Fundamentals and Safety

The first day of class again this year I had all the new students line up in front of the new toys for a picture.  I am guessing they were not very impressed with getting their picture taken on the first day but for many this will be the first picture they have with their new best friend.

We have learned many things in the first 20 days! Here area few examples.

How do I get a new tractor ready for delivery?

What is inside an old combine?

How do I drive a forklift?

How do I measure things?

We also learned who likes cupcakes, who likes to buy donuts, a use for Loctite and what time the UPS guy comes.

We are off to a good start! 

John Deere Tech

Summer Trip 2015

On June 30th  we loaded on to a charter bus to go to the Quad Cities area for factory tours. We started with a tour of Davenport Works where they build construction equipment. In the afternoon we toured John Deere Corporate Headquarters and finished the day at the Pavilion. Wednesday morning we went to Harvester Works and finished the tour with Dubuque Works  on the way home. We also had an opportunity to browse through the Baker collection of old tractors on the way by.  Here are some highlights.

Power Trains

The first half of the summer we have John Deere Power Trains. The classroom involves Quad-Range, Power-Quad, Power Shift and Infinitely Variable Transmissions. We also discuss power flows and repair procedures. Here are some of the lab pictures.

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Graduation 2015

There were 35 students that made it to graduation this year. It has been an exciting and fun 2 years that went by in a hurry. Here are some pictures.

Nathan and Andy 8.1L

This is an 8.1L with and electronically controlled "P" pump. This is the first time this engine has been apart at school. It is an experimental engine that must have been used for endurance testing because it was dirty inside. After many trips to the wash rack and parts washer it lives again.It is good they picked this engine or they may have been upset with the instructors.

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Devin and Jacob 7.6L

This is the famous "666" engine. This is the 17th year that I have seen this one run and it ran a few times before I got there. It has a bent crankshaft so it can be used as class discussion during the assembly process.

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Arley and Jeremiah 10.5L

Arley and Jeremiah did the 10.5L engine this year. We use the same controller to run the 10.5L and the 12.5L. It has a Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) throttle control.

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Austin and Mitch 8.1L

Austin and Mitch had the 8.1L with electronically controlled inline "P" pump. This is the third year for this show engine that is painted gold and we have nicknamed it "Goldilocks".

 

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Nathan 6.8L

This engine has been around for a long time but it hasn't been apart for several years. I actually is a 414 Cu. In. engine with a rotary distributor pump. It is an experimental engine so it has a few unusual parts in it.

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Jake and Joseph 7.6L

Jake and Joseph rebuilt a 7.6L engine with a mechanical inline pump. I looks like it may be getting plenty of fuel.

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Jim and Caleb 6.8L

Jim and Caleb had a 4-valve 6.8L HPCR combine engine. We used the controls from the R450 windrower to get this one running.

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Curtis and Mitch 6.8L

Curtis and Mitch had a 2-valve 6.8L HPCR from a R450 windrower. They had the opportunity to diagnose and failed wiring harness after the first startup.

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Steve and Lawrence 8.1L

Steve and Lawrence fired up the 8.1L HPCR and got to do a little diagnostics with Service ADVISOR to find a failed injector.

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Corey and Matt 7.6L

Corey and Matt had the 7.6L engine with the mechanical "P" pump. It seems to be getting enough fuel.

John Deere Tech