News & Events

John Deere has launched its first mobile phone app in the UK and Ireland, following the introduction of the John Deere FarmSight wireless technology strategy.

The free JDLink mobile telematics application allows arable farmers and contractors in particular to monitor and manage their equipment fleets on the move, from a smartphone. While the app does not have as much functionality as the full JDLink system on a laptop or desktop computer, it does include the following features:

- multiple machine mapping;
- directions to machines (based on Google maps);
- ping and share location of machines;
- view and acknowledge message alerts.

After downloading the app, customers who already have a JDLink account can simply log in and check their machines’ location and service status. Non-users can use a Demo function to explore the features provided.

The newly developed JDLink Inside telematics machine monitoring system includes hardware and a JDLink Ultimate subscription for the following John Deere product ranges – new 2012 models are being supplied with a complimentary subscription for the machine’s first year:

- new Stage IIIB compliant John Deere 8R Series and 7R Series tractors;
- new Stage IIIB compliant John Deere W660, all T-Series and all S-Series combines;
- self-propelled forage harvesters.

John Deere’s proven multi-brand satellite guidance system is now available as a more fully integrated solution for other makes of tractor and older John Deere models.

New AutoTrac Controller will be featured on the John Deere stand at Cereals 2012 in June, as part of the company’s AMS (Agricultural Management Solutions) precision farming display. It provides non-John Deere and mixed fleet users in particular with the same benefits and advantages as the established AutoTrac automatic steering system.

These include less operator fatigue; consistent accuracy, with reduced overlaps and misses leading to increased productivity and machine efficiency; less wear and tear on equipment; and typical fuel savings of 10 to 15 per cent. Experience with AutoTrac has shown that automatic guidance can achieve savings of between £6000 and £10,000 a year on a 500ha arable farm, for example.

AutoTrac Controller provides fast line acquisition and can be used at all accuracy levels, including the free StarFire 1 signal (30cm), StarFire 2 (10cm) and StarFire RTK (2cm). It operates with John Deere’s AMS GreenStar 2 1800 and GreenStar 3 2630 displays plus the StarFire iTC and 3000 satellite receivers to provide improved accuracy and repeatability, compared to other universal steering systems. It is also compatible with John Deere’s iGuide automatic implement guidance and GreenStar documentation systems.

AutoTrac Controller needs to be fitted by a John Deere dealer, which may take one or two days depending on the level of modification required. Currently it can be fitted to selected John Deere 6000/6010 and 7000/7010 Series tractors plus Fendt Vario, Case IH Steiger and Case IH MX Magnum models – further information on approved platforms can be found at the www.StellarSupport.com website.

In addition to AutoTrac Controller, the Universal AutoTrac 200 aftermarket steering kit continues to be available for more than 300 models of John Deere and competitive self-propelled machines, including combines and foragers as well as tractors.

John Deere’s latest award-winning round baler and forage harvester technology will be featured on the company’s stand at Grassland UK 2012 at the Bath & West Showground, Somerset in May.

The revolutionary Fast Release System (FRS) featured on new 900 Series variable chamber round balers, which employs a unique ‘curtain’ design to replace the traditional heavy rear door, won an innovation award at the FIMA fair in Zaragoza, Spain in February. Now in production for the 2012 season, the 960 and 990 model balers employ this state-of-the-art technology to significantly improve baler output, bale density and operator comfort, which can lead to savings of up to an hour a day during harvest.

Working together with the exclusive full-frame design for reliability and durability, FRS speeds up the bale ejection process by enabling the operator to unload the completed bale in less than five seconds, which is up to 10 seconds faster than a conventional machine.

The 900 Series balers are available with a choice of 2.2m wide RotoFlow or MaxiCut 13- or 25-knife precutter high capacity pick-ups, and produce bale diameters from 80 to 160cm and 80 to 185cm respectively. Both balers are ISOBUS certified and can be equipped with a GreenStar 1800 display for controlling most of the key machine settings and functions.

The SIMA 2011 Gold Medal award winning Tractor Implement Automation (TIA) system is also now available as an option on the 900 Series balers. When operated with a tractor featuring ISOBUS, a continuously variable transmission and electronic SCVs, this baler automation system also significantly reduces the harvest workload – instead of the driver having to stop the tractor to open and close the rear of the baler, TIA manages everything using simple fingertip controls to complete the baling process.

