With the newly designed 24-speed 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. This double clutch technology is already established in the prestige car industry, and is now available in a tractor for the first time.
It has been designed to serve the needs of larger arable farms and contractors. The DirectDrive transmission 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 flow, 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-efficient 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 50km/hr 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 140-210hp from summer 2012.
For more information visit: www.johndeere.co.uk.
