direct drive deeres
Amsnow
When the John Deere name was mentioned as possible suitor for Bombardier's Recreational Products Group, which includes Ski-Doo, I did a little memory retrieval. Why would Deere & Company want back into the sled biz? They left it in the mid-1980s and never looked back. But before the agricultural products giant departed, it placed a sizeable mark on snowmobile history.
One mark was the creation of direct-drive sleds. The first such Deere came in 1977. The Spitfire was a very lightweight sled with a modest air-cooled engine and the first direct-drive system in Deere's line. A moderate success, Deere engineers used the Spitfire as a test bed to (a) assess the marketability of such a drive system and (b) determine costs savings in manufacturing, warranty service and durability. The fact that Deere slated two more direct-drive models to the 1983 model line-up indicated the company felt they had a success.
The advantages of direct-drive are simplicity. By eliminating the traditional secondary clutch, chaincase and chain drive system, Deere's concept immediately eliminated parts and certain problems. In striving for a lighter weight sled, the direct-drive system eliminated weight. Deere felt that the system also added dependability, while lowering maintenance costs.
The two new direct-drive sleds introduced in late 1981 as 1983 models were the liquid-cooled Sprintfire and the air-cooled Snowfire, which was to be the successor to the free-air-cooled Spitfire. The Sprintfire featured the direct-drive system, liquid-cooling, oil-injection and a long travel suspension system.
Stan Kleis, John Deere's marketing manager at the time said, "I think it is an industry first, bringing all the basic technology, the best that exists in the industry, under one hood and chassis."
The 339cc twin cylinder Deere snowmobile engines were built to Deere specifications by Kawasaki. The new 'Fire engines were both low-stressed, moderately powered, piston-port designs with capacitive discharge ignitions. A single butterfly carb controlled fuel flow. Deere's clutch system was a combination of Deere-specified Comet primary clutch combining with a special secondary drive that directly drove the sled's drive shaft.
Clean and simple in form and function, the two Deere's were said to get good fuel economy. Deere claimed that the air-cooled Sprintfire could squeeze about 165 miles out of its 5.5 gallon fuel tank. That's an average of 30 mpg!
The sleds measured just 100-inches in overall length and were 37.5 inches at the widest point. Ski stance measured 32 inches from spindle center to center. Official factory dry weight was claimed to be 330 pounds for the liquid-cooled Sprintfire and 15 pounds less for the air-cooled Snowfire.
Suggested retail prices for the sleds in 1981 was $2,749 (Sprintfire) and $2,499 (Snowfire).
Deere's Spitfire was lightweight with a modest air-cooled engine and it had the very first direct-drive system.
This story ran in the October 2003 issue of American Snowmobiler magazine