John Deere, Ford collaborate to build gator UTV concept

John Deere and Ford have entered into a tie-up to build a concept Gator UTV out of materials like plastic bottles soybeans and fishing nets. The sustainable Deere Gator’s parts consist of a variety of materials such as seat filler soy-based foam; tyres soy-based oil; dash rice hull filler; seats recycled PET plastic; hood recycled plastic bottles; grab handles – recycled nylon fishing nets; storage bin ground coconut; roof and doors bio-SMC (sheet moulding compound) made with soybeans; exterior door panels sugarcane polyethylene with corncob filler; interior panels wheat straw maple wood and hemp fibre filled; bumpers recycled automotive bumpers; and exterior panels carbo box flax fibre filled.

The Gator team included six Deere employees working with Ford Motor Company’s sustainable materials team to recycle waste for components. Deere’s goal “was to explore a variety of materials to be used for possible adoption across product lines to support our goals around increasing use of sustainable materials” said Andy Greenlee Deere senior staff engineer for sustainable solutions.

The project began in 2018 and has given Deere more insight into recycled materials it can use in its production process the company says.