John Deere’s Feed Back programme has resulted in a range of new products from the iconic American company. Laurence Gale MSc reports from Spain
Postal desde Espäna ...
A
s you would expect from any industry leading company, John Deere are constantly reviewing their products and services. It is particularly important, in these economically troubled times, to ensure continuity of service to their ever-demanding customers.
One thing the company has been doing since 1992 is their Feed Back Programme. This allows their engineers and technicians to interact directly with end users and, as the name implies, use the feed back to modify existing models and launch new ones. The nett result of recent programmes has seen one of the biggest investments in research and development the company has ever carried out. This culminated in the launch of eight products, first seen in the United States during the last GCSAA show in New Orleans. A second launch to the European Market was made in June 2009 at the Villaitana Wellness Golf & Business Resort Benidorm in Spain.
The 18 hole Signature Nicklaus Course provided the perfect backdrop for introducing their new wares. Four complete holes were given over to the company to demonstrate the equipment. The choice of venue had to accommodate 240 european JD dealer personnel, and pretty much guarantee good weather, so that the intensive schedule could be maintained without interruption. The 2009 products on view were:
• Quick Adjust 5 and Quick Adjust 7 cutting units
• 220e E-Cut hybrid walk- behind greens mower
• 7500e and 8500e E-Cut hybrid fairway mowers
• 8000e E-Cut hybrid fairway mower
• 7200 PrecisionCut trim and surrounds mower
• 8800 TerrainCut rotary roughs mower
• HD200 SelectSpray turf sprayer
• New Water Management systems for golf
The new equipment was set out at seven stations with the delegates able to see demonstrations and receive further information from Deere’s engineers and technical representatives positioned at each station.
We began the tour at the irrigation station where the latest water management tools and systems were being demonstrated. With water now an expensive commodity, costing anything between eighty pence and one pound per cubic metre, the feed back programme had identified that the ability to apply it appropriately and accurately was a main concern.
The new JD precision watering heads, using satellite technology, can be activated remotely via computer and mobile phone links. New weather station technology also helps the greenkeeper make informed
decisions on what water he may need. Improvements made to the HD200 Select Sprayer has resulted in a design change to the filling of the machine, making it more user friendly, along with a choice of centrifugal or diaphragm pumps. In addition the new HD200 system allows for quick removal from its prime mover vehicle, the 24hp Progator.
Next was the Speed Link system that helps Greenkeepers save time on the adjustment of their cutting units. It makes sense to make things easier, so what better way than to have a ‘one spanner to fit all’ for adjusting. Featuring a patented system that is unique in the golf industry, John Deere's new Quick Adjust (QA) cutting cylinders provided a rapid height of cut adjustment from either side of the units.
This new technology allows adjustments of one thousandth of an inch to be made in just a few seconds, to both sides of the rear roller
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