A grade above the rest - Deere’s Premium Circle
John Deere has unveiled a new factory-installed Premium Circle option for all John Deere G-Series, GP-Series and SmartGradeTM motor graders, leading to less downtime and more consistent grade control accuracy and machine productivity.
This industry-leading option features a fully sealed bearing and pinion design, reducing maintenance costs and downtime, while also significantly boosting circle torque and speed. On a standard circle, the circle is more exposed by design leading to wear over time over the course of the machine’s operation. Wear inserts inside a standard circle require adjustments to keep a good tight circle for accuracy and to prevent damage to the circle before eventually, needing to be replaced. Customers could spend valuable hours in the workshop replacing or shimming the wear inserts as opposed to being on the job, leading to increased downtime over the lifetime of the machine. However, with the Premium Circle option, there are no shoes, no wear inserts or jack screws exposed with the system completely sealed with the wear inserts being replaced with a sealed bearing. The pinion and circle teeth are also completely sealed from dirt and debris to minimise wear. The Premium Circle with integrated slip clutch also has improved machine productivity with up to 15% increased circle speed and up to 40% increased circle torque compared to the standard option.
John Deere Construction & Forestry motor grader product marketing manager Luke Kurth said. “To be profitable, customers constantly work to balance ever-tightening margins with increasing expenses.” Kurth said. “John Deere is focused on providing new ways to help reduce those costs, and we are able to do that with the new Premium Circle option for all G- and GP-series moto graders worldwide. “By eliminating the circle wear inserts and need for adjustments or replacement, customers will benefit from reduced parts and labour costs, while still maintaining an accurate grade.”
The option has been designed to create a more simplified service process. One of the main differences is the larger gearbox which Deere recommends oil change intervals every 4000 hours, as opposed to 2000 hours. The bearing circle also has five easy access grease points on the bearings circle, four on the table and one on the pinion. The recommended service intervals on these grease points are every 500 hours. With no longer having to compensate for wear in the circle, another benefit when using a grade control system is the same grader can now be used from initial site clearing to final grade without stopping to install masts or downing the machine to adjust for looseness of the circle. AFGRI general manager – Construction & Forestry James Mckillop said he was excited to showcase the option to our customers in Western Australia and highlights the benefits for their operation. “John Deere are continuing to lead the way with their motor graders,” James said. “The premium circle provides customers with a machine that is more productive and has less downtime.”
To find out more about the new Premium Circle option, as well as our full line of John Deere G-, GP-Series and SmartGradeTM motor graders, contact our AFGRI Construction & Forestry team on (08) 6278 7777 or visit www.afgri.com.au today.