2660VT VARIABLE INTENSITY TILLAGE

Technology should be simple to maximize full potential, autonomy shouldn’t be different. With autonomous farming solutions on the horizon, many customers are wondering what they should do to ensure the tillage equipment they are purchasing today will be READY to operate autonomously.

Autonomy Ready includes known and available integrated components, allowing customers to save time and money when adding the fully autonomous tillage solution hardware. The components included from the factory are:

• Implement lights
• Receiver mast
• Implement receiver harness

Please reference the chart below for model availability.

Universal StarFire™ 7500 receiver will need to be purchased separately for autonomous tillage operation.

As John Deere continues to develop the fully autonomous solution, additional requirements will be required. For the most up to date information on autonomy and additional key enablers, please visit the John Deere Autonomous Tillage Launch Center or John Deere Autonomy homepage. For more information on Autonomy Ready Large Tractors, please visit the Large Tractor Sales Manual.

With working speeds up to 16.1 km/h (10 mph), the 2660VT can increase productivity and cover up to 24.3 ha (60 acres) per hour.

The 2660VT is available in sizes ranging from 4.37 m to 15.2 m (14 ft, 4 in. to 49 ft, 6 in.), which allows producers to size their implement for their agronomic and operational needs. Power requirements range from 24.5 to 34.25 kW/m (10 to 14 hp/ft) depending on the gang angle, soil, depth, and speed.

Productivity:

Power requirements:

NOTE: Power requirement is dependent on field conditions, depth, and gang angle.

A gang angle that can be adjusted from 0 degrees to 12 degrees enables a producer to maximize productivity, adapt to spring or fall fieldwork, and address multiple agronomic challenges. Some producers may desire a true vertical tillage of 0-degree gang angle to decrease soil and residue disturbance on highly erodible land. For others, a more aggressive gang angle is desired to level the field, fill in light ruts, remove weeds, or incorporate more residue in the soil. The adjustable gang angle allows producers to create the ideal seed bed, no matter the field conditions.

Quick and easy gang angle adjustments

The 2660VT offers two methods to adjust the gang angle in changing field conditions. Using the the TruSet™ Tillage system, the gang angle can be adjusted on the go from the cab, or it can be manually adjusted with the quick and easy-to-use gang roller slider.

Manual adjustment

• Quick and easy-to-adjust
• Pull and lock open the spring-loaded pin, slide the gang to the new position, and lock it back in place
• Adjust gang angle in increments of two degrees (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12)

TruSet adjustment

• Done with the push of a button on the display
• Adjust gang angle in increments of one degree (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12)

Gang angle adjustment

0- to 12-degree gang angle range:

• Manual: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 degrees
• TruSet™ Tillage: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 degrees

True vertical tillage – 0 degrees:

• Vertical residue cutting without lateral soil movement

Lower intensity – 2 to 6 degrees:

• Cutting, sizing, and light horizontal mixing of soil and crop residue

Medium intensity – 8 to 12 degrees:

• Cutting, sizing, and maximum horizontal mixing of soil and crop residue, fill in shallow ruts/tire tracks, light weed management

Below are the capabilities of the 2660VT with results from different gang angle settings:

Corn

Soybeans

Weeds

Gangs use field-proven gang components

The 2660VT gangs use field-proven components for excellent reliability and performance. The 55.9-cm x 0.65-cm (22-in. x 0.256-in.) blade with 18.4-cm (7.25-in.) spacing provides valuable residue cutting and sizing to promote stalk break-down and releases nutrients back to the soil.

Easy tension gang bolts

The John Deere 2660VT provides an innovative approach to tension gang bolts.

Spring benefits

• Size and cut residue
• Break up surface crust layer
• Control weeds and residue
• Dry/aerate and warm up the soil to lengthen producer’s planting window
• Improve seed-to-soil contact for uniform emergence
• Level and smooth soil surface to ensure excellent planter ride quality

Fall

• Cut, size, and bury residue
• Improve water infiltration
• Mix soil and residue for faster decomposition
• Level and distribute residue
• Incorporate nutrients or cover crops
• Fill in light tire tracks

The John Deere ProFinish leveling system features a double rolling basket for producers looking to flow high levels of residue through the tool and leave a smooth, level field finish. The front knife-edge basket in a reversed orientation allows the basket to passively keep soil and residue in the profile and adds an additional step that mixes, pins, and buries residue.

The rear basket can be configured with either a flat bar or a round bar basket, based on producer preference. These baskets help distribute residue, reduce clods, and firm the soil to preserve moisture and level out the surface and sub-surface finish. If rocks are a concern, the round-bar basket is the best option for finish and durability.

The drawbars and rolling baskets are built with strength in mind for demanding field conditions. The active hydraulic rolling basket features maintenance-free bearings to minimize non-productive activities.  For the rolling baskets, a cast frame was designed to encase the bearing in a high-density polymer liner to enhance dynamic movement and minimize maintenance needed.

Fall conditions

• Improve firming, mixing, and clod-shattering with double rolling baskets.
• Incorporate soil and residue and apply down pressure to shatter root balls.
• Decrease pressure to leave larger clods and a rougher field finish.

Spring

• Distribute larger soil particles on the surface and finer soil particles in the seed zone to promote excellent seed-to-soil contact. Yields can benefit when there is good soil adherence at germination for moisture and nutrient uptake, promoting early seedling growth.
• Soil particle size distribution also helps to deal with spring rains.
• Increase pressure to reduce clods and level the soil subsurface to create a more uniform seedbed and increase planter ride quality.