JOHN DEERE LAWN TRACTOR HISTORY: THE 1980'S
JOHN DEERE LAWN TRACTOR HISTORY: THE 1980'S
Today we are travelling back to the 80’s, a decade where John Deere celebrated its 150th anniversary!
1984 saw John Deere launch the 430. This was the first tractor to combine a powerful Yanmar 3 Cylinder diesel engine, hydrostatic drive and power steering. Features and attachments remained similar to the 420 model, although weighing 531kg made it the strongest and heaviest machine of its time.
The 300 Series was redesigned which led to the creation of the 318. Some new features were added: reserve fuel tank, lights implemented into the dash, square shaped fender deck and the rear frame redesigned from closed to open configuration. It was also during this time that John Deere reached another milestone, manufacturing its millionth lawn and garden tractor. The 318 rising to the top and out selling any of the other models.
It was in this era when the R Series and S Series riding mowers were introduced, designed for customers with both small and large areas of land. The R Series included the R70, R72 and R92 were designed for smaller areas. These featured a full length steel frame, 5 speed gear drive transmission, in line gear shifting and a turning radius of 68.58cm as standard.
Designed for larger areas the S80 and S82 featured a 30 inch cutting width, electric start and 8hp engines.
We hope you enjoyed your journey back to the 80’s with us. See you next time when we warp back to the 90’s!!
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