Calle, 19th September 2016. The North Germany-based company Tietjen GmbH has developed a new air brake system for John Deere's latest articulated track tractor 9620RX. Dealers selling the 9RX series in Germany or across Europe can order the kit right away from Tietjen which can be fitted to vehicles in their workshops.

The track tractor was shipped directly from the John Deere headquarters in Waterloo, Iowa via Bremerhaven to Tietjen in Calle at the End of May for re-adaptation of the air brake system. Product developers had already received more detailed information about the equipment before the tractor arrived. Thus, Tietjen was already able to answer the following questions about development of the retrofit kit in advance: What are the most suitable brakes for this vehicle type? Where is the safest place to install the individual assemblies of the retrofit kit? Can standard components be used? What custom production and components can Tietjen offer?

"Our main supplier Wabco is offering a complete range of products for the brake units, such as compressor, pressure regulator, trailer control valves, air dryer, and air reservoir. Most elements have come from them", explains CEO Hauke Tietjen. "Despite the enormous size of the vehicle, integrating the retrofit kit with the existing equipment safely and according to John Deere standards is still a challenge, with its eleven assemblies and the large number of individual components from the engine compartment at the front to the coupling heads at the rear ", Tietjen continues.

Design engineers at Tietjen have developed the compressor consoles, steel tube lines, V-belt pulleys, and a range of mounts in house using the latest CAD software before adapting them to the available space on the vehicle.

At the conclusion of 9620RX development work, a range of measurements, tests, and final tests were carried out on the entire braking system. The development process was nicely rounded off with an in-house- and certified external audit based on ISO 9001.

Alongside the development of the air brake system, technical documentation writers have created an installation guide which is being delivered to the dealers with the retrofit kit. The document describes each installation step in detail with photos. For the large part, this prevents faults or mix-ups during assembly of the retrofit kit at the dealer workshops. Pre-assembled modules and colour-coded connectors make assembly a breeze.

The retrofit kit has been available from the Tietjen online catalogue at since June 2016.