444 P-Tier | Mid-Size Wheel Loader

The 124 hp 444 P-Tier with 2.5-4.5 cubic yard bucket, agility and capability combine with performance and reliability to help keep you productive all day long.

Loader weighing material in the bucket

Overview

SmartWeigh™ is a John Deere designed and supported payload weighing solution that delivers accurate measurements, dynamic weighing capabilities, and is easy to calibrate.  For those not sold on whether or not a payload weighing solutions is a fit for your application, John Deere offers a low cost 250-hour trial period that provides you full SmartWeigh™ capabilities to help enable you to make the decision.

Benefits

• Leading Accuracy: SmartWeigh™ provides operators with increased accuracy (+/- 1.5 percent) because of John Deere’s expertise knowledge of our loader’s kinematic properties and exact dimensions and specifications.  This ensures near exact target weights are hit and efficiently loaded into feed mixers, trucks, hoppers, or processing plants.  This also helps prevent the loader from having to go back to the pile to get more material or to dump excess material.
• Seamless Calibration: Unlike other payload weighing systems, SmartWeigh™ does not need to be calibrated with a known weight and is designed to be easy to complete without the help of a dealer. By going through an easy-to-follow calibration process in the machine monitor, the system will be ready to accurately weigh material.
• Dynamic Weighing: There’s no need to constantly lower and reraise the boom of the loader to determine the weight after tipping off material. Bucket capture height can be set anywhere from 15-90 percent of boom height and can be captured at any boom speed.  The SmartWeigh™ system can automatically determine the new weight after tip offs, reducing the time it takes to load the exact amount of material.
• John Deere Designed and Supported: SmartWeigh™ is a John Deere designed and supported solution meaning if issues arise, the only call you need to make is to your John Deere dealer.
• JDLink™ Integrated: Integration of payload weighing data into JDLink™ means that you can access the data from nearly anywhere, not just within the cab of the machine.
• Factory and Field Kit Options: A range of options are available to equip John Deere utility loaders with SmartWeigh™ including fully integrating from the factory or adding through field kits.  The 250-hour trial period enables you to utilize SmartWeigh™ for 250 machine hours and decide if you would like to easily add on the feature for the life of the machine after the trial period expires.

Location of digital cameras (mirror-mounted cameras)

View of three-in-one display with dynamic reversal lines

Overview

The addition of enhanced visibility and radar object detection systems improves situation awareness and can help prevent costly damage to machines and equipment.  The addition of the advanced vision system and obstacle intelligence can help lower total cost of ownership and machine downtime.

Benefits

• The advance vision system integrates two digital cameras on the rearview mirror platforms and integrates those views, along with the rearview camera view located at the rear of the machine, into a dedicated single display within the cab.
• A dedicated, secondary display is larger and digital cameras provide a higher quality visual compared to analog cameras.
• Dynamic reversal projected path lines assist the operator in visualizing the anticipated reversal path of the loader based on its articulation in order to provide better line of sight to objects or people that may be directly within that path
• Lines are overlaid within the rear camera view on the dedicated monitor.
• Distinctive audible alarm notifies the operator when an object is detected with the beep speed increasing as an object comes closer to the loader.

644 P loader with standard Z-Bar Linkage

Improved bucket rollback and material retention

Overview

New P and X-tier utility loaders will now be equipped with Auto Level that enables near perfect parallelism throughout the boom raise and lower cycle.  In addition, enhanced performance buckets and Z-Bar linkage on P and X tier utility loaders are designed to enable loaders to be configured in a manner that allows them to be as productive as possible.

