One of the Townships I operate for is looking for a new grader. I like Cat 120M graders, as one of the 3 Townships I run for has a new one. The Township that is looking for a new grader is comparing Deere to Cat. The Deere salesman called me yesterday wanting to demo a grader since the last Deere I ran was a 570. I told him that I liked the Cat M's because of the twin sticks, so bring a 672GP to demo. After further talk he told me that Deere has a new model grader that will be released at Conex March 7th. Until then he had no pictures or prices, but he told me that it will be a twin stick like a Cat M but would still have a steering wheel. Deere is making the new grader to compete against the Cat 120 M grader. I agreed to wait till the new Deere is out before deciding on a new grader. Has anyone heard about a new Deere grader coming? Thanks, Dave
Dave, thanks for posting this!!! I've ran Deere since 1989. My township gets a new one every 4 or 5 years. We were due to trade this past Summer. Didn't trade because the money wasn't quite right so will run this machine (2012 JD770G) another year or two. During the trade talk I repeatedly said to the Deere salesman that I didn't want to trade for a new "G" and then a subsequent model be introduced the next year!!!! He repeatedly assured me that wasn't happening. He's a horrible salesman. The salesman I had before was great. He died of a heart attack two years ago. Anyway, we also talked to CAT. They brought me a 12M to demo. I ran it for 20 hours. This would be the third M series I had an opportunity to run for 20 hours or so. I really like the joystick controls. I really hate a lot of other features of the M. But I'm not trying to start a brand war here. Five years ago I demo'd a JD672GP. Ran it for 40 hours. I liked it better than a standard rack Deere. Didn't quite like it as well as CAT's joystick. Did like the steering wheel for roading. I have a buddy going to the Conex show. I'll make sure he looks for this new model and gets good pics. Update this thread with any new information you hear and I'll do the same. Also keep us updated on your township's decision. Of course pictures if you get a new machine!!!
I talked with the Cat salesman today to see if he had heard about the new Deere grader. He replied that there was a new Deere grader roaming around in western Kansas. One of the Cat guys had seen it and got some pictures. He will send me some pictures tomorrow. He described it as still having a square windshield, with the same center console and steering wheel. It did have twin stick controls. The sticks had a t-handle on top, with both loaded with switches.. One of the things I like about the M series Cat, is the great view to the blade. I will reserve judgment till I get a chance to sit in the new Deere. I will be surprised if a square windshield has the same view of the bit as a M Cat. When I get the spy photos I will post them. Dave
I have got a bunch of pics comparing a Deere model D with the Cat M and a Deere model G with the Cat M. I run the Deere machines and have been Blessed to also have a Cat M a half mile from me that I can access. The Cat M has superior visibility out the lower corners of the cab to the ends of the blade. All other visibility out of the M cab sucks. Most operators learn to rear steer the machine into a "crab" position and look forward out the door window rather than try to look forward thru the clutter, narrow front window. I think if you are doing slow, delicate blade work the Cat is superior. I'm talking about staring down at the ends of the moldboard all day. If doing road maintenance work where you are wanting to look down the road ahead of you the Deere is superior. That's the type of work I do so that's all I can attest to. Serviceability of the Deere machine versus the Cat is a no brainer. For some reason the M drifts the front end more when blading gravel roads, not sure what that's all about. Even the Cat operator near me, who has ran our Deere, says the same thing. Not flaming so don't everyone get their panties in a wad. Just stating pure facts that I can prove with a series of pictures in regards to visibility. Very interested in seeing the pics you get!!! Thanks for offering them up.
If I missed an angle you are interested in let me know and I'll see if I have it.
Wish I could wear shorts to work
Hey, shooting those pics was NOT work.
That CAT doesn't look like much fun to work on. The motor sits low compared to the H series.
Yeah, that was what led my comment about serviceability. All of the filters are hidden by panels that must be unbolted except one. Not sure why they did that? The G Deere has all of the filters racked on the right side and everyone of them can be easily accessed. When I had a Cat M for a demo last Fall the salesman, very nice and intelligent salesman, plus a Cat factory Rep, came to talk to me. Travis was giving me the salesman tour walking around the M. When he opened the engine panels and started talking service I interrupted him and asked if he had ever directly compared Cat to Deere in this regard. He said no. Mr Newbury, the Cat Rep, softly said to Travis the salesman, you aren't going to like where this is going. We all chuckled. I pulled the Deere out of the shed and parked it beside the M. We spent the next hour directly comparing the two machines. All three of us learned something. The Cat rep took several cell phone pics.
Makes you wonder what goes on in the drawing rooms. Arrogance and/or ignorance come to mind. I could be wrong. But it seems that knowing exactly what your competitor is doing right or wrong would be one of the first few steps.
I agree. The Cat rep supposedly was instrumental in the development of the M series. He talked in all sorts of dialogues I didn't understand. Used words I had never heard of. When I asked why Cat didn't design the lower side panel on the Cat to fold out and removeable like the Deere so much better access could be gained to the filters, I got no response. When I complained about the horrible rear vision using the outside mirrors I also got no response. The fix there is for the arm the mirror is fastened to needing to be another 6" long. Problem with the short arm is you must swing the mirror arm rearward to get the mirror to protrude outside of the grader for better rear visibility. If you move it rearward enough to get that visibility you then cannot open/close the doors...... Many years ago we were trading and talking to both Cat and Deere. Cat was selling the G models then. One of the first points the Cat salesman brought up was that Cat offered Heat and Oil Pressure gauges where Deere only had warning lights/buzzers for those. I said valid point, but aren't they a bit hard to use. He said "oh no, they can be easily seen by looking over your shoulder". Gauges were mounted on the side of the engine compartment!!!!! That to me was an example of what you called arrogance. Take it or leave it, that's where they are.......
We , and when I say we, I mean the company I work for......Rented an 872D one summer. For me coming out of an old 730 Champion, it was a big grader. Power traction air conditioning cruise control ***? I spread 33000 tons of 3 inch and inch and a quarter minus that summer. Great comfort. I told the boss's son I liked it, but thought the old 730 had better visibility. I got the eye roll and he left. Besides that, and the fact that I already got the Volvo Sox and underwear, I thought it was a nice machine. I sat in one of the last Volvos a month ago. The city got a new 960. Nice machine, but I had to get out before the joysticks gave me hives. The operator said it took him a few storms to get used to them, especially the wing functions, but he likes them now. It still has a steering wheel.
Thanks for the pictures from the John Deere grader. I wait until 7 march, i hope someone can make some photos from it on the Conexpo
Friend of mine went from a 140H to a 140M when they first came out. I called him one day while he was running it, had about 25 hours on it. Asked him how he liked it. He said "I just want to burn it". Now, several years later, he can't imagine going back to a rack.
Sorry for being gone. I talked with the Cat salesman the other day about the spy photos. He said that I could see them but not to post them anywhere. I will catch up with him tomorrow. I will report what they show. He said it was a refitted 870 size machine. From what your pictures showed of the Deere, especially the open engine doors, I am willing to look at a new Deere.
Got to see the photos of a Deere test mule with twin stick controls. The cab looked the same as current models, still has a square windshield. The controls were a t-stick with buttons and switches. It looked like the operator would rest their hand on top of the sticks. The sticks appeared a little short, made me wonder about the throw and speed of the hydraulics. It is going to be released tomorrow at Conex.
Friend of mine is going to Conex. I'll post whatever pics my friend comes home with. I wish Cat and Deere would join forces and build a Grader. The Cat salesman, during his "speal" about Cat's attributes went to the rear of the machine and opened the engine cooling fan housing. Said "let me see you do that with your Deere" (you have to unbolt latch on the fan assembly on the Deere to hinge it open). I said why would I need to frequently open the fan assembly? He said "to clean the radiators, Cat anticipated that and made it a simple hand latch system for easy access". I said I don't need to clean the radiators. He said "how do you keep them from plugging with debris if you don't clean them"? I said the Deere engine fan automatically reverses itself, can be computer controlled to do it at a frequency of your choice. I run mine on 30 minute cycle time. I then opened my side panels so the radiators could be viewed. The Deere radiators, with 1300hrs were cleaner than the Cat radiators with 80hrs. He changed the subject. The Cat rep took pictures.
Looks like the new one is a 622G. A little info about the left joystick control here- It's all over FB and right
You know, one issue I have with some of this advanced stuff, would be the they make it easier and easier to inadvertently bump something and have it move on you. The conventional controls, it's too easy to accidentally hit the diff lock switch while trying to get turned around. This setup, it could be anything.
