TRACTOR TEST: Could this electrically enhanced hybrid stepless transmission be a beacon of future tractor development? John Deere is the first with such hardware, so we wanted to find out how this new technology affects the wheeled 8R410E’s overall efficiency.
Globally speaking, the 8R/RT/RX is almost certainly John Deere’s most important tractor range. So, it was a bold step to introduce a completely new stepless transmission on which all the hydraulic power splitting items have been replaced with electric hardware.
Why is it a bold step? Well, as with any new technology, the high voltage system requires special training for the service engineers. Then there is also the issue of being the first to the market with a tractor that can produce a usable amount of electrical power. Up to 100kW at 480 volts is available for external demands, but no such implements are on the market … except the wheel drive system on Joskin slurry tankers or in the US where the Spudnik potato harvesters can harness the electrical power. However, that could change in the not too distant future, especially now that a ’big player’ is on board.
Still the same diesel burner
Raising the easy-to-open bonnet, we can keep our comments here short and sweet. The 9.0-litre DPS engine is a familiar power plant: we already tested it in the 2/2021 tractor test, in the shape of the 8R410 with the proven E23 powershift transmission. Rated output is 302kW/410hp, and maximum power is 337kW/458hp.
Given the changes in the driveline and the potential for reduced power losses, we were keen to see the performance characteristics and consumption rates on the EAP tractor compared to a powershift or CVT machine.
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