John Deere will exhibit new precision technology for the construction industry at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023.
Andrew Kahler, the senior group product manager of precision construction at John Deere Construction & Forestry, says that John Deere's precision technology is aimed to improve the current operator experience and yield positive results down the road. He continues that the technology is "curated to help our customers manage their fleets, improve job site performance, and enhance operator skillsets, helping to equip the next generations of construction professionals."
John Deere will showcase its latest technology offerings including advanced vision and object detection solutions, SmartWeigh, standard EZ Grade on P-Tier small dozers and a variety of other grade management, and automation solutions at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023.
Improving job site safety
John Deere's next generation of production-class and utility-class loaders are designed to improve operator visibility and awareness. Select models can be equipped with new vision and object detection technology. This technology can enhance visibility and help detect obstacles that present job site risks.
Object detection technology, paired with a high-resolution camera and a dedicated display, helps enhance the operator experience and increase situational awareness. In addition, the vehicle trajectory logic technology overlays the projected vehicle reverse path to illustrate where the vehicle will move next.
Building upon the object detection enhancements, the Advanced Vision System integrates two digital cameras on the side view mirror frames, helping to provide increased visibility to the sides of the machine. Within the cab display, operators benefit from an integrated view of all cameras, helping to increase spatial awareness with wider views and enhanced clarity.
SmartDetect and SmartDetect with Assist are two of John Deere's new detection technologies. SmartDetect combines cameras and machine learning to help give operators a better view of their surroundings. The system alerts operators when an object enters the machine's projected travel path and provides unique detection alerts for people in the camera's entire field of view. With SmartDetect Assist, the machine will automatically stop before coming in contact with a person.
Increasing efficiency with weighing technology
One of the more advanced technology solutions that will be on display at the show is SmartWeigh. Aimed to improve cycle times when loading trucks or processing plants, this payload weighing system delivers increased accuracy, weighing capabilities, and ease of calibration. The technology helps operators hit loading targets and minimize material loss. Available fully equipped on loaders from the factory or as a 250-hour trial period, contractors that do not typically utilize payload weighing systems can trial the technology. SmartWeight is available on the full lineup of P and X-Tier utility wheel loaders and will soon be available on the production-size P-Tier models as well.
As part of the SmartWeigh system, the dynamic bucket weighing technology eliminates frequent raising and lowering of the boom. The bucket capture height can be set anywhere between 15 to 90 percent of the boom height and can be captured at any boom speed. Another key feature is that unlike other payload weighing systems, SmartWeigh does not require calibration with a known weight. This enables contractors to easily calibrate the system themselves without the need for outside assistance. Payload weighing data is also integrated with JDLink, meaning it can be accessed nearly anywhere and not just within the cab of the machine.
Also new to the P-Tier and X-Tier wheel loaders, Auto Level technology is designed to eliminate frequent bucket and fork adjustments. Operators moving or handling material do not have to worry about the load tipping too far backwards or forwards as the boom is raised up and down.
John Deere's grade management technology
John Deere will also showcase its grade management technology. The technology aims to help increase operator performance and accuracy. EZ Grade technology is standard on the John Deere small dozer line-up which aids operators in grading smooth finish passes by making small blade corrections automatically. EZ Grade technology is also available on the SmartGrade 333 P-Tier compact track loader, which will be on display at the show. Also available on the full line-up of small dozers is 2D slope control technology, which helps operators maintain flat and sloping grades by controlling the blade to a desired slope.
John Deere's small dozer line-up is available with a touchscreen display and John Deere telematics. The data captured, formerly known as JDLink or WITOS FleetView receivers, has been integrated into John Deere's Operations Center tool. This tool monitors machine data and makes recommendations for a job site with things like fuel efficiency in an easy-to-use dashboard view. Contractors who have purchased options such as WPT (Wirtgen Performance Tracker) with their machine will also be able to view this data in the Operations Center in the future.
