|
|
NorthEast, Nebraska | Was offered the chance to go to Moline, Illinois to watch new John Deere Combine come off the assembly line. Was wondering if anyone has done it? Good experience? What was involved? Would you do it again? Thanks in advance |
|
| |
|
Slicker than a Yes album. | Yes, great experience. Gold key tours are treated very well, the best part for me was seeing the inside of the HQ in Moline. (Where lunch is served). If you can, go on the morning tour, you see some parts the afternoon one doesn't. (Like the header building, loading dock.)
We also found the cemetery where the Deere family is buried. Many early "big" names are nearby. Velie, Butterworth, etc. Toured Lock and Dam #13(?), interesting to see. The Charles and Patricia Deere home is something to see. I've never seen so much walnut paneling upstairs and down!
Forgot to add earlier, bring a picture of that prototype Deere combine and ask upper level management about it! See what kind of info you can glean for us.
Edited by collegeboy 7/25/2009 22:43
 (IMG_1528.JPG)
 (IMG_1513.JPG)
Attachments
----------------
 IMG_1528.JPG (48KB - 182 downloads)
IMG_1513.JPG (63KB - 178 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
West Central IL | I went with my father-in-law last year. It is pretty cool, not sure if I would drive from Nebraska just for it though. They give a presentation in a briefing room, give a gold key and hat. Ride around the facility on golf carts and look at different stages of assembly, then you get to start it up and they take your picture. After lunch it's over. One thing I noticed is the plant is very clean, no dust anywhere. |
|
| |
|
Elizabethtown,KY | Yes, I did the Gold Key tour in Aug of '07 for my new 9560, spent over 4 hrs in the factory with our own tour guide and golf cart, got to see every step of making combines and heads. You get to see the last several steps of your machine as it goes down the line. You get to start the combine for the first time, test the steering and hydro and get your picture taken with it. It is very interesting to watch them load the combines out on trucks, nothing like what I had imagined. You get a Gold Key, cap and certificate at the end of the tour and then go to Deere headquarters and eat lunch. |
|
| |
|
Macon, MO | Yes, it is well worth it I did it about a year ago this Aug for our 9570. Really enjoyed seeing a flat piece of sheet metal turning into a combine.
 (PICT0063 (Small).JPG)
Attachments
----------------
PICT0063 (Small).JPG (102KB - 192 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
northwest missouri | Pretty interesting interesting tour, I don't think you will regret taking the time to go. The JD Pavillion and old time dealership with restored tractors and restoration in progress in the shop is interesting also. |
|
| |
|
SW Ontario | Like most have said, if you can take the time, go do it. My wife and I went in June/08 to see our 9570 on the line. We drove 8 hours to do the tour but figured the opportunity to see your own machine like that doesn't happen very often. The people at the plant and HQ were top-notch. I was surprised how much we actually got to see and how open they were to showing it. Take your camera. Make sure you see the JD pavillion, dealership etc. in the downtown. June is a busy month at home so our only regret was not being able to take the time to see more in Moline and area-ie. planter factory. It would also be a cool place to take our kids when they get older.
If I could figure it out I would post some of our pics.
|
|
| |
|
Chebanse, IL..... | We went through the combine factory a couple of yrs ago. It was well worth the while, especially if you're doing a "golden key" tour. Work close w/your dealer on setting that up. If you can spare an extra day, you'll also want to tour the planter factory & other JD exhibits/sites downtown. The employees interact well w/visitors. I'm sure that's part of their job descriptions. It makes feel welcome & not like you're intruding. Take your camera & plenty of film! Or...batteries, I guess. They allow photos of anything/everything that I know of. It didn't always used to be that way however. |
|
| |
|
Slicker than a Yes album. | now that some others have chipped in. The collectors center (50's dealership) is now closed. Sometime last fall. That was a bummer to see that, it had been worth it to me to walk through. They are going to add some of those type things to the Pavillion, what I'm not sure.
http://www.deere.com/en_US/newsroom/2008/releases/corporate/23jul20...
 (IMG_1503.JPG)
 (IMG_1504.JPG)
Attachments
----------------
IMG_1503.JPG (70KB - 188 downloads)
IMG_1504.JPG (80KB - 179 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Southern Indiana | Yes it was a bummer to see the collectors center close. I enjoyed it the most when I was up there when it was open. I just went on a tour of the factory in March and would like to go back for a gold key tour sometime. |
|
| |
Moline Illinois John Deere Tour???
