We took delivery of a new JD770G yesterday. Traded off our JD770D. I spent most of the day personalizing the machine. Shot some pictures and a video. Our machine is Tier IV. I like most of the changes to the G Model. Serviceability is greatly improved. Several technological advances in information and services the computer will provide, they even added a thermometer. I do not like the new main beam as it limits straight forward visibility but I'll deal with it. Check out this video. I'll try to get pictures posted in the next couple days. I'll also follow up with reports as I start running the machine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuxvolp5-A
Ovrszd, good video, will be great to see photos, have been waiting for some one to post info on the deere g series, good stuff.
I'll try to post a few pictures. First I want to point out the difference in the moldboard between the standard 24" board on the JD770D and the optional 27" board on the JD770G. It appears the curve is different but it might simply be because of the added height. I'll let the math techno geeks figure that out. It looks massive in comparison.
While I'm on the moldboard, check out the difference in the blade side adjusters. Looks to be a lot simpler to adjust. Not saying they'll last any longer....
Next I'll point out visibility differences. First, straight out the front. I'm including CAT 140M, JD770D, JD770G. You try to figure out which is which. We'll make it a contest.
How about serviceability, same scenario, same three machines. First left side of engine compartment.
How about right side. sorry my pics are quite as good on this side.
View straight from the front outside.
Let's go for a rear view.
Sorry I don't have good comparison pics from the side but I'll post what I got.
Fuel fill location.
Trying to find pics that I have similar of. Here's a shot from the rear side of the front axle.
Here's a not too informative shot of the blade circles.
Rear skid plate protection.
VERY NICE. That should make a long day seem a lot shorter.
These three aren't a great comparison but use your imagination.
Here's an operational video I shot today. Excuse the quality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZopCqcgd8PM
That is one very well built grader ovrszd, especially around the circle area, the engine and cooler design is well thought out, coolers have to be more efficient than a stacked design, l am tempted to go with the right hand side blade lift levers on my next grader because what you said makes a lot of sense, l suppose its just a matter of retraining the brain, keep the reports coming in.
As usual ovrszd, excellent photos and video, I really enjoyed the commentary. You make a much better Deere salesman than the one I was talking to the other day at the field days here, where they had the G model on display. It was a bit too much trouble for him to get out of his deck chair. The G is a very nice machine and I do like the serviceability of it. Your comment about the oil filler amused me, I think you can apply that to most machines, some of them needing about three angles as well as the funnel. Looking forward to the next report. RnR.
Thanks for the comments. My salesman surprised me by changing this machine to one hand controls since he knew I'd change it anyway. He was proud that he had done that for me. Only problem was the mechanic that did it knew nothing about what he was doing and neither did the salesman. He located both lift levers on the right side alright but the levers were both "forward" and three levers apart. Salesmen should be required to be operators first.... I'll get my wife to run the camera this weekend and I'll shoot a video of placing the circle/blade in bank mode. Pretty amazing that the blade has that much flexibility. I use it often in that position. Thanks again for the comments. I'm glad everyone enjoys it. Always a good exchange of information on this website.
The first edition G models advertised stacked coolers on roll out racks. Bragged about ease of cleaning, etc. The Tier IV edition required a larger cooling system for the engine. I'm guessing Deere was concerned about keeping the engine cool so unstacked the coolers for even better efficiency. I really like the current design. I understand Construction Companies not wanting machines with one hand controls. As operators change they would have to retrain. For anyone being the sole operator of a grader it's a very good design. A lot more efficient and allows quicker blade adjustments, especially when pushing snow, adjusting both ends of the blade, while turning a corner at speed. I can lift/lower both ends of the blade, rear steer, and steer the front wheels all without repositioning my hands. It's as efficient as you can be with a rack design. Only thing better would be joystick controls. But then how ya gonna hold the camera???
Awesome pics and post ovrszd. Too bad you didn't have a Volvo there too just to see the differences. Now I wish I had highspeed internet so I could see your videos.
I walked around a Volvo once and took some pics but I've never ran one. I'd love to have the opportunity.
I'd be interested to know why the 140M wasn't equipped with a transmission guard. I know it's an additional cost option and has to be ordered with the machine. But it seems strange to me that anyone would think of ordering a grader without one.
Me too. For anything but light duty road maintenance it's a must have in my opinion.
