New transmission & Gator at LAMMA

DirectDrive transmission
DirectDrive transmission

In addition to the new 9R Series tractor, which is making its UK debut at LAMMA 2012, John Deere is showing a 6210R tractor equipped with the newly designed 24-speed DirectDrive transmission, and a new XUV 550 petrol engined Gator utility vehicle (see separate release), for the first time at a UK farming show.

With the DirectDrive transmission, John Deere has introduced a completely new technology to the agricultural machinery industry and a further option to the new 6R Series tractor range for 2012. This double clutch technology is already established in the prestige car industry, and will be available on a tractor for the first time.

DirectDrive has been designed to serve the needs of larger arable farms and contractors. It combines the handling comfort of an infinitely variable shift transmission (IVT) with the power efficiency of a mechanical transmission, and has been designed for specific tasks and load conditions which require continuous power, such as ploughing and towing, pto work and road transport.

Key customer benefits of this new transmission are enhanced power efficiency and improved fuel efficiency, resulting in savings of up to 10g/kWh compared to an IVT transmission. Additionally, just like in Formula 1 racing cars, electromagnetic actuators enable fast changes between speeds and ranges under varying temperature conditions, to make this transmission even more productive.

The operator can choose between a manual mode to take command of forward and reverse speed changes via the control lever, and an automatic mode. In this mode, the three range DirectDrive transmission enables fast changes between eight speeds under full load, and also provides fully automatic changes between the A, B and C ranges.

Depending on the actual load, the Efficiency Manager function optimises the tractor’s efficiency by automatically matching the appropriate speed and engine rpm. As a result, the new DirectDrive transmission offers a cost-effective alternative to existing IVTs.

Compared to the mechanical/hydraulic power split of an IVT, the DirectDrive transmission exclusively builds on a fully mechanical power flow. This results in a power efficiency improvement of approximately four per cent, without compromising operator comfort and productivity.

The straightforward transmission design also provides a choice of driving strategies to match all tasks, including transport work at a maximum speed of 50kph with a significantly reduced engine rpm (in Eco mode). The new John Deere DirectDrive transmission will be optionally available on all six-cylinder 6R Series tractors from 140 to 210hp, from late 2012.