John Deere Gator
Encyclopedia
All-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
utility vehicles produced by the John Deere Corporation
John Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...
. They typically feature a box bed, similar in function to a pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
, and have been made in a variety of configurations, ranging from 4 to 6 wheels. The Gator line of vehicles are designed to serve on farms, worksites, and ranches, rather than as a pure off-road vehicle. In 1992, the vehicle replaced the three or five wheel John Deere AMT, introduced in 1987.
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 tractorTractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s. They use a continuously variable transmission
Continuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios...
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.
Variants
Traditional Series
The Traditional Series is the second generation of the original Gator, designed for medium duty work.HPX Series
The High Performance or HPX Series Gators, introduced in 2004, are larger than the original Gator, and designed for heavier duty use.Compact Series
The Compact Series Gators, also introduced in 2004, are smaller and more like a golf cart in size and operation. They are targeted at homeowners rather than commercial customers.Gator XUV
The Gator XUV 4x4 was introduced in 2007 as a more extreme use Gator, for both commercial and recreational use.Gator XUV 2011 Model
In response to a ever competitive market, Deere expanded the XUV Line up in 2011 to include a 825 cc 3 cylinder gas engine to go along side with the current 625 cc engine. The 825 also sported a faster differential that allows the machine to reach speeds of up 70 kilometers (45 Miles) per hour. In addition, they kept the Diesel offering, but boosted the machines speed to 32 miles per hour, currently the fastest Diesel Utility Vehicle in the market. The three machines also underwent a styling overhaul and a redesigned box.M-Gator & R-Gator
In 1997, the U.S. Army adopted a version of the Gator known as the M-Gator. The M-Gator is now also in use with the U.S. Marine Corps. 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. It is the 6x4 variant, and utilizes the three cylinder Yanmar
Yanmar
is a Japanese diesel engine manufacturer with more than 90 years of history. The engines are used in a wide range of applications, including seagoing vessels, construction equipment, agricultural equipment and generator sets.-Company description:...
diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
found in other Gator vehicles, and is also capable of using JP-8
JP-8
JP-8, or JP8 is a jet fuel, specified and used widely by the US military. It is specified by MIL-DTL-83133 and British Defence Standard 91-87, and similar to commercial aviation's Jet-A....
fuel. The vehicle is capable of being air-dropped. 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. M-Gators are also used by Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
The M-Gator has also been developed into an Unmanned Ground Vehicle
Unmanned ground vehicle
An unmanned ground vehicle is a military robot used to augment the soldiers capability. This type of robot is generally capable of operating outdoors and over a wide variety of terrain, functioning in place of humans....
, known as the R-Gator. It was developed by John Deere and iRobot
IRobot
iRobot Corporation is an American advanced technology company founded in 1990 and incorporated in Delaware in 2000, the iRobot Corporation designs robots such as an autonomous home vacuum cleaner , the Scooba that scrubs and cleans hard floors, and military and police robots, such as the PackBot...
. It is capable of autonomous operations such as waypoint following with obstacle avoidance, and following dismounted infantry soldiers, as well as other vehicles.
Vehicles are currently in production.
Turf Vehicles series
