John Deere 950K Crawler Dozer.

The John Deere commitment to production-class equipment continues with the introduction of the 950K Crawler Dozer. The 950K is the second production-class crawler dozer designed and manufactured by John Deere in Dubuque, Iowa, and is built specifically for customers needing reliability in road building, site development, the energy sector and other large-scale applications. This machine levels the playing field of what a dozer can accomplish in its size class with numerous enhancements that promise more power, productivity and uptime than ever before.

“The 950K crawler dozer is one example of how John Deere is listening and responding to our customers, and investing in the production-class dozer market,” said Nathan Horstman, crawler dozers product marketing manager, John Deere Construction & Forestry. “Contractors are demanding more precise grading on large projects, and the 950K is giving customers the power and control to be more successful than ever. The 950K is a Deere-designed machine that is fully supported by John Deere dealers and is a strong contender in its size class.”

The 950K incorporates an EPA Final Tier 4/EU Stage IV John Deere 9.0L engine with 265 horsepower. Contractors will quickly realize that the efficiently designed hydrostatic powertrain will get approximately 15 percent more power to the ground versus a conventional torque-converter powertrain. Available in standard and low ground pressure (LGP) configurations, this dual-path hydrostatic transmission allows an operator to push a full load through turns without losing material, unlike conventional torque-converter transmissions on competitor machines.

Equipped with standard electro-hydraulic (EH) controls, the 950K is grade-control ready, making adding a grade-control system as easy as plugging in the components, calibrating and going to work. John Deere's “open-architecture” design lets customers easily employ their favorite brand of grade-control system — Trimble, Topcon or Leica. In the near future, the 950K will also have SmartGrade capabilities, with integration of a Topcon 3D-MC2 grade control system installed at the factory.

A hydraulic power-pitch option allows the operator to control blade pitch from the cab. The blade pitch is also adjustable to three mount locations for superior performance in a variety of applications and materials. The programmable return-to-pitch setting allows the operator to preset blade-pitch positions, which can be activated with the push of a button.

Like other John Deere K-Series dozers, the 950K features Eco mode, which optimizes fuel economy while maintaining ground speed by automatically adjusting engine speed and transmission settings based on load. This has the potential to reduce fuel consumption up to 20 percent with no loss in productivity in many applications.

Fleet managers looking to get the most out of their 950K can rely on their John Deere dealers to provide Ultimate Uptime, featuring John Deere WorkSight. With Ultimate Uptime, owners receive predelivery and follow-up inspections that include five years of JDLink™ telematics, machine health prognostics, remote diagnostics, programming capabilities and the ability to add dealer-provided uptime solutions to a customized package.

Later in 2017, a six-way power-angle-tilt (PAT) blade will be available, an industry first offering unprecedented grading performance.

For more information, visit John Deere.com.

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