John Deere 7930 tractor

By: Ian Harwood, Photography by: Ian Harwood

Date: 09.02.2011

We test the user-friendly John Deere 7390 tractor

John Deere 7930 tractor

IVT transmission
Excellent visibility from the cab
Front suspension works well in rough paddocks
"Made in America" ensures quality
Easy to operate, even for beginners

The John Deere 7930 is an easy tractor to operate. The controls are where you expect them to be, visibility is excellent, it’s quiet, the front suspension does a good job smoothing out the bumps, and you can just jump in and drive it.

Engine and power

The 7930 runs John Deere’s 6.8-litre power tech engine with common rail fuel injection, four valves per cylinder, 10 percent power bulge and a host of other high-tech features.

Transmission

The 7930 has the 50km/h version IVT (Indefinitely Variable Transmission). Driving an IVT is similar to a hydrostatic transmission without needing full revs. A lever on the armrest sets the speed, a selector on the dash sets one of three modes: 1 for PTO work or anytime you need the engine revs matched to the throttle setting; 2 for heavy draft or towing work; and 3 for light work such as transport, drilling, etc.

The fuel savings must be considerable over the life of the tractor.

The 7000 series also have the option of the power quad or auto quad transmission for those that prefer a semi powershift type transmission.

Inside the cab

The cab is well laid out and quiet. A combination of no dash and a narrow bonnet gives excellent forward visibility, while the curved rear window allows the full width of the six-metre drill to be seen.
All the commonly used controls are easy to find with John Deere’s command arm. An A pillar display provides information found on a normal dash setup and a console to the right of the seat houses all other controls.

The cab has climate control air conditioning and is wired for John Deere’s Greenstar system.

Also fitted is the "active seat" option, which gives the driver an excellent ride.

Hydraulics

These are a closed centre, pressure and flow compensated system meaning that there is still plenty of flow even when the IVT’s brain throttles the engine back.

Controls for the remotes are electric over hydraulic and are mounted on the command arm. Settings for the remotes such as flow are controlled on a digital display on the right-hand console. The system also has a headland management function.

Suspension

The 7930 is equipped with front suspension and it does a good job.

Servicing

Access to the engine is easy, with a rear-hinged lift-up bonnet allowing easy cleaning of the radiator area.

Engine oil changes can be extended to 500 hours using John Deere oil and filters.

The owner says…

Simon Broom has been very pleased with how his 7000 series tractors have preformed. For their horsepower the 7920s and the 7930 are quite manoeuvrable tractors and are ideally suited to his work. He says they perform well on the hill discing and on the silage stack (one of the 7920s has a JD loader fitted).

Simon admits that he ticked a lot of boxes when choosing options for his new tractor, such as electric mirrors, front links and PTO, and air brakes so he can use heavy trailers behind the tractor, and the leather seat.

See a range of John Deere tractors for sale.

Specifications

Engine type John Deere PowerTech 6.8L Tier 3 engine with Variable Geometry Turbocharger, Cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation, Air-to-Air Aftercooled
Number of cylinders 6
Engine power (hp) 220
Max torque (Nm) 1025 @ 1600rpm
PTO (kW) 134
PTO (hp) 180
Speeds 540/1000
Transmission type PowrQuad+, AutoQuad+, IVT
Speeds 20F/20R (PQ+), 20F/20R (AQ+), Infinite (IVT)
Speed range (km/h) 2.4-42K (PQ+), 2.4-42/50K (AQ+), 0-40/50K (IVT)
Hydraulic system Closed center, pressure & flow compensated
Pump type Axial piston
Max L/min 121 L/min optional 170 L/min
Three point linkage Type 3-Point Hitch (Category 3/3N) with Quik-Coupler
Brake type Hydraulically operated wet disk, rear. Optional, front
Steering type Load sensing, hydrostatic, flow metering
Rear axle 100mm diameter, 2438mm long rack and pinion axle allowing infinitely adjustable tread settings determined by tyre size
Front axle MFWD with optional Triple Link Suspension (TLS)
Height (mm) 3184mm
Wheel base (mm) 2860mm
Turning circle (mm) 5059mm
Min width (mm) 2139mm