North American farmers are apparently getting hooked on the capabilities of a compact wheel loader when it comes to moving loads around the farm. This year John Deere is offering a new model of loader it believes will appeal to producers, and giving that machine an additional feature to make it even more versatile: an extendable boom.
“Compact wheel loaders are one of the fastest-growing classes of equipment in agriculture today,” John Deere said in a recent release announcing the introduction of the green brand’s new 326 P-Tier telescopic wheel loader. “Their versatility makes them the perfect do-all tools for stacking, loading, pallet transport, even snow removal.”
Read Also
Swather-sprayer retrofit a clever solution to winter wheat’s tight planting window
A system to spray pre-seed herbicide at the same time as swathing isn’t just a clever labour-saver, but could help overcome one of the biggest obstacles keeping Prairie farmers out of winter wheat: the timing.
The extra reach and height from a telescopic boom give the new machine an edge when it comes to moving anything around the farm.
Deere expects the 326 P-Tier to have the ideal specifications to appeal to a broad range of producers, and that it will find “a welcoming home on farms across the country.”
The new unit marks the fourth introduction in Deere’s compact wheel loader line in the last few months.
“Ranchers and dairy producers will love the 326 P-Tier for its reach, its flexibility and its lift capacity,” says Luke Gribble, John Deere’s go-to-market manager. “Operators will enjoy it for the cab visibility, the boom controls and the exclusive Articulation Plus steering system. Put it all together, and the 326 P-Tier is a real ‘multitool’ for the farm or ranch.”
The 326 P-Tier offers 16 feet — almost five metres — of reach from its telescopic lift arm, more than enough to easily stack bales or load them on a truck without having to max out the unit’s capacity.
But it still offers a fairly compact size, allowing it to wiggle into tight spaces around barnyards or other farm structures.
The control arrangement inside the cab will feel familiar to anyone used to operating a loader tractor. The boom extension is controlled with a mini-joystick on the main control lever, which lets all the controls fall easily to hand.
To ensure operators stay within safe operating parameters, a “load torque indicator system” gives visual and audible alarms if stability limits are exceeded during lifting, lowering or boom extension. For safety, when the stability limit is reached, movement of the lift arm is only possible if it reduces the load. A separate indicator warns of potential overload of the tilt cylinder.
“Features like these help make the 326 P-Tier one of the most confidence-inspiring and operator-friendly wheel loaders available,” Gribble says. “And it is perfect for helping less-experienced operators become better, faster.”
Inside the cab, operators will find a nine-inch touchscreen with a configurable display that shows essential information such as warnings, status and machine-positioning information. Deere claims the touchscreen has “intuitive user-friendly menus,” allowing operators to customize the display however they like.
The 326 P-Tier will move on down the road at a respectable 23 m.p.h. (37 km/h) And for tight turns, the Articulation Plus steering system allows for a full 30 degrees of articulation plus 10 additional degrees of rear-wheel steering — a feature available on other Deere wheel loaders.
