With an increasing number of landscapers adding design/ build services to their portfolio, John Deere has answered their need for smaller machinery. The company’s new 17D compact excavator has adjustable-width tracks that allow it to fit through a 40-inch opening and extend to more than 50 inches for additional stability once its time to go to work.
With an increasing number of landscapers adding design/ build services to their portfolio, John Deere has answered their need for smaller machinery. The company’s new 17D compact excavator has adjustable-width tracks that allow it to fit through a 40-inch opening and extend to more than 50 inches for additional stability once it’s time to go to work. Chief among the excavator’s enhancements is a backfill blade with foldable end sections, and its standard mechanical quick coupler/hydraulic attachment package makes for almost endless attachment use on constricted space jobsites, according to Mark Wall, product marketing manager, John Deere Construction & Forestry Company.
Deere designed the 17D with other benefits that translate into big productivity with lower operating costs. Chief among these include multi-function hydraulic operation that allows you to easily perform simultaneous machine operations such as swinging and traveling
without compromising performance. All service checks can be done by opening just two covers, making machine maintenance fast and simple.
Improved specs and cab comfort The 17D features a reduced tailswing design that provides improved performance specs compared with previous Deere compact excavator models. This includes including 20 percent more horsepower, 8 percent more arm force and 19 percent more bucket digging force, rugged construction, long service intervals up to 2,000 hours for hydraulic oil, and 250 hours for engine oil and grease intervals. The machine also gets, better fuel economy compared with the models it replaces.
A standard ROPS/TOPS/OPG three-pillar canopy provides plenty of entry and exit space and almost-unobstructed visibility to the boom, arm and bucket. New pilot controls, which have been positioned on the left- and right-hand sides of the operator’s chair, feature wrist rests for added comfort. Factory-installed suspension seats are available.
17D delivers ‘mechanized muscles’
Attention to landscapers’ need for durability and versatility is offered in a redesigned undercarriage with sloped track frames that shed dirt easily to aid cleanout between jobs. A large diameter drive sprocket and track idler reduce the likelihood of a thrown track, increasing cost-effectiveness and reducing downtime.
In addition to the stepped-up digging forces, the 17D has faster operating speeds, additional weight and 10 percent more hydraulic flow. The optional long-arm/heavy counterweight provides 8 more inches of digging depth and reach.
“The 17D delivers mechanized muscle to places where shovels used to be the only option,” Walls says. “It’s a comfortable, versatile machine that can do just about any light-duty job.”
17D Compact Excavator
Net engine power: 14.8 hp
Operating weight: 4,173 lbs
Max digging reach: 12 feet, 10 inches
Max digging depth: 7 feet, 1 inch
Max lifting capacity: 979 lbs
