It was certainly the main attraction of John Deere’s stand at last year’s Agritechnica in Germany, and now the first of the long awaited John Deere 9RX range of four-tracked tractors has touched down in Australia.
The 570hp 9570RX made its public debut at the 2016 Wimmera Machinery Field Days last week.
Standing tall and proud at John Deere dealership Emmetts’ stand at the field days, the tractor complements the 9R and 9RT high-horsepowered tractor series currently operating in Australia.
It is powered by a Tier 4 / EU Stage IV emission standards compliant six-cylinder Cummins engine and features an 18 speed power shift transmission with built-in efficiency manager.
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Emmetts brand sales manager Patrick Fox says the 9RX series offers advanced track technology not seen on other brands on the market.
“John Deere is running a longer track than some of its competitors which gives its machines a larger footprint and less heat through the idler rollers and the mid rollers; giving them a longer track life,” he says.
“John Deere runs an isolator track tensioning system which keeps the track tensioned until it has to be released, which could be to replace a belt or carry out maintenance on the track assembly.”
He adds the track tensioning system is fully isolated, so in the unlikely event of a machine hydraulic failure the track tension is not compromised and drivers can still operate the tractor in limp home mode.
“We only run two mid rollers instead of three but because we are running extra track tension and the rollers are wider than some of the competitors, we don’t get any track bulging or lift as the machine is driving over rough terrain.”
Another major advancement of the 9RX over its predecessors, according to Fox, is the new cab suspension which has spring loaded shockers on each corner and four-bar linkage to control cab movement.
“It’s like an independent four point cab suspension system,” he says.
After arriving in Australia in February this year, the tractor has been to Naracoorte for product training purposes before going on display at the Wimmera Machinery Field Days where the general public got to see the majestic machine for the very first time.
From there, the 9570RX will make its way around the country on a field day tour before being put up for sale.
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Video: Tom Dickson