John Deere Gator
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The John Deere Gator is a family of small all-terrain utility vehicles produced by the John Deere Corporation. They typically feature a box bed, similar in function to a pickup truck, and have been made in a variety of configurations, ranging from 4 to 6 wheels.[1] The Gator line of vehicles are designed to serve on farms, worksites, and ranches, rather than as a pure off-road vehicle.[1] In 1992, the vehicle replaced the three or five wheel John Deere AMT, introduced in 1987.[2]
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[edit] Design
The Gator vehicles use small 4 stroke engines found in lawn mowers, or an optional diesel engine that is also found in some Deere Mowers and Utility tractors. They use a continuously variable transmission employing a belt and a conical pulley system. Thus they require no clutch or gear shifts to operate. Many third party attachments are available for the Gator, including snow plows and gun racks.[2]
[edit] Variants
Within the Gator family of vehicles, John Deere produces several lines. They are the Traditional Series, the High Performance (HPX) Series, the Compact Series and the XUV Series.[2] It also offers several specialty vehicles including the more off-road oriented Trail Gator, which is olive in color to better serve recreational and sporting uses.[2] The Turf Gator is specially designed to serve golf courses.[2] The M-Gator is a militarized variant used by the U.S. Army.[2]
[edit] Traditional Series
The Traditional Series is the second generation of the original Gator, designed for medium duty work.[2]
[edit] HPX Series
The High Performance or HPX Series Gators, introduced in 2004, are larger than the original Gator, and designed for heavier duty use.[1][2]
[edit] Compact Series
The Compact Series Gators, also introduced in 2004, are smaller and more like a golf cart in size and operation.[1][2] They are targeted at homeowners rather than commercial customers.[1][2]
[edit] Gator XUV
The Gator XUV 4x4 was introduced in 2007 as a more extreme use Gator, for both commercial and recreational use.
[edit] M-Gator & R-Gator
In 1997, the U.S. Army adopted a version of the Gator known as the M-Gator.[3][4] The M-Gator is now also in use with the U.S. Marine Corps.[5] Following the upgrades of the original Gator, it is known in its current version as the M-Gator A1, and features upgrades such as rollover protection.[5][6] It is the 6x4 variant, and utilizes the three cylinder Yanmar diesel engine found in other Gator vehicles, and is also capable of using JP-8 fuel.[4][6] The vehicle is capable of being air-dropped.[4] The Gator has been used in Iraq and Afghanistan for supply deliveries and casualty evacuation, as it is more nimble off-road than an HMMWV.[4]
The M-Gator has also been developed into an Unmanned Ground Vehicle, known as the R-Gator.[7] It was developed by John Deere and iRobot.[7] It is capable of autonomous operations such as waypoint following with obstacle avoidance, and following dismounted infantry soldiers, as well as other vehicles.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Information on the John Deere Gator
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Industrial Utility Vehicles & Mobile Equipment Online
- ^ 06/02/97 JOHN DEERE'S GATOR: OFF-ROAD, ON-TARGET
- ^ a b c d M-Gator
- ^ a b M-GATOR 6X4 UTILITY VEHICLE
- ^ a b http://www.deere.com/en_US/contractsales/fedmilitarysales/media/pdf/MGator_SAR_SpecSheet.pdf
- ^ a b c http://www.deere.com/en_US/contractsales/fedmilitarysales/media/pdf/R-Gator_Brochure.pdf
