John Deere’s new 75G, 85G excavators add proportional aux hydraulics for tailoring work speed

Updated Feb 25, 2017
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John Deere has launched updates to two of its compact excavator models aimed at tasks on confined jobsites.

The new 75G and 85G reduced-tail-swing excavators are powered by a 57-horsepower engine that meets Tier 4 Final requirements through the use a diesel particulate filter (DPF) that cleans automatically.

The 75G has an operating weight of 18,221 pounds and features a maximum digging depth of 15 feet, 1 inch and an arm force of 6,902 pounds. The 85G has an operating weight of 19,564 pounds, has a maximum digging depth of 14 ft., 10 in. and an arm force of 6,902 pounds.

Deere says the standout feature on these machines is hand-controlled proportional auxiliary hydraulics, a standard feature that allows the operator to run attachments at a desired speed.

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“The operator can work very slowly for delicate work, like picking a piece of landscape stone, or faster via full flow to open the thumb to drop debris,” says Deere product manager for excavators Mark Wall. “Couple that with the standard pattern changer, the rubber pads, the standard blade, and these machines come from the factory ready to work in a variety of applications.”

The rubber track pads Wall mentions, and heavy-duty rubber belts, are available options and allow the machines to work on paved surfaces and even cross curbs without causing damage. Deere says numerous track widths, buckets and other options are available.

The 85G benefits from an extra feature: an independent swing boom allows it to work even closer to curbs, around structures or in the midst of traffic, Deere says.

The machines also have the ability to be equipped with a hydraulic coupler that allows them to use backhoe buckets.

Inside the cab operators will find LCD monitors and a rotary dial for selecting work modes and accessing operation data, maintenance intervals, source diagnostic codes, cab temperature and radio stations. The cab design features a “wide expanse of front and side glass, narrow cab posts, large tinted overhead hatch and numerous mirrors” for “all-around visibility,” Deere says.