Deere mpany : 5115RH Hi-Crop Tractor | Specialty Tractors | John Deere US

Command8 transmission is optional on 5115R Tractors

The Command8 transmission expands the proven reliability of the PowrReverser™ transmission with a 4-range, 8-speed transmission that enhances operator convenience and productivity through fully electronic range and gear shifting, as well as automatic shifting capabilities. The Command8 uses the same final drives, rear axle, and differential as the already proven 5M PowrReverser transmissions. Rather than using mechanical synchronizers, the Command8 utilizes powershift clutches. Also, electrohydraulic cylinders move the shift rails instead of a mechanical lever. This provides excellent ease of use and more efficient operation.

The Command8 transmission is equipped with 32 forward and 16 reverse (32F/16R) speeds, a left-hand reverser, and eight powershiftable gears in four fully synchronized ranges. The Command8 transmission also comes with pressure and flow compensating (PFC) hydraulics in base equipment. The Command8 operates at speeds as slow as 1.9 km/h (1.18 mph) with rolling circumference index (RCI) group 44 rear tires, and speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph).

Command8 ground speed chart

Operating the Command8 transmission

Range/gear controls

A single control lever, similar to the control used on the DirectDrive™ transmission on 6R and CommandQuad™ transmission on 7R, features an ergonomically designed and intuitive operator interface. This control lever provides manual gear and range change selection when in the left position, and auto selection when shifted to the right position. The thumbwheel is used to dial in the desired ground speed in the auto position.

Once the tractor is started, the operator selects a range by pressing one of the lettered range buttons on the right hand console. The operator has five different selections to choose from - A, B, C, and two multi-range modes (BCD and CD). When a range with a single letter is selected, gear shifting is allowed within the specified range. When a range with multiple letters is selected, operators can shift between the designated ranges simply by using the toggle lever.

The gear within the range can be selected by using the transmission control toggle lever to electronically shift to a desired gear. After setting the desired throttle position, the operator can move the left-hand reverser to the forward or reverse position to start movement. The operator can shift up or down through the gears in the selected range(s) as needed.

Left-hand reverse

The electronic left-hand reverser is standard with all Command8 transmissions and provides neutral-to-gear modulation, which allows a quick, convenient, and smooth forward-reverse shuttle shifting at any speed. The shifter must be lifted from either park or neutral position to forward or reverse to activate. The parking brake is also electronically controlled through the left-hand reverser.

The left-hand reverser is a great feature for loader tractors. The operator's left hand can control easily tractor direction while the right hand manages the loader joystick and speed changes.

Manual mode

The Command8 features two different ways to operate transmission range and speed selections. In manual mode, the operator has the ability to shift through speeds and ranges without clutching by moving the toggle lever forward, toward the + indicator, or backward, toward the - indicator. A single movement of the toggle lever changes one gear at a time. Holding the toggle lever in either direction increases accelerates gear changes throughout the range at a faster pace.

When in a multi-range mode, a simple double toggle of the lever moves to the next range.

Foot pedal lock

Similar to cruise control in a car, the foot pedal lock allows the operator to set a constant speed using the foot pedal. The switch to engage foot pedal lock is also located on the right-hand throttle control. To operate the feature, the hand throttle must be on the low throttle position. Use the foot control to increase the tractor to the desired travel speed, and then press the button to engage the foot pedal lock. When releasing the foot throttle, the tractor will then maintain the speed selected. It can be disengaged by either tapping the brakes, or moving the left hand reverser control to neutral or park.

AUTO mode

Depending on load, auto mode will optimize both the engine and transmission by selecting the appropriate gear and rpm to optimize fuel efficiency. The only input needed from the operator is to set the target ground speed by using the thumbwheel. Once that target speed is set by the operator, the tractor takes care of maintaining that speed.

Once the operator has selected auto mode with the transmission shift lever, the following items will be displayed on the cornerpost display - auto activation, current ground speed, target ground speed, direction, range, and gear. If the operator has selected auto mode with the transmission control lever, then the operator can set the shift points of the transmission through the cornerpost display.

Features available in both manual and AUTO mode

AutoClutch system

With AutoClutch, which is standard on all 5R Utility Tractors, the operator no longer has to use the clutch to control braking and re-engagement of the tractor if so desired. The clutch pedal is still on the tractor for those operators that still prefer to manually foot clutch. This provides the ultimate in ease of use.

AutoClutch allows the operator to bring the tractor to a complete stop without clutching, while at the same time does not overload the engine. It also provides the ability to inch or creep the tractor forward or reverse on a level surface or incline. And it provides the ability to accelerate the vehicle back to normal speed when releasing the brake.

The operator can set the sensitivity setting of the AutoClutch system in the cornerpost display. There are three modes available:

• High sensitivity (default mode)
• Off - temporary setting only that is reset after a key cycle
• Low sensitivity

Low sensitivity would be typically used in transport applications with a towed implement. The low sensitivity ensures that the tractor and implement are stretched for better traction control.

Speed matching

When shifting ranges in a multi-range mode (BCD, CD), the transmission will shift to a gear that most closely matches the speed in the range from which the operator is shifting from, which improves operator comfort by making a smoother transition into a new range. There are two types of speed matching, passive and active.

With passive speed matching, when shifting to a new range, the tractor shifts to a selected fixed gear in the new range based on transmission ratios. For example, when shifting from C8 to D range, instead of shifting into D8 when the range is changed to D like a mechanically controlled transmission would do, the transmission shifts to a preset range and gear of D2. This most closely matches the transmission ratio from which the operator is coming from.

Active speed matching shifts up or down based on wheel speed during range shifts. This minimizes acceleration or deceleration when the clutch re-engages after a range shift and keeps a more consistent ground speed, improving operator comfort.

PowrReverser modulation

Similar to the 5M Utility Tractors, which offer a PowrReverser modulation dial to set aggressiveness of change in direction, all 5R Utility Tractors also offer PowrReverser modulation. Rather than a physical dial, the aggressiveness can be set through the cornerpost display. Settings can be set from 1 to 10, with 1 being the least aggressive direction change and 10 being the most aggressive direction change. A setting of 10 is popular for loader bucket applications where quicker directional changes are acceptable and more productivity is desired. Less aggressive modulation settings are ideal where smoother directional changes are required, such as bale stacking and pallet fork activities.

Start gear selection

Starting within gear 1 within every range has a negative impact on productivity. To minimize the amount of shifting required by the operator in many applications, start gears can be programmed by the operator when operating in any of the two multi-range modes.

In range CD, any start gear can be programmed into the cornerpost display between C1 and D1. In range BCD, any start gear can be programmed between B1 and D1. Let's say that an operator programs B8 as the start gear for BCD range. This means that anytime the operator selects BCD mode by pressing that particular range button, the tractor will automatically begin in gear B8. The operator can of course shift to any range and gear between B1 and D8 from there, but the starting point will be what the operator has programmed. This results in less shifting and more productivity.

Within the fixed ranges (A, B, C), the preset start gears are A8, B8, and C4. These cannot be altered by the operator through the cornerpost display.

Load anticipation

A load anticipation feature is standard equipment on all tractors equipped with a Command8 transmission. Its primary function is to increase productivity and provide more operator comfort by assisting the operator to handle expected high-load situations by automatically increasing the fuel economy optimal engine speed when working with implements. It can be used in both PTO and hitch activities, and can be turned on or off for each within the cornerpost display.

If turned on through the display, load anticipation is activated when:

• PTO turned on - engine speed automatically increases to the maximum engine speed
• Hitch movement - engine speed automatically increases to 1500 rpm when a hitch movement is detected

The load anticipation feature also activates when using PTO or hitch functions programmed within iTEC™ system sequences.

Independent programmable forward/reverse ratio

This feature is helpful in cyclical operations, such as loader work, where the operator wants to control the forward speed as a ratio of the reverse speed.

In manual mode, the tractor automatically selects a gear closest to the ratio desired by the operator. In auto mode, the tractor would adjust the set speed in the opposite direction. Ratios can be programmed up to 100 percent faster than the forward speed or up to 80 percent slower than the forward speed within the cornerpost display. This is adjustable in 20 percent increments (Forward speed x 0.20, 0.40, 0.60, 0.80, 1.00, 1.20, 1.40, 1.60, 1.80, 2.00).

Another selection is independent; in this mode the tractor remembers the last forward and reverse gear setting. Once the gear is manually changed in the reverse direction, the gear will automatically go back to the last gear when changing directions. If the gear is not manually changed when in reverse direction, then the forward gear and reverse gear will remain the same when changing directions.

While the maximum forward ground speed is 40 km/h (25 mph), the maximum reverse speed is 30 km/h (18.6 mph).

Features available in auto mode only (Efficiency Manager™ feature)

Efficiency Manager is automatically enabled when the shift lever is placed in the automatic mode gate. The set speed adjuster on the top of the single lever gear selector allows the operator to dial in the desired ground speed to establish a set speed for forward and reverse. Efficiency Manager allows the transmission to up- or down-shift and change engine rpm to maintain the set wheel speed. To reach the desired set speed, the throttle must be set to full engine rpm. This allows Efficiency Manager to shift the transmission and adjust engine speed to maintain the desired wheel speed.

Eco on / Eco off

In some applications an operator may want to manage parameters for shifting points and minimum engine rpm. This can be accomplished with settings within the cornerpost display via Eco mode. Eco mode can be turned off and on with a switch located on the hand throttle. In many cases, operators will choose to utilize Eco mode in lower load conditions, such as transport. For tough field conditions, Eco mode is typically turned off. Minimum engine speed is adjustable between 900 and 2100 rpm.

Eco mode allows the operator to program two minimum engine speeds, one for when Eco is turned off, and one for when Eco is turned on. When Eco mode is activated, the transmission and engine will shift up and throttle back in order to try to maintain ground speed at the low engine rpm selected by the operator. For example, if a grower chooses a target speed of 12 km/h at an engine speed of 1200 rpm. The transmission and engine will work together to shift to higher gears and throttle back to find a gear that is able to get close to the 1200 rpm target.

When the grower gets to the field and wants to increase engine rpm to handle working tasks, simply turn Eco off with the Eco button on the throttle control, and the transmission and engine will then shift down and throttle up. The tractor will again target the speed selected via the thumbwheel, and the engine rpm that has been programmed into the cornerpost display for Eco off.

This is an excellent way to maximize fuel efficiency on a 5R Utility Tractor.

Load control droop

Load control droop allows the operator to control the shift point of the tractor. The goal of auto mode is to prevent the engine pulling down below this preselected operating point by downshifting automatically. It commands an upshift so that the engine speed is above the load control set point (droop) with sufficient torque reserve. It also commands a downshift when the engine speed is pulled down below the load control set point (droop). The load control droop can be set within the cornerpost display in two modes, PTO on and PTO off.

The settings the operator can choose from in the cornerpost display are:

• PTO on
• • High droop
  • Medium droop
  • Low droop

• PTO off
  • High droop
  • Medium droop
  • Low droop

Selecting high droop minimizes shifting, while selecting low droop provides faster reaction to load.