A few months ago, the official John Deere dealer of our area (Tajada Barrio S.L.) offered us to test one of their demonstration tractors. These tractors are those ones that any interested farmer can see and work with them and, in this way, the farmers are able to solve their doubts at the moment of choosing their tractors.
We had several tractors to choose from to try, such as, the 5G, 5R, 6M and 6R. In the end, we selected the 5100R because it is a type of tractor that fits our farming, since it is a very versatile tractor for soil work, manoeuvrability with a front loader and, besides, it is ideal to woody crops (vineyard, olive trees, almond tree) just as specialized crops such as purple garlic in our region.
The aim of our demonstration was to test the tractor in vineyards because it is the narrow version. We left it for a few days in El Provencio (Cuenca) so that our great friend Oscar and great winegrower could try it in his vineyards using his trailed Rioja Vid atomizer of the General Agrícola brand. As you can see in the video, the day was very entertaining and the tractor fulfilled our expectations.
The main features of the John Deere 5100R are described in the following paragraphs:
- John Deere PowerTech PWX engine with 4.500 cm3 and 6 cylinders. Common Rail injection system (Stage IIIB)
- Maximum power : 110 CV
- Maximum torque: 437 Nm at 1,500 r.p.m (torque rise of 36%).
- Fuel tank capacity of 178 litres.
- Command8 Gearbox of 32x16: 4 speed range transmission synchronized (A, B, C y D) and 8 speed power shift.
- Maximum speed of 40 km/h at 1,750 r.p.m.
- Mechanical cab suspension and front axle hydro-pneumatic suspension.
- Grammer Professional seat with pneumatic suspension.
- Lifting force rear of 5,300 kg (optional front lift of 2,900 kg).
- PTO speed: 540, 540E and 1000.
- Integrated and sound-proofed safety cab with noise level of 74dB.
- New color cornerpost display.
- Pump flow rate of 96 l/min (open centre) or 117 l/min (open centre with load sensing)
- Maximum permissible total weight of 8.6 tons and effective load of 4.3 tons.
- Wheelbase: 2.250 mm
- Steering radius of 3.75m
In this narrow version it has a width of 1.9m so it fits very well to vineyards that have a planting frame of 3 meters between rows. The maximum permissible total weight is 8.6 tons, so you can have a wide range of implements to use with this tractor. For the vineyard another positive point to take into account is the hydraulic flow. This tractor has a flow rate of 96 l/min with open centre and 117 l/min with closed centre and load sensing. In addition, the tractor has three speeds in the PTO, so it covers with guarantees the needs of the implements to be used. As far as comfort is concerned, the cab is fantastic with a flat floor and all the steering ergonomically designed, which makes working days very comfortable. Without a doubt, this can be considered as a good tractor that John Deere manufactures in the USA and we will be able to see in the fields of Spain very frequently.
Like everything in this life, nothing is perfect and something can always be improved. As a suggestion, an important point for us as a substantial improvement could be that the gearbox when working with groups C and D for transport would not pass through the 16 gears that make up those two groups. Perhaps, if the load permits, the gearbox should be able to jump a few gears to reach the maximum programmed speed as soon as possible. Maybe it's a feature you've already implemented, but we couldn't configure it to work.
In conclusion and in our opinion, the tractor works very well. The comfort and materials of the cab are really fantastic and make it look like a robust and durable tractor like almost everything made by John Deere. Another thing is that this tractor cover the needs of farmers according to all the specifications the tractor offers... it's something the farmer has to evaluate when deciding which tractor best suits his needs and those of his farm.
Versión en español.
