John Deere celebrates 75 years of advancing the Bulldozer

John Deere is commemorating its 75th year in the dozer market. Upon its entry into the dozer business, John Deere has focused on meeting contractors’ needs to improve jobsite efficiencies. Beginning production in 1949 in Dubuque, Iowa, the John Deere line-up of dozers has evolved through the years with innovation that has been solving industry-wide challenges.

“This important 75-year milestone of dozer manufacturing recognizes the tremendous teamwork of everyone involved including our factory teams, engineers, and our dealers that support our customers every day,” says Matt Costello, product marketing manager, dozers for John Deere. “We’re incredibly proud that this lineup has continued to provide the durability and performance that our customers rely on to work smarter and more efficiently getting the job done right the first time.”

Looking back at key milestones for its dozer family, John Deere debuted various industry-first solutions and innovative designs that paved the way for today’s reliable, powerful, and tech-packed models.

• 1949 – John Deere began manufacturing MC Dozers in Dubuque, Iowa.
• 1958 – The 440 Crawler Dozer entered the market as the first all-yellow machine built specifically for industrial applications. This model stood out as the industry’s first all-hydraulic bulldozer with six-way power-angle-tilt blade, leading the charge with its ground-breaking design.
• 1965 – John Deere introduced dozer T-Bar blade controls, as well as the first integral machines with the new industrial model numbers. These models included the JD350 and JD450 crawlers, which were configured distinctly as dozers or loaders.
• 1976 – John Deere became the first North American manufacturer to utilize dual-path hydrostatic drive on its dozer line-up.
• 1988 – New full powershift transmission models were introduced, including the 400G, 450G, 550G and 650G models, which offered four forward and four reverse speeds, expanding capability on the jobsite.
• 1999 – Dual path hydrostatic drive was introduced on the 450H, 550H, 650H models and continues to this day in the full John Deere dozer lineup.
• 2001 – John Deere introduced its largest dozer ever with the roll-out of the 1050C. The 1050C led the way for the updates and innovations you see in the 1050 P-Tier today.
• 2010 – John Deere unveiled the industry’s first 764 high speed dozer, the first new machine form in decades, boasting travel speeds of up to 16 mph.

In the last decade, John Deere’s dozer line-up has featured many technological advances like SmartGrade and Slope Control. John Deere