Excavators, dozers showcased at John Deere event

John Deere Construction & Forestry capped its dealer and customer training series with a trade press event at its facility in Sacaton, Ariz. The event offered an up-close look at some of John Deere’s latest equipment, including excavators, crawler dozers, backhoe loaders, scrapers and tractors.

John Deere’s 300G LC excavator was among the machines John Deere showcased. Mark Wall, John Deere’s product marketing manager for excavators, offered an overview of the 300G LC, pointing out that the construction-class machine is Tier 4 Final compliant and at a heavier operating weight than its predecessor, the 290G LC.

According to John Deere, the 300G LC offers 19 percent more horsepower, 17 percent more swing torque and larger hydraulic pumps than the 290G LC. Operators do not have to worry about diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning, Wall adds, because it occurs automatically with no impact to machine operation. In addition, the company says the DPF can go up to 15,000 hours before ash removal is needed.

The Hitachi Zaxis 300 LC excavator was also on site for discussion. Mike Boyle, a product consultant manager at John Deere, says the machine offers an additional 414 lbs. of lift capacity compared to its predecessor.

A walk-around of the 1050K crawler dozer was also offered. John Deere says this machine is the largest and most powerful dozer it’s ever built. The 1050K incorporates a Tier 4 Final diesel engine with 350 hp. A dual-path hydrostatic transmission allows operators to push a full load through turns without losing material, the company adds.

The 1050K also features Eco mode, which is designed to optimize fuel economy while maintaining ground speed by automatically adjusting engine speed and transmission settings based on load.

“There’s no loss in productivity running in Eco mode,” says Mark Oliver, John Deere’s crawler dozers product marketing manager.

Backhoe loaders were also reviewed, specifically the company’s new L-Series, which features six models. A 310SL HL was available for a discussion.

According to Brian Hennings, John Deere’s product marketing manager for backhoe and tractor loaders, the 310SL HL features a Tier 4 Final diesel engine. Five others in the L-Series also sport Tier 4 Final engines.

The 310SL HL offers more backhoe lift capacity – 25 percent more, in fact, according to John Deere – than comparable K-Series models.

Photos: John Deere