The new models are 620G and 622G. Here is a photo from a 622G: https://www.facebook.com/1184776782...477678225483/1423637211042850/?type=3&theater
Having ran the Cat M and the JD GP models and preferring the Cat version I like the direction this has gone. BIG advantage to Deere is the roller wheels. This allows metered movement. I like that. I also greatly prefer eliminating the rotational twisting of the joystick for a function. I found it too easy to unknowingly rotate the joysticks on the M when I didn't intend to. Disappointment is it appears you would have to lift the weight off your forearm on the armrest to raise/lower the blade? It appears your forearm weight is going to rest on the padded armrest similar to the M setup. With the M, you use your wrist to push/pull the joystick for blade lift. On this system it appears you have to slide your arm? Maybe I'm not seeing it right? Maybe it's not that big of a deal. I watched the videos each twice. Looked like every time he demonstrated the blade lift/lower function his arm slid on the armrest. That would get old. Thank you very much for posting these videos. Good stuff. Assuming they still offer a rack version? My friend is at Conex now. I'll text him to get all the info he can. Thanks again for the videos!!!
That is what I meant by the sticks being short. It appeared as though the arm would have to slide back and forth to work the control. I will wait and see how long it will take Deere to get a demo model to us. Won't make a judgment with out sitting in one. For now the Cat M is ahead of Deere.
Sounds like Deere is going to offer three options. Normal rack. Finger tip controls. New Joystick controls. So, for example, a 670G would be rack. 670GP would be fingertip. 620G would be joystick. The first digit still designates size. The last digit still designates AWD or not. The Alpha character designates standard rack (G) or Grade Pro (GP) fingertip controls in the 70 series. 20 series designates joystick. Correct that assumption if found to be inaccurate please. I agree with Dave, I prefer the M series joysticks over the Deere GP fingertip controls.
Anyone had a chance to operate the new Joystick control Deere Grader yet?
I don't know about the new units but on the older units with the joy sticks I heard about shoulder problems. The operators I've talked to didn't like that they had to have their elbows either directly below or behind their shoulders in order to operate the implements. In looking at the videos I kind of see their issue for the first time. I thought there would be plenty of adjustment so your elbows would be forward of your shoulders. In the video is shows the demonstrator with his upper arms straight up and down from his shoulders. Maybe he set it up this way for the camera?
Not sure what you mean by older joystick units?? Are you talking about Cat M joysticks? Are you talking about Deere armrest controls?
Whatever the operators were talking about. Most of the counties on the east side of this state tried out the Deere graders and went back to the Cats as soon as the contracts ran out. The ops I talked to complained about sore shoulders and stiff necks. The only thing they missed about the Deere was the steering wheel over the Cat.
I've never tried the joy sticks yet, but I can't see there being much different comfort wise compared to an excavator, as long as the armrests are adjustable. The Màintainer I run has controls in a position low on either side of the seat, and my shoulders do get sore after a while. All blade functions are on my left hand from the outside towards my leg are....Swing, sideshift, roll, leftside blade, right side blade. Bucket, boom, auxiliary hydraulics, and ripper are on the right. My left shoulder gets really stiff after 14 hrs of grading. I have often figured Deere armrest controls would be similar.
Well a new Cat 120M2 was delivered today. After reviewing the new Deere 622G, it became apparent that it was the same old machine, just with updated pilot controls. Still has poor visibility down to the blade. Deere needs to redesign their Graders, and make them more friendly to operate. We priced a 622G and a 120M2. I was happy when Cat was a little cheaper due to a better trade in price on the old machine. Ran the 120M2 for a few hours today to check the operation. All work correctly. As I have operated new 120M2's this was not my first time in one. There is not much that I do not like about the 120M2. My little buddy has made himself at home.
Congrats on the new machine!!!! What's important is that it suits you!!!! We each adapt to things differently. That's why there's more than one machine built and sold. It was a 120M2 that I demo'd last Fall. Following is my "bad" list and "good" list. All of this compared to my current JD770G. Good: fast hydraulics at idle Auto Center articulation Selectable blade lift speed Convenient machine controls Good moldboard visibility at heel end of blade Bad: Rear view mirror visibility horrible Front tire visibility horrible Poor storage space in cab Front tire side drift bad Brakes unpredictable and noisy Grader bounce huge split between 4th and 5th gears Moldboard height too short Cruise control speed change too big Selectable blade lift speed is too complicated to change frequently Under powered
I hope that John Deere will place soon more infomations and Pdf brochures from their new types, i have find nothing from the new ones yet on their homepage.
