Noteworthy New Products of 2020 According to Diesel Progress

Photo by Loren King on Unsplash

One of the most exhilarating things about trade shows is the New Product introductions that take place. Yes, there's always lots of glitz to distract you, but for the most part companies attend these shows to show off what's new, not simply to entertain. Some may use sizzle to get attention, but at the end of the day it's all business. 

For this reason, journalists come from all around the world to be on the cutting edge of what tomorrow's cars, trucks and technology will look like. And because publishers measure which pages get the most traction with readers, they learn early on that one of the most read pages in trade magazines is always the "What's New" page. 

At the end of 2020, many of these magazines will present a summing up of the year's action in the realm of new products. Diesel Progress did this at the end of December, shining a spotlight on a number of new product introductions last year. There may have been a crimp in trades how activity in this "Year of Covid" but the industry did not cease from doing what they do best: creating tomorrow's solutions for today's problems. Here are a few of the noteworthy new products of 2020.

Let's start with the engines.

John Deere unveiled a new 18.0 L diesel engine, the largest it has ever built. The engine, which is being built in Waterloo, Iowa, will be available in 2022. According to Diesel Progress, JDPS said the recently introduced 13.6 L and the new 18.0 L diesels were conceived together. “We started with the concept of having a couple of engines to cover our growing power needs into the future,” said Michael Lefebvre, manager, global marketing and product strategy. “And out of that came the 13.6 L and now the 18.0 L.”

John Deer is a storied name in U.S. agriculture with one of the best slogans of any company anywhere: "Nothing runs like a Deere." 

The Japanese tractor and equipment manufacturer Kubota also introduced a new diesel engine this year, after introducing its first diesel at ConExpo-Con/Agg in 2017. The new engine, also introduced at ConExpo-Con/Agg, is a model S7509, a six-cylinder, 7/ L diesel with a max output of 306.2 horsepower at 1900 rpm. It's their first diesel engine to surpass 300 hp with a max torque of 977 lb. ft at 1500 to 1600 rpm. This power plant will be available in 2023.

 Wireless Filter Monitoring

Another product that caught our eye was a Filter Minder by Donaldson. The Filter Minder is a wireless monitoring system that lets you know it's time to change the filter. The product is available for both off-highway and over the road applications. As everyone knows, or ought to, a large percentage of engine wear comes from dirt and debris entering the engine from outside, making good filtration one of your most important needs. The Donaldson Filter Minder notifies users when the filter's lifespan is nearly complete.  

Each of the products discussed has links to additional information from when they were introduced to readers earlier in the year. Other new products briefly discussed here include:

Kawasaki’s New Excavator System 

Doosan’s Hybrid Powertrain

Verifying Counterfeit Parts. (Danfoss)

New PSI Gas Engines

The Kubota Micro-Hybrid

Keeping E-Vehicle Batteries Connected

ZF Hybrid Marine Transmission

Volvo Penta Gen Drive Engines  

Here is the link to the original article at Diesel Progress:
https://www.dieselprogress.com/news/the-notable-new-products-of-2020/8009442.article