John Deere’s advanced HarvestLab constituent sensing system for the 7050 Series self-propelled forage harvester range was also awarded a DLG Silver Medal at Agritechnica 2011.

The system has been enhanced for 2012 to sense additional maize silage quality parameters, such as protein, sugar, starch, fibre (ADF/NDF) and ash content, either on–the-go on the forager or as a portable stationary unit for use by both farmers and feed nutritionists. This is designed to help silage producers manage their feed rations and additive calculations more efficiently, and to provide better control of feed costs.

There is also a new interest free finance offer available from John Deere Financial on all new John Deere round balers ordered by 30th April 2012, in the UK only. The offer is for 0+36 monthly payments at zero per cent interest, with the amount financed limited to 50 per cent of the retail value.

As usual, other credit profiles are available on request, and the availability of finance is subject to status and terms & conditions – further details are available at www.JohnDeereFinancial.co.uk or from John Deere’s UK dealers.

John Deere dealer Templetuohy Farm Machinery Ltd has taken over the Co Wicklow trading area from Derek Plant Farm Machinery, providing full sales, service and parts support from its existing branches at Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and Portlaoise, Co Laois.

Following some internal reorganisation, four full-time staff have been appointed specifically to support customers in Co Wicklow. Two experienced TFM salesmen, Ken Goggin and Peter Breen, are now looking after the new area in addition to their existing responsibilities, while John Conroy (ex-Matt Buckley Tractor Spares and John Deere dealer Murphy’s Garage Headford) has been taken on at the Thurles branch to handle sales in Co Tipperary.

A new service technician, Philip Driver, has been appointed to cover the West Wicklow area, while a second technician vacancy has been advertised and should be filled shortly. Both these technicians’ service vehicles will stock a range of fast moving parts, and the dealership will provide guaranteed next day parts delivery from the Enniscorthy and Portlaoise branches to ensure continuity of supply and service to John Deere customers in Co Wicklow.

Templetuohy Farm Machinery, which was established at Thurles in 1981, is also launching a new hire fleet service across the whole of its trading area, which includes a fourth branch at Clonmel, Co Tipperary. In addition to John Deere’s full line of agricultural equipment, TFM’s other key franchises include Caterpillar and Schaeffer farm loaders, and Lemken ploughs and cultivation equipment.

The Guild of Agricultural Journalists and John Deere Limited have announced the dates of this year’s training course for potential agricultural and horticultural journalists - Sunday to Tuesday July 8 to 10, 2012 (plus three days’ work experience to be arranged for successful applicants).

Now in its 20th year, the course is designed to support one of the principal aims of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists - that of promoting schemes for the provision of suitable entrants into agricultural and horticultural journalism.

Many of today’s journalists and PR executives working in the land-based industries received an early boost to their careers from winning a place on previous John Deere Training Award courses - they include 2011 course member Rhian Price, who joined Poultry World in January as a new reporter, and course winner Matthew Sharp, who is now busy freelancing for Farmers Weekly, Farming Online, the National Farmers Union and Newcastle Journal’s farming section.

The John Deere Training Award is aimed at graduating students keen to work in the agricultural and horticultural media, and at journalists or public relations staff who have less than 12 months’ practical work experience.

There are 10 places available on this annual course, which is in two parts. The first two full days, at John Deere’s headquarters in Langar, Nottingham, involve lectures by experienced training consultant David Mascord, with practical exercises that cover the main media sectors. The final three days see each of the selected course members given practical work experience at one of a range of specialist magazines, newspapers or PR consultancies across the UK.

At the end of the course, each person has to write a news story for judging by an expert panel. The winner receives a £250 cheque and the handsome John Deere trophy, with an informal presentation taking place later in the year.

Those interested in attending the course, who must be studying or resident in Great Britain, have until Friday May 25, 2012 to return a completed application form available to download from the www.deere.co.uk website or direct from the course organiser Steve Mitchell of ASM Public Relations, tel: 024 7630 8912, mobile: 07717 213182 or e-mail: steve@asmpr.co.uk

The course is completely free of charge, although successful applicants are expected to cover their own out of pocket expenses. For further details please contact Steve Mitchell.