Yes, that's why they make so many. I have been in a Galion, Champion, Komatsu, Deere, Volvo, New Holland, Fiat Allis/Allis Chalmers, and various Cat's. I can honestly say I like the current version of M2's the best. For me the good far out weights the bad. In a days time I will cover 20% to 25% more roads than in any of the others. I like all of the controls being in may hands constantly. Them seen intuitive. I was hoping that Deere truly was redesigning the 670 - 770 series to match the ease of operation and visibility of the M's, but they did not. Deere only changed the controls to a twin stick pattern, not the whole machine. To each his own, I do like a Deere excavator over a Cat any day. Deere finish Dozers are good too, I like the balance. I am curious, when you tried an M2, did you adjust the mirrors out from the delivered position. That is the first thing I do in a new machine. When Cat delivers a new machine they are set in so far you only see the cab, not what is behind you. I adjust the swing arms out till I can see the ground beside the rear tires. The mirrors will get close to the doors, I set the right mirror out more that the lift. I do this because when I clean a wet ditch, I reverse the blade and grade in reverse to keep the tandems dry. That and I always enter and exit from the left side. I will agree the fronts tire visibility is bad. The cab does lack space. When I am in an M2, I have to take a smaller lunch cooler.. My Beagle always rides with me and in an M2 the only space for him is under the right side on the seat. He does have a good view though. The side drift is noticeable. I just give it some crab steer. It will change the thrust on the bit and help to run straight. The brakes are a little different. Every M I have been in they seamed soft. I wonder if you are talking about the bounce during roading or when spreading at speed. I regardless of which grader I am in, I always measure the circumference of each rear tire. Then adjust tire pressure to make all on them match, regardless of what pressure is in each tire as long as the roll out is the same on all drive tires. All tires being the same pressure does not mean they all travel the same distance per roll. It keeps the tandem from trying to drive the tires the same distance. I check the roll out about every 250 hrs. If your are talking about bounce when speed spreading a windrow, I found that when it starts to bounce, the throttle is opened wide up. It keeps the governor from bouncing, making the bounce worst. The newest of the M2's have a program and bounce sensor, Cat calls it Grade Control. A sensor detects when it starts to bounce and de-rates the engine till the bounce stops. There is a big split between 4th and 5th. Usually when I go from 4th to 5th I am on my way to 8th. Never noticed the size of the moldboard. The console button changes the rpm's 100 up per click, and the control lever button drops rpm's 25 per click. I never change the control speed, Just set on fast ( coarse) and leave it. VHP's are varied from 145 in lower speeds to 174 in high speed. Never noticed a lack of power, just an occasional loss of traction, unless the tires were VUT's. They seem to grip good, I would like to see Cat protect all of the exposed wiring harness for the lights. While I try to stay away from trees, I have always thought about a harness getting snagged. I would like a little more ground clearance between the tandems. If the machine is equipped with rear ripper plumbing, then there is a very low hanging skid plate. These are just my opinions, of course yours may vary. Dave
Good report Dave. What is the reason you cover 20-25% more road in a day using the Cat? If you adjust the mirrors out so the rear visibility matches Deere you cannot open/close the doors. Problem is the bar the mirror head fastens to is too short. I believe the front end drift and bounce are related. I think it's inherent in the frame design. I believe Cat knows this and their answer is "grade control". Take the control away from the operator and self correct. Not required on Deere. I didn't know that about the cruise control settings. I'll try that next time I'm in one. I try to be as productive as possible. The 100rpm jump up is sometimes too much. The 12M2 is noticeably less powerful than the Deere 700 series. I would compare it closer to a Deere 600 series. I noticed less clearance under the Deere is the G series over previous models. There is more chassis overhang behind the tandems also. This is because they moved the fuel tank to the rear, under the radiators. I like the convenience of filling the tank. And I like the security of having the tank protected. Just noticed the clearance issues when going from the D model to G model. Thanks again for the dialogue Dave!!!
Now they have some dates here on their website: https://www.deere.com/en_US/products/equipment/motor_graders/motor_graders.page
Good stuff. Thanks for adding to this thread!!!
I got the chance to run the new Deere joystick blade the other day needless to say I will stick with my Cat M series the thumb wheels are in bad spots and make it difficult to do multiple functions at once plus Deere still hasn't improved there cab any for visibility.
Deere has used this cab since the D models. Great visibility everywhere except out the lower front corners of the cab. Cat definitely has that in their favor. The thumb switches do appear to be quite a reach. I think it takes several hours in any machine to be accustomed to the controls. Being familiar with the CAT controls I'm sure Deere's setup is aggravating. How many hours did you get to run it???