Benefits

• Auto Level can be enabled through the primary machine monitor and allows operators to set their desired attachment angle and keep that angle within +/- 2 degrees throughout the entire boom raise and lower cycle.  This minimizes load rollback when using forks or buckets to improve load leveling
• Auto Level currently not available on machines configured with Tool Carrier linkage
• 8 degrees of parallelism is achieved when Auto Level is disabled
• High-Lift linkage adds an additional 304.8 mm (12 in.) of hinge pin height over standard linkage
• Cross tube and boom geometry design offers improved visibility to front attachments when operating and changing out between attachments during the day
• Bucket material retention has been improved by providing a 15 degree increase in bucket rollback to reduce material spillage Curved side cutters and integrated spill guards improve bucket fill rates

View of the newly redesigned cab upon entering from the left side of the machine

Additional 12V accessory outlet, USB, and auxiliary port

Rear vent

Updated sealed switch module (SSM) mounted on the right side cab post beneath the monitor

Overview

The redesigned cab in the John Deere utility loader lineup features improvements that provide the operator a first-class work environment with a range of creature comfort options to keep operators comfortable and productive no matter the task at hand.

Benefits

• An additional 76.2 mm (3 in.) of leg room has been added over the previous series loaders.
• Dual tilt steering column allows for dual tilt between the column and wheel to allow operators to customize the position of the steering wheel to their needs.
• Additional 12V accessory outlets have been strategically placed for proper powering of devices and a USB port has been added for connecting to the radio.
• Auxiliary accessory mounting points are strategically placed on the right front and rear cab posts for equipment such as a payload scale interface or CB radio.
• Upgraded heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to improve cooling capacity, more precise control and increased reliability and durability. 
  • The AC unit has been relocated to the right side of the cab for easier access and service.
  • The fresh air filter exchange is made through the top of the unit located outside the cab. This allows the dirty filter to be replaced completely outside of the operator compartment.
  • Brushless motor provides infinite fan speeds, quieter operation, and increased airflow.
  • Standard blower vent behind the seat for rear window defog that is adjustable to control direction of air flow.
• The sealed switch module has been updated and relocated on L-series and P-tier loaders.  The new location brings the switches to the operator’s line of sight during operation for quick reference and ease of selection and has updated and new functions included.
  • Selecting the About button on the main menu of the monitor, then going down to sealed switch module (SSM) feature button the next screen takes you to a menu where you can view each button on the SSM and learn more about each feature.

Built in EH controls within the right-hand joystick

Overview

Electrohydraulic (EH) controls allow for increased functionality to customize machine operations based on operator preference to increase productivity on a range of jobsite applications

Benefits

• Enable soft hydraulic stops to select how abrupt the bucket or boom stops when they reach the end of travel or when the lever of the joystick is released
• Personalize both multi-function buttons with up to 10 options selectable from the monitor including bucket vibrate that creates a slight vibrating action for precise control when dumping specific material or EH Precision Mode that allows for fine metering of bucket or boom movement
• Set and store up to 10 different attachment configuration settings including flow, responsiveness, and other modes through the monitor for the most frequently used attachments in your fleet

View of Cooling Package at Rear of Machine

Overview

The Quad-Cool™ Cooling System on loaders is a John Deere exclusive that places the radiator, air-conditioner condenser, intercooler, and hydraulic, transmission, and axle coolers in a unique boxed configuration that is isolated from engine heat to cool these components more efficiently throughout the day.

Benefits

• The coolers are arranged in a manner that the operator has wide open access to both sides of them ensuring that all debris collected in the coolers can be cleaned out 
• Cool-on-demand hydraulically driven variable speed fan is included with the speed of the fan being determined by the machine fluid temperatures resulting in better fuel economy and optimized cooling

View of improved hydraulic routing at the loader articulation joint

Overview

With improvements to the electrical and hydraulic routing and features like ground level servicing and Quad-Cool, customers get an upgraded serviceability experience while building upon known features that they’ve come to expect from John Deere Wheel Loaders.

Benefits

• Wire harness routing has been enhanced and additional retention points have been added to reduce rubbing 
• Elimination of at least 40 hydraulic leak points over previous series in addition to four less crossings at the articulation joint on a two-hydraulic function loader
• The pump manifold has been removed from the articulation area to simply ease of service.
• Controllers and fuse panel are all protected from the environment while also being more serviceable from inside the cab of the machine
• Ground-level daily service checks and fuel refill are conveniently grouped at ground level on the left side of the machine for easy access
• Quad Cool cooling system places coolers in a unique boxed configuration that’s isolated from the engine heat for increased efficiency and durability