ALL IN, ALL DEERE!

While it’s unknown if we will see these new machines in the UK, the big news pre-Conexpo, is the launch of an entire new range of hydraulic excavators from John Deere.

The long manufacturing/badging partnership between John Deere and Hitachi Construction Machinery came to an end in February 2022, and since that day we have been teased with what was coming down the line for John Deere in terms of excavators.

We saw some early examples during the last Conexpo exhibition in 2023, and at this year’s event in Las Vegas visitors will be able to see the manufacturers all new P-Tier mid-size excavator models, which comprise of the 210, 230 and 260 P-Tier machines which compete in the 20-tonne class sector.

According to John Deere, these machines have been redesigned from the ground up and boast more power, more performance and a whole raft of new and standard technology features complete with the latest industry standard electro-hydraulics controls. In addition, the machines are fitted with a 2D machine control system.

The manufacturer is certainly going “ALL IN” on excavators as its catchy slogan states, with a $70M investment in a new factory in Kernersville, North Carolina, that will see these machines being built in the USA going forward with all new generations of machines that would have previously been produced in Japan.

The new facility will offer gainful employment to over 150 people and signify that US manufacturing and innovation is alive and well in that region.

As with all machine developments no matter what brand, these new P-Tier hydraulic excavators, have been developed, tried and tested in real world applications, by invited customers, undertaking test drives and offering genuine feedback about improvements. According to a company spokesperson, the machines have amassed over 165,000 operational hours in the drive towards the final product design.

Looking back, John Deere's first in house manufactured hydraulic excavator was the JD690, which was introduced in 1969, it featured a 131 horsepower engine and offered a 6.4 meter digging depth. That machine was subsequently upgraded in 1971 to the JD690A model and soon after that in 1973 to the JD690B model. Older readers may recall that for a brief spell back in the 1970's these machines were available in the UK, I personally recall there being a full colour glossy poster in my fathers issue of Construction News back in the day.

Those of you who are attending Conexpo will be able to see the new John Deere built machines in the metal for the first time in Las Vegas.  

In the meantime checkout the promotional video below that is one of a series featuring these new machines!