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John Deere's new 7030E tractors


New 7030E tractors win DLG Gold Medal
John Deere’s newly designed 7030E Series Premium tractors make their first public appearance at this year’s Agritechnica Fair in Hannover, although they are not due to be commercially available in the UK and Ireland before spring 2009.

In addition to the standard 7030 Series specifications, the new 7430E and 7530E Premium tractors feature an innovative electrical system which can provide up to 20kW of power for external use – an industry first.

Awarded a DLG 2007 gold medal, this design not only improves the tractor’s engine efficiency, it also enhances fuel efficiency. The key feature is a pair of sockets that are capable of supplying electrical power at 230V or 400V in the field while the tractor is running at low engine rpm.
This is the first time in tractor history that machines have provided an integrated system for the generation and distribution of electrical power up to 20kW. In addition to the conventional supply, the tractors feature a secondary system which can deliver high voltage on demand. The required level of electrical power is directly produced by the engine flywheel mounted generator and is subsequently converted to meet the specifications of the relevant components, implements or external tools.

Instead of directly supplying engine power mechanically to key components, the generator now supplies electrical power to the cooling fan, air conditioning compressor and air compressor. Sufficient power levels are generated at low engine rpm to supply the necessary air pressure or cooling capacity to the engine. Air conditioning performance also improves, as its operation occurs independently of the engine rpm.

In addition, the generator supplies the 12V/300A electrical system with power at either 230V or 400V to operate tools or other external electrical devices. The cooling fan’s manually activated reverser function also allows simpler cleaning of the tractor grille.

At the same time, acceleration during both road transport and pto work in the field is significantly improved. Furthermore, E Premium tractors will provide up to 10 additional hp through the Intelligent Power Management system, with the 7430E Premium rated at 200hp and the 7530E Premium rated at 211hp. Since IPM remains active on these two tractors even at 1250rpm, this allows even better power utilisation.
This new feature extends the use of these tractors beyond typical farming applications, making them additionally suitable for industrial, municipal and road construction use. The novel concept of electrical power generation at low engine rpm also helps to reduce fuel consumption by up to 5 per cent, while providing a more efficient and powerful tractor overall.
John Deere's new 7030E tractors

I always wondered what kind of benefit tractors would have if an electric motor was added, the Deere people are always very resourceful, this implementation seems very useful even when it's not primarily a source of propulsion things do break and repairs do usually consume valuable time. Having 20 kw brings the whole toolshop to the field. Finally fresh coffee where it is needed most. :-)


electriccar, agriculture