John Deere 110 TLB Recognized
With Top Industry Award
July 14, 2003

RALEIGH, N.C. — The John Deere 110 Tractor Loader Backhoe (TLB) recently received the prestigious AE50 Award from Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World, the monthly membership publication of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE).

AE50 awards are given each year to honor companies that release the best new products engineered for agriculture, food, biological and related systems. David Sprinkle, lead project engineer, remarks, "The 110 TLB was a culmination of John Deere teamwork across the enterprise. By leveraging the strengths of the Commercial & Consumer Equipment, Agricultural, and Construction & Forestry divisions, we are able to provide customers a new level of power, productivity and versatility on farm, landscape and construction sites."

"Four years in the making and with numerous patents pending, the 110 TLB represents new milestones in design innovation. This powerhouse survived rigorous field-testing and two years of intensive customer feedback," says Garry Carpenter, product manager. "With built-in power, performance and durability, the John Deere 110 TLB can put in the same day's work as a full-size backhoe loader, but also has the additional versatility of a utility tractor."

In order to be eligible for the 2003 AE50 awards, a product has to meet five main requirements. It must:

• Be a new technology or advancement.
  
  
• Be intended principally for producing, processing, storing, researching, packaging or transporting agricultural, food or other biological products.
  
  
• Be deemed by a panel of judges to be a worthwhile contribution to advancing agricultural, food or biological systems engineering.
  
  
• Have potential for a broad impact in its affected area or industries for agricultural, food or biological engineering.
  
  
• Have been introduced in 2002.

The TLB was one of this year's highest-ranking entries. "We consider this recognition to be quite significant. For our product to be called out from many and put on the list of top products - all judged by a panel of peer engineers - what a great honor," says Robb Haun, engineer, John Deere Commercial Products. The John Deere 110 TLB is produced by John Deere Commercial Products in Augusta, Ga.