A number of new John Deere products are being shown on the company’s stand (B211) at this week’s Cereals 2012, covering trailed sprayers, large square balers, tractors and precision farming applications.

 

John Deere’s new R962i 6200-litre sprayer is being shown for the first time in the Sprays & Sprayers demonstration area at a Cereals event. Aimed at larger arable farms, it is now the biggest model in the company’s trailed range, and has the highest ever pump capacity.

 

Designed and manufactured at the Horst sprayer factory in the Netherlands, this high specification machine is equipped as standard with a number of intelligent and automated features designed to make spraying easier, more accurate, more efficient and more profitable.

 

Also on display for the first time at Cereals 2012 is a John Deere liveried large square baler, following the agreement with Kuhn announced in May 2011. There will be three basic models in the new range, with a choice of Rotoflow or Maxicut precutter pick-ups and pick-up widths of 2.1 or 2.3m, depending on model. These machines produce bale sizes of 70 or 80 x 120cm or 80 x 80cm, up to 3m long.

 

The John Deere 6R Series tractor range now includes six new small and medium frame models rated from 105 to 150hp. Nine tractors altogether are now available in this range for 2012, with PowerTech engines up to 210hp, or 240hp with Intelligent Power Management for road and pto applications.

 

Featuring the new John Deere tractor family styling, all 6R models offer new levels of power, performance and operator comfort, including improved suspension and cab visibility, more powerful hydraulics and increased lift capacities.

 

Staying with tractors, 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 provides non-John Deere and mixed fleet users in particular with the same benefits and advantages as the established AutoTrac automatic steering system.

 

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, with fuel savings of 10 to 15 per cent.

 

AutoTrac Controller provides fast line acquisition and can be used at all accuracy levels with improved accuracy and repeatability, including the free StarFire 1 signal (30cm), StarFire 2 (10cm) and StarFire RTK (2cm). It is also compatible with John Deere’s iGuide automatic implement guidance and GreenStar documentation systems.

 

John Deere has also 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 app allows arable farmers and contractors in particular to monitor and manage their equipment fleets on the move, from a smartphone.

 

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.