The first fully integrated, mastless grade control motor graders

The John Deere G-Series motor grader line now incorporates the company’s SmartGrade grade control system for road building and site development.

SmartGrade technology delivers the first-of-its-kind mastless Topcon 3D integrated grade control as a factory option on new machines, as well as a field kit for equipment already on the job.

The system incoroprates into the machine’s structure and software, delivering precise grading while eliminating masts and cables.

“Earthmoving customers already utilize SmartGrade technology integrated into Deere dozers, and many have asked when it would be available on the motor grader line,” said Luke Kurth, motor graders product marketing manager for John Deere Construction & Forestry.

“We’re excited to be the first manufacturer to offer this integrated solution to the industry. The same machine can now be used throughout the job site, from site clearing to final grade, maximizing operator resources and fleet utilization.”

The grad control system eliminates external masts and cables from the moldboard, preventing possible theft or damage. This also removes the need to climb on the machine daily and install blade-mounted sensors and components, reducing setup time and complexity.

By removing the masts and leveraging position sensing, the operator is able to use all of the machine functions, like blade pitch, circle side-shift and circle rotate, without risking damage, all while staying on grade.

In the cab, the grade control system interface is built into the Grade Pro (GP) controls available in the Deere exclusive fingertip or dual joystick design.

An all new Automation Suite is included with SmartGrade and is available as an option on all GP graders. The suite assists operators in daily production by reducing the number of controls needed to perform common tasks.

As well, the suite boasts auto-articulation, blade flip and operator-selectable machine presets. Auto-articulation combines front steering and rear articulation while blade flip, enables the operator to automatically rotate the blade to a set position without holding the control at the end of a pass.

Machine preset allows the operator to activate multiple functions by pressing a single button. Up to three positions may be stored in the monitor.

“SmartGrade graders are the latest in a long line of technologies Deere has developed to help customers become more efficient and automate some of the controls for one of the most sophisticated pieces of equipment on the job site,” said Sean Mairet, grade control product marketing manager for John Deere WorkSight.

“Whatever machine you have on the job site, Deere’s focus on industry-leading innovations will help operators be more productive and let owners better manage their workloads.”

Kubota