Image: In 1949, John Deere began manufacturing MC Dozers in Dubuque, Iowa.
Having started production in 1949 in Dubuque, Iowa, John Deere is commemorating its 75th year in the dozer market by decaling its dozer line-up with a commemorative badge on machines built for the remainder of 2024 and 2025.
“This important 75-year milestone of dozer manufacturing recognises the tremendous teamwork of everyone involved including our factory teams, engineers, and our dealers who support our customers every day,” says Matt Costello, Product Marketing Manager for dozers at John Deere.
“We’re incredibly proud that this line-up has continued to provide the durability and performance that our customers rely on to work smarter and more efficiently, getting the job done right the first time.”
Key milestones include 1958, when the 440 Crawler Dozer entered the market as the first all-yellow machine built specifically for industrial applications. This model stood out as John Deere’s first all-hydraulic bulldozer with a six-way power-angle-tilt blade, leading the charge with its groundbreaking design.
In 1965, John Deere introduced dozer T-Bar blade controls; dual-path hydrostatic drive in 1976; and new full powershift transmission models in 1988 – which offered four forward and four reverse speeds, expanding capability on the jobsite.
In 1999, dual-path hydrostatic drive featured on the 450H, 550H, and 650H models, and continues in the full John Deere dozer lineup. Two years later John Deere introduced its largest dozer ever with the roll-out of the 1050C, which led the way for the updates and innovations you see in the 1050 P-Tier today.
The company unveiled the industry’s first 764 High Speed Dozer in 2010 as the first new machine form in decades, boasting travel speeds of up to 26 km/h.
Integrated 3D grade control, SmartGrade, was introduced on the 700K model in 2016 and this factory integrated solution is equipped on over 20 models in the Deere lineup today.
In 2020, John Deere introduced its Slope Control feature to assist operators in maintaining the mainfall and cross slope while grading, while a new suspended double-bogie undercarriage made its debut on the 1050K in 2021 – offering a reduction of peak vibrations in the cab by up to 75 percent.
Last year John Deere rolled out its innovative EZGrade feature, which aids operators in manually grading smooth finish passes by making small blade corrections automatically.
And this year the manufacturer expanded its dozer SmartGrade offerings with the Next Generation of SmartGrade into the 450 P-Tier and 550 P-Tier, and updates on the 650 P-Tier. This next generation of SmartGrade is John Deere designed and supported and can soon be equipped with either Topcon or Leica.
Parting words from Jeremy Sole- a final column