Mecalac and John Deere introduce new off-highway equipment

Mecalac introduces MRail Series to North American market

Compact equipment specialist Mecalac has introduced its new MRail Series, a dedicated line of rail industry equipment. The railroad excavator line consists of four models featuring a variety of benefits to help meet the needs of railway crews, whether for maintenance of way or the construction of new tracks.

“Mecalac developed this powerful line of machines from 20 years of collaboration with customers and rail specialists. This line radically improves versatility by working both on and off the rail and in a multitude of environments,” said Peter Bigwood, general manager of Mecalac North America. “We’re very pleased to be the first to bring a dedicated, integrated solution for customers in the North American rail industry.”

The four-model Mecalac MRail Series includes two tracked excavators and two wheeled excavators that are positioned on hi-rail wheels to travel on railways. The hi-rail wheels can comfortably be re- or de-railed by the operator when working on and off the rail.

The two tracked models, 106MRail and 136MRail, with operating weights of 10 and 13 tons respectively, are based on the MCR crawler skid excavator concept for a variety of service and maintenance applications. The 106MRail can travel up to 6.2 mph (10 kph) on ground and 14.3 mph (23 kph) on rails powered by a DEUTZ TCD 2.9 diesel engine rated 75 hp. The 136MRail offers ground speeds up to 5.6 mph (9 kph) and rail speeds as high as 12.4 mph (20kph). Both models offer 360-degree rotation and exceptional lifting capacities for enhanced versatility. Optional rear and side cameras provide extra safety, visibility and precision when working in-between tracks, in tunnels or confined spaces.

Based on the MWR wheeled excavator, the 156MRail and 216MRail models provide solutions tailored to rail networks, different track sizes and available workspace. Both models use a Deutz TCD3.6 diesel rated 136 hp. The 156 MRail’s compact design and enhanced visibility provide an ideal solution for work in hard-to-reach places, said the company, while the 216MRail model brings agility and maneuverability to users looking to complete projects on national and urban railways. With the greatest boom reach of the MRail models, the 216MRail can reach up to 24 ft. 7 in.

Mecalac said the 156 MRail’s compact design and enhanced visibility provide an ideal solution for work in hard-to-reach places.

John Deere adds to 6R tractor lineup

  John Deere has updated its 6R Tractor lineup and added the new 6R 140 and 6R 165 models. The 6R 140 gives customers a fourth choice in the 110-to 140-horsepower small-frame class while the 6R 165 adds a third model to the mid-frame lineup of 145- to165-horsepower tractors.

With power bulge and Intelligent Power Management (IPM), the 6R 140 and 6R 165 Tractors deliver up to 166 and 212 maximum horsepower in tough conditions such as heavy transport, PTO, or hydraulic applications. The 6R 140 gets a John Deere FT PowerTech four-cylinder diesel engine rated 140 hp with up to 20 additional horsepower through IPM. The 6R 165 uses a John Deere FT PowerTech six-cylinder diesel engine rated 165 hp with up to 40 additional horsepower through IPM.

Deere has also improved the styling, visibility, and operator comfort of the 6R Series Tractors. “The 6R Tractor cab provides operators with outstanding visibility and a quiet work environment,” Dennis Ogle, marketing manager for John Deere said. “These new tractors continue to deliver premium levels of comfort, convenience and technology that John Deere customers are accustomed to.”

John Deere’s new 6R 165 tractor.

Critical machine information was moved from the steering column to an easy-to-read digital display that’s now located on the tractor’s corner post. By combining the cab updates with the new control handle, operators can enjoy high levels of comfort and convenience that can help them operate at peak efficiency and performance in their daily work.

When it comes to technology, the 6R Tractors come standard with a 4G JDLink connection (modem). Once activated in the John Deere Operations Center, the tractor will stream machine and field data to the owner’s Operations Center account, free of charge.  What’s more, the owner can use the Work Planner tool in Operations Center to set up field prescriptions and other field tasks while in their home office or on-the-go and can push the instructions to the tractor’s in-cab display, saving the operator time in the field by not having to manually enter this information.