John Deere Diesel Tech Shows How Companies Adapt

This is a story about John Deere that illustrates the evolution of diesel technology from the dark ages to what it has become today. The John Deere slogan, "Nothing Runs Like A Deere," helped create an army of loyal fans in the agriculture industry. We've heard stories of farmers who were buried wearing their John Deere caps. 

The article is titled Making History By Leaving Little Behind. The story outlines the company's continuous development and adoption of new technologies to meet increasingly stringent market demands, most specifically related to emissions regulations and requirements. 

Similar stories could be written about Cummins, Navistar, Caterpillar and others, so in one sense the John Deere story is not entirely unique. On the other hand, the graphics in this story are incredibly enlightening and help show the transformation that the diesel industry has undergone. We encourage you to follow this link and check it out. It shows the remarkable advances all diesel engine manufacturers have achieved when it comes to a cleaner environment, most specifically pertaining to NOx reduction and particulate matter (PM).

The story here is a detailed presentation of the technical hurdles that John Deere worked out to meet ever more stringent emissions standards without sacrificing performance. That last phrase is the second half of the equation that can't be disregarded.

The best way to see the achievements of modern diesel engine builders is to look at the baseline of 1996. These engines used a higher-pressure fuel system, multiple aspirations, 2- or 4-valve cylinder heads, larger displacements, engine callibration and directed top liner cooling to improve oil control. In addition to emissions compliance, the customer experience included improved fuel efficiency, increased power and higher peak torque, among other things. Compared to where the regulators wanted to take things, though, they had a long ways to go.

From 1996 to 1999 the company set about to hit the first set of more stringent targets that were to go into effect in 2000.

What's interesting is how the manufacturers and Federal agencies worked together to achieve these improvements. Reasonable government officials understand that technological development takes time. The industry had four years to comply, not four months or four weeks. Tier Two kicked in in 2001 with its twin objectives of 50% reduction of particulate matter and 20% reduction of Nitrous Oxides.

The next target for NOx was to go into effect in 2006, an additional 40% reduction. 

On top of this the 2011 targets were an additional 90% reduction in PM and 50% in NOx. In addition to optimized engine calibration and a high-pressure fuel system, new advances included series turbochargers, smart exhaust filters, exhaust temperature management (ETM), several technologies to keep things cooler and ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel (ULSD). 

The 2014 target was an addition 80% reduction in NOx. 

These graphics illustrate the remarkable progress that has been achieved over the past 25 years when it comes to improvements in diesel technology. 

Follow the link at the end of this article to see full size.

In each iteration, the objective has been to meet emissions regulations without sacrificing performance. Kudos to the engineers who behind the scenes who have so doggedly dedicated themselves to meet these targets for the benefit of all.

Here is where you can find all the details for each stage.
https://www.deere.com/en/campaigns/engines-and-drivetrain/diesel-engine-technology/