Making the grade
John Deere integrates new machine control technology
John Deere
Construction &
Forestry will use
ConExpo in Las Vegas this
xMarch to showcase its most
complete set of grade
management solutions ever. The
OEM has announced these will
include SmartGrade, its fully
integrated 3D machine control
solution, available on various
Deere crawler dozers and the
company’s full line of motor
graders.
Unlike some rival solutions,
SmartGrade offers streamlined
integration with the vehicle
design. “The technology is
integrated into the machine,” says
Jason Daly, global director
marketing and support, for John
Deere Construction and Forestry.
“It eliminates external cables
to the masts, which reduces
breakage – and the removal of
the masts from the blades helps
decrease vulnerability to theft
and damage. SmartGrade
technology eliminates the need to
install blade-mounted sensors
and components
daily, reducing setup time
and allowing operators to get
more work done.
“In recent years there has
been the increased interest in
machine control. Technology
can help improve jobsite safety,
increasing an operator’s
situational awareness. In the
long term, improvements in
technology will bring additional
opportunities to further reduce
operator workload and increase
productivity and effi ciency.”
Staying connected
In recent years the OEM has
also been focusing on machine
telematics. The expanded use
and customer demand for
telematics has become broader
and more prevalent. This year’s
introduction of the John Deere
Connected Support solution,
enabled via the JDLink
telematics connection, leverages
a suite of dealer and factory
tools to deliver increased
productivity, uptime and lower
daily operating costs (for more
on how JDLink is being used to
enable precision farming, see
our connectivity feature on page
30).
“Telematics used to be
thought of as an additional
feature, but now it’s an industry
norm and becoming an industry
must,” says Daly. “Connected
Support allows our dealers to
monitor machines and
proactively react to any
maintenance issue, resulting in
faster repairs so machines get
back up and running sooner.
Looking ahead to ConExpo we’re
excited to focus on our
technology, and the future of the
construction industry. We
always look forward to meeting
with customers to learn how we
can empower them to be more
successful.” iVT
WHAT’S NEW
12 iVTInternational.com February 2020
A 772GP motor grader
featuring John Deere’s
SmartGrade solution
The JDLink telematics connection
SMARTGRADE TECHNOLOGY WILL BE A KEY PART OF JOHN
DEERE’S SHOWCASE OF GRADE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS
AT CONEXPO IN MARCH 2020
“SmartGrade
technology eliminates
the need to install
blade-mounted sensors and
components daily, reducing setup
time and allowing operators to get
more work done”
Jason Daly, global director
marketing and support, for John
Deere Construction and
Forestry
/iVTInternational.com