I got to put 12 hrs on it and I was fighting myself all day with the controls they got a lot of improving to do to come close to the cat M series one thing I didn't like is you have to lift your whole arm up to move the blade up and down lot more movement compared to the M one thing ive noticed with Deere is they don't like to change much ya would think they would change the cab if its from 05 and 2017 now will take pics of my 140M3 AWD looking out of the cab to compare the Deere joystick cab to the M cab.
I watched their demo videos and thought the same thing about blade up/down. You are the first operator I've visited with about that. My neighbor got to run a simulator at the Vegas show and said he didn't notice that as a problem but I think I would. I on the other hand think Deere is light years ahead of Cat in regards to change. Two models ago Cat still put the oil pressure gauge on the engine. Operator had to look over their shoulder to see it. Never understood that. Two models ago outside rearview mirrors were optional. Never understood that either. Serviceability on Cat has always been bad. When Deere introduced the G model that put Cat decades behind in that area. When I Demo'd a 12M the Salesman, a Cat Rep and I parked it next to our Deere 770G and compared features. The Cat rep took a lot of notes. Neither of them had ever done that before. When I opened the engine compartment doors on both machines and started talking about service they got very quiet. Same when we talked about radiator cooling fans. I think Deere has stuck with the current cab because they don't get negative feedback from operators. I'll give Cat visibility out the lower front corners of the cab. If an operator is wanting to view the backside of the blade at the trailing end Cat wins again. Everywhere else they lose. As we've discussed previously, rear visibility is horrible as well as straight forward. Don't even want to talk about seeing the front tires or front mounted scarifier. I think we all adapt to whatever we are operating. Once that adaptation has taken place it's very hard to change.
We have two 872G and five 14M. From a maintenance point of view (mine), they both have their weaknesses. I'm not impress having to drain tranny oil on the deere and the quality of their hydraulic hoses leave to be desired ( and they won't warranty them past the first year). Cat has some routing issues but they cover them for the full 3 years. At about 2250 hrs now on the Deers, we've gone through 10 turbo hoses....and they didn't want to warranty them either at first. They tried to say it was an isolated issue ! Their tech told me they can't keep up with all the hoses in this part of the country. We also had problems with the 872G tranny fluid going into the engine and front wheel drive leaking...many times.
Maybe they use a different turbo hoses?? Our 770G has 1900hrs on it with the original hose. Had to replace the EGR valve. Only repair so far.
I'll try to get the part# just to compare. It's just ridiculous that we don't even get 4 hrs on some of those hoses. Anyway, the issue is almost resolved: we just traded the two 872g we have for 160M AWD.
Post back and let us know how you get along with the 160s. Very rare to hear from anyone running those. Thanks.
I have been gone a long time on this board due to a successful fight against colon cancer and procrastination in general, but would like to say for the record that any motor grader without steering control and a rack of levers is not going to cut it as a finish machine. Give me a CAT Model 12E and I will bluetop circles around any aforementioned equipped motor grader. On most jobs I pass by in the Houston, TX area the M Model graders sit idle. That speaks volumes.
Congratulations on the fight of your life. I know where you are coming from on the old manual controls but I've seen some people do some fantastic things on the joy stick machines now days. I think most of the machines sitting are because of break downs and usually not because of someone wanting something older.
It's always struck me that the dozer with GPS can do most of the work and that a smaller grader like those little 100 hp machines are all that's needed to "finish" in front of an automated trimmer. One CAT dealer I know of in Texas has them in their rental fleet. Anyway, the dozer being much simpler initially than a motor grader, most greenhorn operators seem to gravitate there while the new CATS go to waste. If you can get them off the trackhoe, where they are breaking every sideboard around. Or ripping up the underground fiber optic lines... (Truth be told, a GPS controlled grader can render the trimmer obsolete if the spec is for finish grade to be cut by autograder.) The M model CATS and derivatives will not work as intended until the machines are made fully GPS capable, which is to say steering is automated. Then they may be of more than passing interest.
Congrats on your Cancer battle Bob!!!! Hope to hear more from you here!!!!
Thanks. Unfortunately, I am not running heavy equipment full time anymore, as that sedentary activity undoubtedly contributed to the disease manifesting itself after 50 years, beginning at age 15 when I climbed up on a WWII surplus D8 and started pushing scrapers (aka pans, depending on where you are). Now, it's all downhill from here, with Social Security and Medicare all the way to the bottom. Looking forward to all that...not.