I've ran the new grader 40 hours. Mostly it was an easy transition. But as always,,, I've got comments. Took several hours to get accustomed to the automatic reversing fan. Freaked me out the first day. It's noisy enough that I still here it cycle. The other day I was running in dry conditions with a lot of dried weeds/grass trash floating around. When I finished that day I opened up the grader and checked the coolers. No trash buildup at all. That's cool. The new 9.0L Tier IV engine is very, very quiet. Until I get used to the feel of the engine I'm frequently checking the tachometer to see what the engine is doing. The cab mounts have also been redesigned which has eliminated vibration and engine noise. The whole setup isolates the operator from the engine. The G Model has a feature called Anti Stall. The computer monitors conditions and prevents the engine from being stalled. When activated the program shifts the transmission to neutral and signals activation on the control panel. To continue the shifter must be moved to neutral or park and back into the selected gear. I've activated this three times already. It's always when doing a delicate blade task with the engine at idle or near idle. The powertrain is so quiet I can't yet feel what's going on. I'm hoping to get more settled in as I put more hours on the machine and activate this feature less. I haven't started a log yet for fuel economy but will. This machine seems to be easier on fuel than the D model. I'll verify the figures and report that over the next couple hundred hours of use. The seat is taking a little getting used to. It appears to be very similar to the D model seat but the arm rests are different and the pads are different. There is no tilt adjustment on the lower seat pad. The pad is tipped to far rearward for my build and there is no adjustment for that. When I have the height set where I want it the backs of my upper legs go to sleep after 4-5 hours. I never had that problem with the D model. I'll try lowering the entire seat a little and see if that helps. But I like to sit high with my feet flat on the floor and the backs of my legs being supported by the seat pad. The "engine control" or cruise control has three functions. "Off" which is self explanatory and the engine rpms are controlled strictly by the foot pedal. "Auto" which allows the operator to set the engine speed at 50 rpm intervals from idle to governed speed. Auto can be disabled or overridden by pressing the brake pedal or the accelerator pedal. "Manual" which allows the operator to set the engine speed at 50 rpm intervals from idle to governed speed. Manual is disabled by turning off the selector. The brake pedal and/or accelerator pedal have no effect. Well mine is not working right. In the Manual setting the brake pedal does not disengage it, but if you touch the acclerator it kicks it off. I'll run it that way until a time when the service truck is making a trip and then I'll have them check it out. It's not a big deal to me because I'm not used to the Manual setting anyway, the D model didn't offer that. Two other changes of note are the front frame redesign and the rear view mirrors. I'll address both of those in my following posts.
The rear view mirrors were redesigned on the G model. They are now taller and narrower. Also instead of being convex like the D model mirrors, they are flat glass. Initially I thought that was an improvement. Let's me see the rear tires while still being able to look down the road behind me for traffic. Now what I see is a handicap. I can't see out to the side in the mirrors. So if I'm backing around a corner or wanting to back into a side driveway or gateway I can't see it without looking over my shoulder. I've attached a couple pics. I was trying to back the grader around this sharp curve when I took these shots. :Banghead
The next big change was the redesign of the front main frame. It's raised a lot. I don't think they gained any significant blade raised height but they did gain throat clearance. The blade will carry a lot bigger load without bridging against the bottom of the circle table. This is a plus, especially since we are running a 27" blade versus our old 24" blade. But what was sacrificed is forward visibility. It really concerns me when grading over sharp, steep hilltops. I'm completely on top of the hill before I can see if anyone is coming unless I lean clear over to each side almost against the door glass to look around the main frame. I've attached a series of pictures taken as I crested this hill while blading. Look how far over the top of the hill I am before I can clearly see the road in front of me. Again,,, as I've mentioned before,,, in DEERE's defense it's still WAAAAYYYY better than the front visibility out of a CAT M series. But I miss the great forward visibility I had with the D model.
Do you know if there is a different version of the machines comming into canada? I have had both an 872g and a currently a 772 gp and have noticed a few differerances in your posted pictures. Also, the mirrrors on both the machines i had were not flat glass, but had a slight convex to them. ( they could be a little bigger though.) the only problem I have had was the 872 needed two ball joints after 6 months and the 772 gp dosent like the cold weather and has over injected its self on the cold start system. Over all , im impressed by both machines, but I really like the GP model. I love having the old fashioned style controls on the armrests.
