The 950K is the second production-class crawler dozer designed and manufactured by John Deere in Dubuque, Iowa, and is built specifically for road building, site development, the energy sector, and other large-scale applications.
It incorporates a Tier 4-Final John Deere 9.0L engine with 265 horsepower. Deere says the 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, according to the company.
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 employ 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. 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.
Later in 2017, a six-way power-angle-tilt (PAT) blade will be available.