Retirement is hardest for those who's life was their job. I've always enjoyed what I did but it was never my life. Been retired 6 years now and loving it. A month ago I helped my neighbor move 15K yds of dirt to establish a building pad and large elevated parking area. I ran his Cat D6. Had a great time. I also run a grader for my township usually around 450 hours a year. I also own 170 acres of land that I maintain. Loving life. I am Blessed with good health. Hope you can find activities to fill your days that are enjoyable and personally rewarding for you.
Yup. Im running a 2017 john deere 772 gp with the joystick controls and topcon gps. Haven't been on here for awhile but will post some pics when I figure out how to do it ..lol
7 I run one all summer. It is a 2017 john deere 772 gp it came with the levers on the arm rests but we had it retro fitted with the joysticks. As far as reach goes..the arms are ajustable in and out and up and down so you can adjust for your comfort. With the joysticks I found there was alot more room for your legs as the arm rests are much narrower than the arm rests with the levers. Also this gave me better visibility on the sides. I didnt like the steering joystick as it was stiff and hard to control when steering. I used it for turning tho. Loved the option of having a steering wheel. Loved the controls.
Yep,,,,, jealous......
Are you out of Moncton?
I did live close to Moncton but now living in Cambridge Nova Scotia. I worked on the trans labrador highway last summer
My wife is a Cape Bretoner, and I'm a Miramichier.
Did CAT ever change or modify the startup procedure on the M Series? I ran a couple of 140 M's when they first came out. If one stalled, you had to wait something like twenty seconds and flip this and flip that switch to start the machine again. Not good in traffic, and an unnecessary waste of time elsewhere.
Holy smokes...bad combination ..lol
I was shifted from an M series grader I've been running for this company last week to operate their new aquisition, 770G ex shire council 10,000hrs. I avoided jumping on an M for many years but now I'm really enjoying the visibility & how efficient I have become on the M. Climbing in to the 770, felt very congested & confining. I can compare it to my grand children's high chair! John Deeres' obsession with it's tractor style "control arm" isn't a winner with me or a few other larger frame operators. Dismounting the operators area is a pain in ***. The lever steering was obviously an after thought! one the first things I switched off. An old style cab with poor vision The noise from the A/c fans are bad in the M but this is horrendous, earplugs & earmuffs ! the rear camera is a great idea but all you see is the spare wheel with rippers up. The only thing which it has, hands down over the Cat M is the self cleaning radiator with time adjustable reversible fan As far as I'm concerned JD's attempt of an upgrade falls well short of what it could have been If this is all they could come up with they should stick to building farm tractors
I could have wrote this about the M cab. Verbatim. If tractor style "control arm" is so bad I wonder why CAT now offers the M with those controls as well as the old style square cab. The M only has a visibility advantage when looking at the trailing end of the blade. Horrible storage space in the cab. As to HVAC noise, I can't hear the fan on low, and low is all that's ever needed. Much more shade protection from the sun. I've never had to run the AC on full cold/high fan. I guess this is why both machines sell.
Jumping on an old 140 H after an M vision wise, is a backward step Are the design people at C@t on drugs. In Australia, nearly every A/c, on machinery is running on 80%. Cooling is one of the biggest disappointments on equipment sent down here. We have Arizona desert weather most of the year. Tinted windows & those black mesh shades attached with suction caps (automotive style for your car/ute) are a necessary evil here. When another operator has driven my M, they usually whinge the A/c wasn't working properly. A visual check of the thermostat turned to coldest setting & the fan on position on 1 (low) causes the unit to freeze up . A good A/c mechanic told me years ago, set the thermostat a bit over half way in the "blue" then regulate cooling by air flow (turn the fan up high) to stop the unit freezing. not rocket science
The AC is not supposed to freeze up even if you run the fan on low. If it does then the freeze sensor/switch is not properly set. But this can be more trouble than it is worth to try and fix. I drove a KW that froze up several times a day in winter on defrost mode, very frustrating because windows fogged and could not see. KW dealer did not care to fix it and I tried too, could not figure out how to get to the right place in it so I gave up.
I guess everybody has their own opinion. Head trainer at the operating engineers training center has run graders close to 40 years. They have a JD 770G, 140M and a new straight 140 with conventional controls. He likes the 140 but also said the JD's have come a long way and he likes it.
Yes they've come along way since the likes of Britstands, Aveling Barfords, 94c C@ts etc. Autonimous machinery is on the way for controlled conditions, so human operator comfort isn't a real priority of design anymore I'll just stay out west in the pioneering, agricultural & erosion rehabilitation style operations till I can't climb on & off machinery