet design...likely a V-type engine of modular design for 6 or 8 cylinders.

gizmo · Jan 20, 2006

I am an engineer for GM. We're not going down the tubes. We will get smaller, but not gone.

Cliff_Johns · Jan 20, 2006

Personnaly, I think you guys are exagerating the engine size needs for a small Pick-up. Maybe it's just me, but I don't really need 0-60 in 5 seconds from my pick-up. As long as the torque is there to get the load going, I'd rather have a small diesel with terrific milage and low costs.

So it takes me a little extra time to get on the highway. So if I'm pulling a load maybe I drive like a Semi.

Am I completely messed up thinking that 150HP and a lot of diesel torque would be a good market segment? Maybe 35+MPG.

Cliff

cowboydoc · Jan 20, 2006

They would run into the same issues because(to my knowledge) they dont have anything that needs to pass federal "on road" emmissions standards.. 

This isn't correct. Agriculture faces the same problems as the cars. They must also be federally compliant with their emissions. Deere and all other companies must meet the standards just like the vehicles. Which, by the way, Deere has been compliant with for two years. Deere is also the leader in fuel cell technology and has several projects for alternaltive fuel in the works. With regard to engine design and compliance deere is probably ahead of most every other engine mfg. out there. The only ones I know of in their league is CAT. And many of their projects are joint ventures with CAT.

megotatractor · Jan 20, 2006

the rumor is true! I have a john deere truck!

HGM · Jan 20, 2006

I stand corrected /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif..... How's that puppy handle? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

RalphVa · Jan 20, 2006

I agree with Cliff.

BMW just imported their 160 hp 2.0 liter turbocharged diesel in their 1 series. Just carve out a pickup body in the back of that one, license it to JD and sell it in green. That's about the size I'd like to see.

Ralph

Mike_Lipke · Jan 20, 2006

Boy, that puppy sure looks like a Dodge with a bad green paint job!

HGM · Jan 20, 2006

Looks like a Super Duty to me...... I agree about the paint job though.... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

cowboydoc · Jan 20, 2006

Ummm I didn't say that Deere had to meet the same standards as a car. I said Deere must meet the standards like other vehicles. Yes every vehicle class is different but gone are the days where just because a piece of machinery is off road means it does not have to meet emissions standards. The differences aren't so much based on the pollution but on the size of the engine and the hp required for the application. Deere and many other companies have several hp ratings for the exact same engine. Per unit of hp the emission standards are very similiar.

If you up the hp it is a federal crime. To increase hp and be legal you have to have a certified federal emissions standards shop do the upgrade.

rdln · Jan 20, 2006

Well, The picture in my head of a john deere truck was strictly for work not something that you would take to the strip or your wife out to dinner. kinda like a cross between a hummer (military)/1 ton pick up/tractor.

About ten years ago I witnessed a prototype chevy kodiak with a JD engine, GM went as far as to make new emblems with the JD logo in place of the normal caterpillar logo, dont know whatever became of it, chances are the bean counters didnt like the extra dollar for the deere.