After countless hours of product development, John Deere has launched three new L-Series utility wheel loaders.
The 524L, 544L and 624L offer customers an intuitive solution, ideal for projects that require agility and versatility on the job site or farm.
According to Deere, the new wheel loader models were designed with the operator in mind. The L-Series machines incorporate several new features, including improved cabs for more comfort and visibility, electrohydraulic (EH) loader controls for easier operation and redesigned near-parallel linkage and enhanced performance buckets.
“Our next generation of wheel loaders improves upon the legacy of the John Deere wheel loader line,” said Chris Cline, product marketing manager for utility wheel loaders at John Deere Construction & Forestry. “The L-Series boasts several improvements over previous models designed to positively impact productivity, comfort and visibility, resulting in increased profitability.”
In the cab
The most notable change for the L-Series, compared to the K-Series predecessors, is the improved cab. The new cab features more room, more comfortableand more functional storage and floor space.
The optional premium heavy-duty air suspension seat is heated, ventilated and designed to offer more legroom.
HVAC performance is also enhanced, and now includes rear defrost as well as increased air flow while reducing noise. As well, the new wheel loaders are equipped with three standard 12-volt auxiliary power ports in the cab and optional remote-heated, adjustable mirrors.
Behind the wheel, EH loader controls with integrated third and fourth function auxiliary hydraulics provide faster cycle times, resulting in more material moved in shorter periods of time. Two multifunction buttons integrated into the hydraulic controls allow the operator to assign a function to each button, improving operability and productivity.
The loaders also have an ergonomically designed, seat-mounted right-hand joystick with a standard forward-neutral-reverse switch and fully-integrated auxiliary hydraulic controls. A throttle lock option removes the need for the operator to push the throttle pedal to maintain engine speed.
A better boom
Improvements to the machine boom structure directly result in increased productivity, according to Deere. The design increases visibility to the coupler, bucket or forks, which reduces overall cycle times, material spillage and equipment damage.
Additional bucket options include enhanced production buckets with integrated spill guards, profiled side cutters and greater rollback, improving bucket fill and material retention.
A new shaft-style fork design offers more visibility and tine length options, including 1.2 metre, 1.5 metre and 1.8 metre. Smoother boom and bucket hydraulic kickouts reduce operator fatigue, while new standard parallel lift linkage improves load levelling, limits bucket spillage and increases fork operation speed.
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Return-to-dig settings may now be set from the cab, for both directions of the bucket, allowing operators to return-to-dig from any position without having to adjust the bucket to dump position.
Boom and Bucket EH metering rate aggressiveness allows the operator to select a setting — low, medium or high — for quick hydraulics or reduced response in precision operations for improved comfort. Attachment configuration settings may be saved, allowing the operator to assign and save settings to an attachment, making it easier to switch between attachments without impacting productivity.
The 524L, 544L and 624L are available with optional High Lift (HL) and High Lift Plus (HL Plus) selections. There is also a tool carrier option on the 524L and 624L models.
HL Plus
The HL Plus option features hinge pin heights that are about 30 cm higher than current HL pin heights, allowing the operator to dump into higher trucks or wagons. The tool carrier option provides the best centreline visibility to the coupler or forks. It is ideal for customers handling materials, like pallets, pipe or logs, where centreline visibility is important.
From a service perspective, the hydraulic hose and electrical wire harness routing and retention are improved, and the machines feature 40 fewer leak points, lowering potential repair costs.
The 524L, 544L and 624L feature the Final Tier 4 John Deere diesel engines (6.8 litre) and boast 152, 166 and 192 net peak horsepower, respectively.