Integrated Emissions Control system part of optimized technology solution

WATERLOO, Iowa (March 2, 2012) — John Deere has announced the continuation of its planned building block approach to meet United States Final Tier 4 and European Union Stage IV emissions regulations, which require particulate matter (PM) levels established by Interim Tier 4/Stage III B regulations to be maintained, while requiring an additional 80 per cent reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx) from previous regulations.

Introduction timing will vary by model and geography, but in general, deliveries will begin to take place during sales year 2014 for larger than 174hp/130kW models and will be extended to lower power classes through 2016. The timing difference is due to differences in regulation date by engine power class.

To meet Final Tier 4/Stage IV emissions regulations in some power categories, John Deere has developed the Integrated Emissions Control system — an optimised after-treatment solution paired with the performance enhanced, fuel-efficient Interim Tier 4/Stage III B engine platform featuring proven cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). The John Deere Integrated Emissions Control system will typically consist of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), diesel particulate filter (DPF) and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system specifically designed to meet the rigorous demands of off-highway applications. John Deere will continue to tailor its Integrated Emissions Control System configurations to fit a variety of off-highway applications.

“At John Deere, we continue to offer the right combination of technologies at the right time to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations and customer needs,” said John Piasecki, director of worldwide marketing, sales and customer support for John Deere Power Systems. “Exhaustive research and testing has determined that an application-specific SCR system that is well integrated with our proven Interim Tier 4/Stage III B engine platform will be the best solution to achieve Final Tier 4/Stage IV emissions compliance while delivering the power, performance, ease of operation, fluid efficiency, reliability and economical operating cost that our customers expect from John Deere.”

Consisting of an exhaust filter and SCR after-treatment components that are optimised and fully integrated, the new Integrated Emissions Control system will allow John Deere engines to utilise less diesel exhaust fluid (DEF, eg AdBlue) than alternative Interim Tier 4 SCR technology solutions. Lower DEF consumption means the DEF tank size can be smaller — minimising the impact on vehicle applications, extending DEF filter service intervals and reducing operator involvement. Monitored and controlled by proprietary electronics within John Deere’s enhanced engine control unit (ECU), the Integrated Emissions Control system also provides outstanding fluid efficiency without sacrificing overall performance.

Like John Deere’s approach to previous tiers, its Final Tier 4/Stage IV technology solution has been designed to consider overall performance and operating efficiency, which takes into account total fluid consumption including diesel fuel and additional fluids such as diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). John Deere Final Tier 4/Stage IV engines will operate efficiently with traditional ultra low-sulphur diesel as well as biodiesel 5 to 20 per cent (B5-B20) blends meeting applicable ASTM standards, providing optimal performance and fuel choice flexibility.

John Deere is one of the few manufacturers dedicated to providing efficient power to meet the needs and rigours of off-highway applications. Designing engines for OEM applications and their own agricultural, construction and forestry machines provides John Deere with unique expertise in integrating the engine into the rest of the vehicle including the drivetrain, hydraulics, electronic control unit (ECU), cooling package and other vehicle systems for optimised efficiency. This integrated process will benefit John Deere machine owners and OEM customers by maximising performance, operator convenience, fluid economy and overall value.

John Deere’s proven worldwide dealer network of over 4000 service locations is trained and prepared to fully support customers and their Final Tier 4/Stage IV engines.

A new fleet of John Deere equipment has been delivered by local dealer Ben Burgess Newmarket to Jockey Club Estates, as part of the organisation’s ongoing investment in the Newmarket Training Grounds and their facilities to ensure that they remain an international centre of excellence for thoroughbred racehorse training.

The 2500 acres of grounds include around 70 miles of turf gallops and 19 miles of all-weather gallops, which are used on a daily basis by over 2500 horses in the care of more than 70 trainers. Training grounds manager Nick Patton supervises two teams of 12 grounds maintenance staff, known as Heathmen, working on the Bury and Racecourse side sites on either side of the town of Newmarket, as well as a foreman at the National Hunt training facilities at The Links, which are also part of the estate.

These are the first John Deere machines to be used on the estate, and were acquired through a John Deere Financial replacement lease programme. They include two 3520 eHydro compact tractors, one equipped with a 300CX front loader, three 1445 front mowers, two XUV 855D Gator utility vehicles in olive & black livery, and an X740 diesel lawn tractor.

“We chose the John Deere machines after a lengthy tender process involving various manufacturers and extensive on-site demonstrations,” says Nick Patton, who had experience of John Deere machines in his previous roles at Market Rasen and Nottingham racecourses. “We use machinery very intensively, so it has to be ruggedly built to cope with the demands placed on it.

