Dixie Chopper
{{Short description|Agricultural machinery manufacturers of the United States}}
{{Primary sources|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Dixie Chopper
| logo = Dixie chopper logo.jpg
| logo_size =
| type = Subsidiary
| industry = Manufacturing
| foundation = {{Start date and age |1980 }}
| founder = Art Evans
| location_city = Gibson City, Illinois
| location_country = United States
| area_served =
| products = Residential and commercial lawnmowers
| parent = Alamo Group
| homepage = {{URL |http://www.dixiechopper.com/ }}
}}
Dixie Chopper is an American brand of industrial zero-turning lawn mower formerly manufactured in Fillmore, Indiana, relocated to Gibson City, Illinois for a short period of time, but returned to Greencastle, Indiana. Many of the original assemblers from the Fillmore (Coatesville) facility returned to Dixie Chopper.
History
Dixie Chopper was founded by Hoosier Art Evans in 1980. In February 2014 Dixie Chopper was purchased by Jacobsen/Textron.{{cite web |title=Jacobsen Textron Acquires Dixie Chopper |url=https://www.dixiechopper.com/news-events/press-releases/jacobsen-textron-acquires-dixie-chopper |website=www.dixiechopper.com |date=2020-04-04}} However, on December 5, 2018, Textron notified dealers that they had ceased production of the Dixie Chopper.{{cite web |title=Textron Specialized Vehicles Ceases Production of Dixie Chopper, Jacobsen Zero-Turn Mowers |url=https://www.rurallifestyledealer.com/articles/7881-textron-specialized-vehicles-ceases-production-of-dixie-chopper-jacobsen-zero-turn-mowers |website=www.rurallifestyledealer.com |language=en}}
On August 29, 2018, Dan Samet, president of Rhino Ag, stated that, “... we’re in the process of ordering parts and retooling the facility to start making Dixie Chopper mowers. Our goal is to have Dixie Choppers available for our dealers in time for the 2020 mowing season".{{cite web |title=RhinoAg Gears Up for Dixie Chopper Production |url=https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/17358-rhinoag-gears-up-for-dixie-chopper-production |website=www.farm-equipment.com |language=en}}
On August 5, 2019, Alamo group announced that they had acquired the assets of Dixie Chopper from Jacobsen/Textron.{{cite web |last1=GmbH |first1=finanzen net |title=Alamo Group Announces Acquisition Of Dixie Chopper Business |url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/alamo-group-announces-acquisition-of-dixie-chopper-business-1028418759 |website=markets.businessinsider.com |language=en}} On August 9, 2019, Alamo executive vice president, Dan Malone stated that they were working to transition equipment from Dixie Chopper's former manufacturing facility in Fillmore, Ind., to Alamo's Gibson City, Ill., location where Rhino Ag equipment is manufactured.{{cite web |title=Alamo Group & Dixie Chopper: Up & Running for 2020 Mowing Season |url=https://www.rurallifestyledealer.com/articles/8554-alamo-group-dixie-chopper-up-running-for-2020-mowing-season |website=www.rurallifestyledealer.com |language=en}}
On December 5, 2019, Dixie Chopper posted a video to their YouTube channel announcing, "Dixie Chopper has a new home in Gibson City, IL at the RhinoAg manufacturing facility. 104 days after the company was acquired, the first Dixie Chopper mower has rolled off the assembly line." However, their Facebook post on the same day includes the caveat, "This is a pilot run where we address any quality and assembly concerns before full production begins".{{cite web |title=Dixie Chopper |url=https://www.facebook.com/DixieChopperMowers |website=www.facebook.com |language=en}}
Dixie Chopper claims to build the world's fastest lawn mowers. The most famous example was the Jet Mower, custom built by Art Evans in 1991 using a 150 HP Solar T62 APU from a Chinook Helicopter.{{cite web |title=World's Fastest Lawn Mowers To Meet at 20th Anniversary STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Championships This Labor Day Weekend |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9817697.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921045431/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9817697.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 21, 2012 |website=PRWeb}} This mower was featured in a 1993 episode of Home Improvement. Dixie Chopper's promotional video includes a brief clip from the episode.{{cite web |title=Dixie Chopper - Jet |url=https://vimeo.com/30096902 |website=vimeo.com |language=en}}
Dixie Chopper Motorcycle
The company was featured on an episode of American Chopper where the Dixie Chopper Bike was built by Orange County Choppers and unveiled at Daytona Bike Week in 2004. The Bike featured a modified 1000cc Generac lawn mower engine rated at {{convert|32|hp}}, which after some modifications produced a surprising amount of power despite not being a normal bike engine. The Jet Mower and Dixie Chopper Bike are mentioned in the Company History 1993 and 2005.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dixiechopper.com/about/history/|title = Company History}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.dixiechopper.com/}}
{{Textron}}
Category:Lawn mower manufacturers
Category:1980 establishments in Indiana
Category:Manufacturing companies based in Indiana
Category:Agricultural machinery manufacturers of the United States