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John Deere hosts biggest product introduction in 25 yearsBy Doug Rich This summer John Deere held the biggest production introduction in 25 years. Nearly every department in the agriculture division had something new or vastly improved to show off. Agricultural media were invited to Cincinnati, Ohio on August 22 and 23 to see, ride, and drive the latest in John Deere technology. This was truly a national event with dealers, customers, and ag media from across the nation in attendance. Topping the list of new equipment was the revolutionary John Deere 7760 self-propelled cotton picker with on-board round module builder. This machine will change how cotton is harvested. "The 7760 Picker will build a round module on the machine while harvesting cotton," Jamie Flood, product marketing manager said. "Then it will wrap the cotton module in a protective film to preserve fiber and seed quality and minimize any crop loss during handling and transport." All of this happens without ever stopping the machine. This machine eliminates the need for dumping cotton into a boll buggy and then dumping into a module builder. The manpower and equipment needed to pick cotton is reduced while increasing the speed of the harvest process. According to John Deere there is a 26.7 percent increase in productivity over today's harvest system. The 7760 Cotton Picker has a 13.5L John Deere Power Tech Plus engine with 500 horsepower. This large engine is coupled with a ProDrive Automatic-Shift Transmission. "This full-time four-wheel-drive system allows the operator to shift smoothly on the go regardless of field conditions," Flood said. The cotton picker is designed to run for 12 hours without service. It has a 300-galloon fuel tank a 360-gallon water solution tank, and an 80 gallon picking unit lubrication tank. The price tag for the 9970 cotton picker is $592,548.00. Next on the list of new equipment is the John Deere 70 Series combines. "These machines are the latest evolution in the STS combine technology and are designed to provide customers with more capacity while managing the combine and harvest information in a simple, user-friendly environment," Seth Crawford, marketing manager at John Deere Harvester Works, said. There are four new models ranging in horsepower from 265 hp to 440 hp. The largest model, the 9870 STS has 440 hp, a 300 bushel grain tank, and the exclusive Intelligent Power Management system. The 9870 has the highest horsepower of any combine in North America. All of the new 70 Series combines feature improved operator control, more precise information during harvest, and more ways to manage residue. These new combines can be matched to the 600C Series corn heads. The 600C Corn Head has been redesigned with higher-speed stalk rolls, larger gathering chains and an improved auger. The 9870 STS combine, with increased capacity, can be mated to the 612C StalkMaster header with new CommandTouch Multi-Speed Feeder house drive. The new 600 series corn head take less material into the combine, reduce grain loss, and require less horsepower to operate. The lineup of new equipment included the 9030 series of tractors. This includes eight new tire and track equipped models ranging in horsepower from 325 to 530 horsepower. These tractors feature Category 5 drawbars which are new to John Deere. Operator comfort has been improved with the track models by the addition of a new AirCushion Suspension System. This is a walking I-beam suspension that provides a smoother ride in all field conditions. The historic product introduction also included forage harvesters, a mulch finisher, new five-section disk, strip-till residue applicator, new rate controller system for liquid fertilizer application, rotary mowers, and planters.
10/8/07 Date: 10/2/07
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