One of the rarest of all John Deere sleds has been unveiled at Waconia. Here is the first look at a sled most collectors had only heard about, the 81 prototype IFS sled:

The sled will be on display all weekend at the Waconia Ballroom along with numerous other special John Deere sleds and memorabilia. For more info on the show check the website.

After months of hard work, countless phone calls, and contributions from all over the country, the Make-a-Wish John Deere charity sled is completely finished.

This years charity build was the third one of it's kind. The first build started simple, and each build thereafter has raised the bar for the next one. The John Deere for this years build was donated from a collector in Michigan. The sled was transported to St. Germain, where part of the build team picked it up to begin it's new lease on life. A tear down garage get together was first on the agenda, Justin Clack of Menaga Mn. hosted the event. About 20 dedicated sled heads showed up, and the green machine was disassembled to it's bare chassis. As the crew worked, a wish list was complied.

The wish list was broadcast across the Internet and donors from all over answered the call. The 340s was a special build cross country race sled, with numerous parts unique just to it. The John Deere enthusiasts came though time after time whether it be tech help or that very rare part needed to complete the green beauty. The sled was re assembled at Lloyd Krohn's shop in late fall, from there it went back to Menaga for the last finishing touches.

This beautiful sled will be auctioned off live at the 20th annual Waconia Vintage snowmobile show in Waconia Mn. Jan 31. Also attending the live auction will be Make-A-Wish event coordinator Jean Carlson. There will be many John Deere collectibles up for auction as well as the sled. Last years Make-A-Wish auction netted over 6 thousand dollars and this years auction has all the potential to shatter that record. If you cannot be in attendance for the auction and would like to bid by proxy please contact Justin Clack at 218-252-4682 or John Zeglin at the MVSS site.

Want to see more details about the sled? The whole build from start to finish is documented in this official thread in the Vintagesledders forum.

Fresh off the Press,
"Official Waconia" Show Posters with Limited Edition Artwork by World Famous Snowmobile Artist Kevin Lehse.
These posters are 18'' x 24" professionally printed, perfect for framing.

There will be an Autograph Session on Sunday in the Ballroom from 12:00 to 2:00, Great opportunity to get Autographs from John Deere Legends & VIP's

Get yours at the Largest Vintage Snowmobile Show in the World

               Waconia, MN Jan 30-31st., 2010.

For more information about the Waconia Show please visit the MVSS website.

VintageSledders.com is proud to a sponsor of the 20th Annual Waconia Ride-In

While most men celebrate their 50th birthday with a family gathering complete with cake and ice cream; Jeff Zalatoris a.k.a. "Retro Yeti" chose a different path. Jeff set forth on a trip of a lifetime, 200 miles on a vintage sled in one day. He travelled through western Wisconson's trails and toured the Duluth/Superior area. His complete story along with breathtaking pictures can be found in the Vintagesledders forum.