John Deere Compact Track Loaders
Two Top-Notch Track Loaders from Deere’s Construction & Forestry Division
History
It started as a one-man blacksmith shop founded in 1837 and has grown into a worldwide corporation that does business in more than 160 countries and employs approximately 43,000 people. Today, John Deere is one of the
oldest industrial companies in the United States. The company consists of three equipment operations (Agricultural, Commercial & Consumer and Construction & Forestry), credit operations and four support operations (parts, power systems, technology services and health care).
John Deere entered into the compact construction equipment business in 1999 with a focused business unit called CWP (Commercial Worksite Products) with a
modest four-model introduction of Deere-designed and manufactured skid steers. In the six years following, the CWP product offering has evolved into several product lines that include 300 series skid steers, C&D series
excavators, 244J wheel loader, 110 backhoe, compact track loaders and more than 100 Work Site Pro Attachments.
Products
In July, John Deere will start production of its latest models of Compact Track Loaders — the CT322 and CT332. Deere is focusing both of these track units toward a
variety of end-users including landscape contractors,
rental yards, underground construction crews and general and building contractors.
The CT322 is Deere’s medium frame compact track loader, engineered with a bucket breakout force of 6,050 lbs, a ground speed of 8.5 mph and tractive effort of 8,000 lbf. The CT332 is the company’s large frame model, outfitted with a bucket breakout force of 11,600 lbs, a ground speed of 7.8 mph and a tractive effort of 11,300 lbf.
Both units were designed by Deere engineering after
listening to customers’ likes and dislikes. Key attributes Deere customers voiced were increased track and undercarriage durability, a smoother ride and increased machine performance. Those keys are what help make the Deere undercarriage unique in the compact track loader industry.
Deere track loaders use all steel rollers, idlers, sprockets and steel imbedded rubber tracks on its units, which makes the undercarriage more robust and durable
compared to competitive models on the market, say Deere officials. Both units utilize a 450 H dozer roller seal and bearing technology, which uses durable metal face seals and journal bearings in all rollers and idlers to
provide superior performance and durability without leaks or wear under shock loading conditions. And with the help of double flange rollers and idlers, these new track loaders are some of the smoothest operating units in the industry.
These design attributes provide the durability, uptime
and significantly longer track and undercarriage life for a lower cost per hour of operation with a smooth ride.
Both the CT322 and the CT332 use Bridgestone rubber tracks on the undercarriage. The standard track widths are 12.7 in. on the CT322 and 17.7 in. on the CT332. However, the CT332 has the option of a 12.7-in. narrow track width. Four- and five-cylinder, John Deere Power Tech, high-torque diesel engines power the CT322 and CT332 respectively.
Deere Power Tech 250 Series engines have several exclusive features, including: hydraulic valve lifters for quieter operation and elimination of valve lash adjustments; a serpentine fan belt with automatic tensioner, which eliminates all scheduled belt
tension maintenance; and a 500-hour engine oil
and filter service interval. Customers can also
order cold weather options for their engines, such as block heaters and high-capacity cold cranking amperage batteries.
Along with key engine and undercarriage advantages, Deere also touts industry-leading hydraulic breakout forces. Breakout force is a key productivity specification that customers should consider with a track unit — superior breakout forces translate into faster bucket fill cycles, larger heaped bucket
capacities and greater prying power and pallet fork curling power. According to company officials, Deere Compact Track Loaders have the largest tractive efforts and bucket breakout forces in the industry.
They also have the best hydraulic horsepower available at the hydraulic couplers (pressure x flow/1714 = hydraulic hp). The CT332 has a 58.4 high-flow hydraulic hp. The CT332 has 61.5
high-flow hydraulic hp. Greater hydraulic
horsepower with standard flow hydraulics or
with high-flow option translates into greater
productivity when operating key attachments such as trenchers, rotary cutters, flail mowers, tree shredders, stump grinders and high-flow augers.
When using such hard-working attachments,
operators will want to sit in a Deere compact track loader that’s comfortable. To ensure operator comfort, Deere track loaders feature standard equipment such as a suspension seat, ergonomic and fully adjustable armrests, rear window, floor cover plates, top window, cushion boom cylinders, deluxe instrumentation with auto preheat, auto shutdown with alarm, selectable digital readouts and self diagnostics.
Popular optional equipment for Deere’s compact track loaders include: chrome exhaust stack; 2-speed transmission; cab enclosure; heater defroster; air conditioning; powered quick-tatch; hydraulic self level; high-flow hydraulics; and an electronic coded anti-theft system.
Advice to Buyers:
“Remember, compact track loaders are more task specific while skid steers are more of an all around utility machine,” explains Larry J. Foster, product marketing manager with John Deere’s Construction and Forestry Division. “When comparing operating cost per hour, skid steer tires vs. tracks on a compact track loader, compact track loaders will cost you more per hour to operate than a skid steer, but you will move much more material with a compact track loader than a skid steer, operate in conditions and
environments skid steers can’t and you will have more days in a year you can operate a track loader due to the minimal impact weather has on CTL operation.”
Contact Info:
John Deere Construction & Forestry Division
P.O. Box 8806
1515 5th Ave.
Moline, IL 61265
Ph: (309) 765-0227
Fax: (309) 765-1859
Web: www.johndeere.com
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