Loading...On the left, half of a 20-year-old 6920 S with 20,000 operating hours; on the right, half of an almost brand-new 6R 150 with only 120 operating hours under its belt. This was the scene for visitors to the John Deere stand at Agritechnica. Anyone who saw the eye-catching display could see that John Deere is demonstrating how both older and new machines can be kept running reliably and for a long time.
The 6920 S had earned its reputation in service on the damp coast in the North of England – rust marks on the body bear witness to its work in inhospitable conditions. Nevertheless, it operated very reliably until it was split in two and served its owner well – also thanks to having the appropriate spare parts, which were presented in their entirety at Agritechnica. Depending on the situation, farmers can choose from three types of spare parts for their John Deere machine:
Original parts
Original parts are specially manufactured for John Deere and are delivered brand new to the dealer, then on to the customer’s machines. These spare parts are recommended for tractors that work in the frontline of a farm and run for many operating hours per year.
Reman parts
Reman parts are reconditioned spare parts that are reworked in John Deere’s own specialised plants. There, more complex components such as transmission and engines, as well as electronic components like displays and operating units, are completely dismantled, overhauled and reintroduced to the market at the current series status. Reman parts are often a quick and inexpensive repair solution, especially for gearboxes and engines. Instead of having their own gearbox repaired at great expense, farmers can have it replaced with a reman gearbox.
Alternatives by John Deere
Alternatives by John Deere refers to a new, alternative spare parts line from John Deere. These spare parts are particularly suitable for machines that are already a few years old and are no longer in daily use for hours on end. The parts are certified by John Deere and approved for use in the machines. With these cheaper parts, older machines can also be repaired cost-effectively. In this way, they continue to operate as a useful part of a farmer’s fleet.
Matthias Linneweber, aftermarket manager for tractors at John Deere points out: “What’s important in this selection is that we have the right spare parts for every machine and its time value. The parts in all categories meet John Deere’s high-quality standards and come with the same warranty.”
Find out more about selected spare parts:
OPTIMAL SUPPORT INCLUDING VIA SOFTWARE
Maximum Uptime with John Deere Connected Support™
John Deere Connected Support™ is always ready to help you monitor machine health and proactively resolve issues.
But John Deere is not just there for customers when it is time to replace a part on their machine. Customers and dealers get insights into the machine with John Deere Connected Support, helping both to work more efficiently and cost-effectively. For example, a machine can proactively ‘report’ to the sales partner if it is foreseeable that an unscheduled repair or maintenance will be necessary.
This means that problems can be rectified before they immobilise a machine at unfavourable times, like during harvesting. Dealers can also remotely connect to a machine’s display, read out diagnostic codes or provide software for a wide range of needs, thereby giving farmers fast and effective remote support.
The prerequisite for this service is that the machines can go online via a modem (called JDLink) and therefore enable the aforementioned remote functions. “We also have good news for owners of older machines,” reports Matthias. “Our JDLink M modem is a plug-and-play solution that makes it easy to retrofit in older machines. This means that they can also appear in the John Deere Operations Centre and take advantage of the opportunities offered by smart farming, which makes agricultural operations more sustainable and efficient.”
Behind the scenes: This is how the tractors were split in half
How do you cut a tractor in half? John Deere enlisted the support of a specialised company from Cologne for this task. The experts had already made real sectional models of large engines or motorbikes, but even they had never cut up an entire tractor.
Matthias explains: “Simply dismantling the tractor is not an option for obvious reasons. That’s why the specialists dismantled many of the tractor components into their individual parts, cut them up and then reassembled a half.” The bisected tractors on display at Agritechnica were the result of a great deal of attention to detail and meticulous work.
Take a look at the process and the result in the video: