OK....here is the skinny on this tractor.
It seems like customers either "get it" or don't. You have to keep in mind that this is totally new machine form that is intended to capitalize on the advancements in machine control systems. This tractor is not intended to totally replace ALL functions of a grader or ALL functions of a dozer. No it will not last in heavy rock applications nor will it perform will against a 160M in hogging mass amounts of dirt. It will however offer contractors a distinct advantage in production and fuel consumption in the last phases of a road building or site development job (or many other medium dozing or fine grading applications).
If you take a look at the equipment used 40, 30, 20, or even 10 years ago. Many of the technologies that are available today (and tomorrow) weren't available. With the rising production costs associated with moving dirt these days there are opportunities to do more with less. The tried and true methods of finished grading have built in limitations when pushing the limits of production. Steel crawlers by design are limited on grading speed and mobility. Graders are extremely versatile in a variety of different applications but have a relatively high initial purchase and typically require a highly skilled operator to achieve the desired finish grade results. Then take into consideration sandy soil conditions that are too soft for a grader and take a significant toll on steel undercarriage life. These are the problems that a new machine form can address without any "baggage" of prior designs.
There have been some skeptics out there about the grading speed. Keep in mind that with four tracks, each on their own pivot frame, bogey mid rollers and a total of 12 degrees of side to side track oscillation the tractor provides a rock solid foundation for precision blade movements. Much more stable than a grader (with rubber tires and a frame that can "duck walk" providing instability in grade) and a steel track tractor that the tracks provide a rough ride and provides a break over pivot point in that the whole machines pivots about. None of these are exhibited by the HSD. A manual rough grade CAN easily be held at 6 MPH and with the correct grade control system extremely tight tolerances can be held at up to 6 MPH as well. You can't hog dirt at this speed, but you're not going to be hogging and finish grading at the same time anyway. Because this machine offers the best platform for GPS and/or laser assisted finish grading control Deere's IGC will be standard equipment. Offering a true plug and play set up for Trimble or Topcon.
Operator comfort is another area that this machine excels when compared to steel track machines. The rubber undercarriage provides an exceptional ride when compared to a steel track unit, plus at higher speeds you have a front and rear suspension for a fully suspended tractor. All controls are EH and are mounted to the seat so they move with the operator. The visibility is unlike anything else either since the operator is sitting on the front of the tractor right behind the blade. Yes I know there are comments about the rear articulation, but isn't this the same as any grader (sans Case)? There is an articulation gauge in the cab to let the operator know where the rear end of the machine is, just like a grader.
As far as being like the CIH quad track. This machine is NOT an agriculture tractor and was never intended to be. With that being said there are several small contractors out there that also have sizeable farms. Who's to say that it wouldn't make sense to them for this machine to pull double duty? Nothing saying they can't, but it wasn't a major consideration upon the design of the machine form. At 200 HP it was never intended to compete with the STX, Challenger or 9030 series scraper tractors. Can it pull a small (9-13 cu yd) dolly wheel pan.....yes and it can quite well, but it was never meant be to a dedicated scraper puller. Think of the drawbar on this machine as a quick coupler on a wheel loader. It doesn't define the main purpose of the machine but only adds to the versatility of the overall package. For those of you out there have had significantly low hour failures on the STX machines and have drawn the same conclusions to this system, although the systems appear to be the same, there are several significant differences between the two that promote higher undercarriage life in the 764.
1. HP - Most scraper versions of the STX are 450-530 HP. The HSD is less than half of this power meaning that the power transmission into the tracks is a LOT less. Most of the time the STX's are performing heavy drawbar applications (loading pans) and most of this power is getting transmitted into the tracks to load pans as quickly as possible. The majority of applications that this machine was design for was high speed grading, meaning higher speeds at lower draw bar pull rates.
2. Transmission - The STX has a direct drive transmission that allows almost 100% of engine power and torque to be placed directly into the tracks. Unless the transmission is shifted or the clutch is dumped there is nothing limiting the power going to the track system. The 764 has a hydrostatic system with power management out of the J-series crawlers. The system is constantly adjusting the correct amount of speed and torque applied to the tracks without overloading them.
3. Track drive system - Due to the amount of HP and drawbar loads being placed into to STX tracks they operate as a positive drive (pulling on the drive lugs) almost all of the time. The 764 operates primarily as a friction drive using the flat mating surface of the drive hub as the primary drive mechanism. It is not until the 764 approaches the limits of it drawbar pull does the system act as a positive drive system and pulls on the lugs. The friction drive promotes much better track life without the risk of tracks slipping inside the drive hub (ie Challenger and 9030T's).
3000 hours is the average number and Deere is backing this up with a wear assurance similar to what they offer on their SC-II and Max Life undercarriage and also what Cat offers on their System One.
Think of this tractor to be a lot like moving dirt with a scraper tractor and pans. There are obviously places where that system won't work, but in the many places that it does there is a significant savings to be realized. Same thing holds true for this machine. It’s all about using the most efficient tool for the job at hand. By no means will this tractor completely replace the motor grader or steel track crawler dozer, but in certain applications this unit will add utility, mobility and production to a job site that nothing else can.