“Ben Burgess were very forthcoming and helpful, especially through that whole process, and we also had good feedback from our friends and neighbours at the racecourse, who operate John Deere tractors as part of the official supplier agreement with Jockey Club Racecourses.”

The front mowers have been fitted with Trimax flail decks, to deal with the rugged terrain and different types of grass areas around the estate, including roadside verges, and the compact tractors were chosen for their compact design and manoeuvrability.

“Apart from gritting during the winter, and some grass cutting with rear mounted mowers, we’ll be using the compacts to maintain the 14m diameter lunging rings, as they have a really good turning circle,” Nick Patton adds. “We also carry out contracting jobs for the trainers, mostly power harrowing and rotavating their indoor yards – most of these weren’t built for machinery access, so the tractors are also very handy for getting in and out of these tight areas.

“We went the finance route as I believe leasing has many advantages. It’s more cost effective, it makes budgeting and forward planning much easier, and it allows us to upgrade to new technology as and when required – plus John Deere equipment is known for its high resale value. For me leasing just makes a lot of sense when purchasing new equipment.”

John Deere’s new global suite of advanced technologies under the name FarmSight, designed to help optimise machinery and farm operations, will be the main focus of the company’s stand at the 2012 Precision Farming Event in March.

The John Deere FarmSight strategy integrates wireless technology into the arable farmer’s and contractor’s business, as well as the John Deere dealership, to a much deeper level than ever before. In the future, the system will connect equipment, owners, operators, dealers and agricultural consultants in order to enhance productivity and increase efficiency, by sharing information as well as sustainable practices to help reduce overall input costs.

A range of integrated solutions will include user-friendly monitors, sensors and wireless networks for machinery, and agronomic data to facilitate operational decision making. One of the first John Deere FarmSight elements is the newly developed JDLink Inside telematics machine monitoring system.

This advanced, web-based telematics solution includes hardware and a JDLink Ultimate subscription for the following John Deere product ranges – new models are being supplied with a complimentary subscription for the machine’s first year:

* new Stage IIIB compliant John Deere 8R Series and 7R Series tractors;

* new Stage IIIB compliant John Deere W660, all T-Series and all S-Series combines;
* self-propelled forage harvesters.

Besides remote monitoring of a machine’s location, fuel consumption and status, JDLink Ultimate also enables remote monitoring and diagnostics via John Deere’s exclusive Service ADVISOR technology. Using this system, the machine automatically generates message alerts via e-mail or mobile phone (SMS) when service or maintenance is required.

Based on the machine owner’s preference, message alerts can be sent directly to the owner or fleet manager, the John Deere dealer or both. This entirely new level of service increases the efficiency of machine diagnostics, maintenance and repair, and so reduces machine downtime.

With the customer’s agreement, the dealer is able to remotely access machines from his office base. This enables him to access service or fault codes, as well as details about the machine. He can also make software updates and diagnoses from the dealership. And with full JDLink access, he’ll also know the machine's exact location, so that the service technician can arrive precisely when and where he’s needed.

A new optional extra for JDLink Ultimate, to be introduced later in 2012, features remote access to allow the subscriber to view the machine’s GreenStar 2630 in-cab display. This would let the machine owner or the dealer assist the operator with a problem without having to travel to the machine, as well as providing remote diagnosis of the machine or third party ISOBUS implements; it could also be used for machine optimisation.

Another new element of the FarmSight strategy is Machine Sync, which was one of five innovations awarded a DLG Silver Medal at Agritechnica 2011. Designed for use with combines and tractors, Machine Sync enables these machines to exchange data on-the-move to improve the efficiency of the harvesting and unloading operation, and allows the combine operator to ‘guide’ a tractor and trailer alongside the harvester.

In addition, as one of a new range of complementary services being provided within the FarmSight initiative, a fast growing number of participating John Deere dealers can now offer RTK (real time kinematic) satellite signal availability in their trading areas.

The need for increased, repeatable positioning accuracy (to +/-2cm), specifically for automatic guidance and machine automation applications, drives the need for this new RTK service. It is recommended for customers who require the very highest levels of accuracy for crop establishment, treatment and harvesting applications, such as potato growers or those wishing to carry out controlled traffic farming (CTF).