Deere Tour Showcases Both High And Low-Tech Innovations

Deere Tour Showcases Both High And Low-Tech Innovations TRACTORS Miscellaneous 30-5-29 When FARM SHOW was invited to join a group of editors and broadcasters for a tour of Deere's major research center in Waterloo, Iowa, I jumped at the chance. What a place! It combines high security with high technology. No cameras were allowed and everyone had to have a badge on at all times. The highlight was the labs where new ideas and new designs are tested, modified and tested again. Computerized hydraulic arms imitate actual field conditions, shaking equipment for hours to simulate years in the field. The most exciting part of the labs for me was the virtual reality room. Once a piece of equipment has been designed on the computer, it's projected on one of three panels against a wall. Flashing lights indicated how wind would pass over and around the equipment. Then the magic began. The two end panels were folded in to form a three-sided box. We all donned 3-D glasses, and suddenly a tractor was standing before us. The engineer in charge gave me a chance to walk toward the tractor. The tractor would move, giving me different views. Then he told me to walk into the hood. I knew it was just a computer-generated image, but it was still hard to do. When I forced myself to do it, the computer eliminated the hood, and I found myself staring at the top of the engine. It was amazing how the mind didn't want to believe that the image wasn't real. The next day we did a ride and drive. We saw sprayers and tractors not only guide themselves down the road, but also turn at the headlands while the operator watched. There was iGuide to keep equipment from slipping down hill on contour rows and iTec for assisted steering and iTec pro for even fancier steering at row ends and automating implement controls and more. It seemed like everywhere we turned the new technology was being turned up a notch. Then suddenly there it was - Deere's new, 74 hp/ 64 pto hp, 5403 tractor. Manufactured in India to Deere specifications, it has no GPS, no headland management, no assisted steering. It didn't even have a power shift. The 5403 has a basic collar shift transmission, 9 forward and three reverse speeds. The open platform is the fourth in a series of lower cost, basic tractors stretching from 50 to 74 hp. This one is the biggest of the group and carries the highest price of $22,188. "This design has been a tremendous success for us," says Barry Nelson, manager, public relations. "It's just an economically priced, very basic barnyard tractor for chores around the farm." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Barry E. Nelson, Agricultural Marketing Center, 11145 Thompson Avenue, Lenexa, Kan. 66219 (ph 913 310-8324; fax 913 310-8394; NelsonBarryE@JohnDeere.com).

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