I don't know about differences in Canada, but I can't think they'd be significant. There is quite a change between the Tier III models versus the Tier IV models. Especially in the design around the engine compartment. Radiators are totally different as are the side panels and top panel over the engine. Ours is a fresh built Tier IV. I ran a demo 672GP last year for about 30 hours. I too liked the controls. Felt less arm/wrist/hand fatigue after running all day. But that's a $17K option. We couldn't justify that cost just to make me feel better. Couldn't see any significant productivity gain since we are only doing road maintenance. Our machine is spoiled and is always parked inside and always plugged in if anticipating cold start.
The $ 17,000 option is alot but with the electronic controls also comes cross slope. I've been pricing cross slope to add to a 'D' and the Topcon system is about $ 17,000 alone. The Trimble system is 20,000-25,000. So if a person wants or can use cross slope ( which most of us road jockey's can), it is worth the extra ching. IMO.
Yep, I agree that if you "need" cross slope or Topcon to gain productivity then it's worth the $17K. But if you just "want" those features to make operation easier, then it's not worth it. In my case I would not feel comfortable discussing the expenditure of $17K to one of my taxpayers so I wouldn't have to worry about cutting grade while maintaining a roadbed manually. I think a similar discussion could be had concerning all wheel drive. That's around $25K. I don't think I would cost effectively use that option more than a dozen hours a year at most. Again,,,, extremely hard to justify that to a taxpayer. The last time I got my grader stuck was fifteen years ago and totally due to my stupidity while installing a road tube. I've never been stuck pushing snow. In the case of DEERE machines, the 6 series only engage all wheel drive in the first 4 gears. I push snow in sixth, so a 6 series all wheel drive wouldn't be much use to me. But then if I had a 6 series I'd probably find myself in those lower gears more often because of a lack of HP. So I think both of these options have to be justified by the use of the machine. For normal gravel road maintenance use, it'd be hard to justify either option. For new construction use or heavy construction or mining use I could see both being cost effective.
Good write up richard. Its good to hear the different view points from the old vs new. I was surprised to deere went with the 9.0L but glad they did.. I will be interested to hear what you have on fuel consumption??
the six wheel drive on the new deere graders works in gears 1 to 7. it shuts off in 8th gear. i do like the "snail" mode, which supplies power to only the front wheels. I only works in the first 3 gears, and you get 15 different settings, some of which are even slower than first. just havent found a need for it yet.
Regarding AWD.... I used to think similiar thoughts. BUT, the trade deal on a Sioux Falls SD 6 month lease machine made the 140M AWD deal work, so now we have one with two seasons on gravel and one on snow. Last winter offered plenty of experience, drivers run with the front axle on quite a bit of the time, it changes what the machine will do. Leave it off for a bit and the machine feels like it is missing something. I have done enough snow with non AWD machines to know it can be done, but AWD does raise the output a bunch here and makes it easier to drive in tough conditions, particularly with heavy wing work.
Yep, I can definitely see where you would benefit more from the GP option and the AWD option. You know, on the surface, at a glance, a person might think all graders are operated the same and require the same equipment. But that's just not the case anymore. Thirty years ago when rigid framed, non-hydraulic machines were the normal that was more true. But today with the technological advances a grader takes on so many more technical tasks. That makes those expensive options more cost effective. Obviously your machine requirements are completely different than mine. I guess that variety of need would also explain why CAT makes so many different models. They try to fill all those needs. DEERE hasn't branched out that much yet and maybe never will. We'll see I guess.
Very well explained and I totally agree. When I'm up to the top of my tires in deep drifted snow with the plow and wing on I'd sometimes like to have that AWD switch to push!!!! I've got a 45hp Kubota CUT tractor with a loader. It's 4WD. Trying to use the loader in 2WD is frustrating. The output of the tractor in 4WD versus 2WD is considerably more. Same thing would apply with a grader. Every time we trade for a new machine we look at AWD. So far the money just hasn't worked out yet. But maybe it will someday. This last trade a JD672G (AWD) was more money than a JD770G (rear wheel drive). We looked at it pretty close and even ran a demo JD672G, but just couldn't justify the cost difference along with losing HP.
I finally remembered to track fuel consumption over the past week. Put 45 hours on the machine doing gravel road maintenance. 5.69 gallons per hour. Running 1400-1500 rpm in 5th first two passes 7 mph, same rpm in 7th last pass 14th mph. I think that economy would plummet if running full rpm. Getting settled in now. Machine is loosening up and seems more powerful, still under 100 hrs. Still don't like the tall mainframe, struggle to see over it when cresting hills. I do see the advantage as far as table movement. Like the 3" taller moldboard, holds more material without running over the top. Continually amazed at the quietness of the powertrain.