G SKIDDERS

FORESTRY E Q U I P M E N T
G SKIDDERS
540G-III 548G-III

Operator Station: Comforts such as
swivel seat, ergonomically located
controls, and all-season climate controls
help keep productivity up.
Grapple: Keep constant pressure on
the tongs with two hydraulic cylinders
designed to adjust to each load.
Winch: Single lever ease of operation.
Legendary durability.
Axles: Inboard planetary axles feature
self-equalizing, self-adjusting wet-disc
brakes to decrease wear to on-the-fl y
differential locks.
Engine: Do more on less fuel with
the powerful John Deere 6.8-L engine
featuring high torque rise, heavy-duty
engine blocks, and proven durability
and fuel effi ciency.
Transmission: Put the most power
to the axles with our direct-drive
PowerShift transmission.
Quick Daily Maintenance: Make daily
maintenance a snap with quick-release
fuel fi lters and separators, spin-on oil
fi lters, and oil-drain shutoff for spill-free
oil changes.
Rear Assembly: Built forest-tough
to withstand the heaviest buffering,
the adjustable fairlead, heavy butt
pan, see-through ram-guard screen,
and strong fenders protect the tires,
rear frame, winch, and operator.

SPECS AT
A GLANCE
ENGINE:
6.8-L PowerTech
RATED GROSS POWER:
129 SAE HP 96 kW
SPEEDS:
8 forward, 7 reverse
GRAPPLE AREA:
Bunching 85 in. 216 0 mm
WINCH:
Series 4000 bare-drum line
pull up to 35,029 lb. 156 kN
OPERATING WEIGHT:
540G-III
22,780 lb. 10 355 kg
548G-III
23,690 lb. 10 768 kg
OVERALL WIDTH:
From 8 ft. 8 in. 2.6 m
The perfect skidder for
imperfect working conditions.
Grapple or cable…you make the call. Choose from the innovative G-III-Series grapple or the powerful
winch model; either way you get the power and reliability that your job demands. This machine is most
productive working where it can pick up tightly bunched piles in a single pass. John Deere winch models
provide the power and confi dence you need to skid the big loads.

Skidders
540G-III Cable / 548G-III Grapple
540G-III Cable / 548G-III Grapple
ENGINE
Engine displacement
Gross horsepower @ rated speed
Gross horsepower — peak
Additional features
John Deere PowerTech 6068H
414 cu. in. 6.8 L
129 hp 96 kW
132 hp 98 kW
Turbocharged
Engine cold-start system: ether starting aid (optional)
Air cleaner: dual stage with safety element and dust unloader valve
Slope operation, maximum angle: 45 deg.
TRANSMISSION
Direct drive
Number of gears:
Forward 8
Reverse 7
Maximum travel speed (mph)
with 28L-26 tires
@ 2,200 rpm
Forward travel speed
1.5–12.3 mph 2.4–19.8 km/h
Reverse travel speed
1.5–9.3 mph 2.4–15.0 km/h
AXLES
STEERING
BRAKES
Standard features:
Service brakes
Parking brake
HYDRAULICS
Reservoir size
Main pump:
Type
Maximum rated fl ow
Maximum rated pressure
Grapple control
Optional
FUEL CAPACITIES
Cable
Grapple
COOLING
Front axle oscillation, stop to stop: 30 deg.
Final drive: heavy-duty planetary, mounted inboard
Differential pressure: 270 psi 1861 kPa
Power, fully hydraulic, Orbitrol valve
Articulation angle: 45 deg. each direction
Inboard-mounted, wet disc, oil cooled, self-adjusting, and self-equalizing front and rear axles
Automatically spring-applied, hydraulically released, sealed and lubricated, wet multi-disc,
integrally mounted in transmission
12.2 gal. 46 L
Variable-displacement axial piston
29 gpm 110 L/min.
3,000–3,100 psi 20 684–21 374 kPa
Joystick-pilot
Mechanical
41 gal. 155 L
50 gal. 189 L
Fan drive: belt/fi xed blades
4
5

540G-III Cable / 548G-III Grapple
WINCH
Maximum winch line pull
(8-in. drum standard speed)
4000 (8-in. and 10-in. drum)
35,029 lbf. 156 kN
OPERATING WEIGHTS
Standard equipment
22,780 lb. 10 342 kg / 23,690 lb. 10 755 kg
540G-III Cable / 548G-III Grapple
540G-III Cable
DIMENSIONS
A Overall width:
With 23.1-26 tires (narrow gauge)
With 28L-28 tires (narrow gauge)
With 24.5-32 tires (narrow gauge)
8 ft. 8 in. 2640 mm
9 ft. 6 in. 2900 mm
9 ft. 1 in. 2770 mm/9 ft. 5.5 in. 2880 mm
B Ground clearance:
With 23.1-26 tires (narrow gauge)
With 28L-28 tires (narrow gauge)
With 24.5-32 tires (narrow gauge)
C Dozer blade width
D Overall height*
E Maximum blade lift above ground
F Maximum blade dig below ground
G Front axle to front of machine
H Front axle to blade cutting edge
I Front axle to articulation joint
J Wheelbase
K Overall length
19.6 in. 498 m
20.2 in. 514 m
23.5 in. 598 m
7 ft. 2 in. 2184 mm
9 ft. 10.5 in. 3.01 m
3 ft. 11.6 in. 1.21 m
11.3 in. 288 mm
4 ft. 11.3 in. 1507 mm
6 ft. 11.2 in. 2112 mm
5 ft. 2 in. 1575 mm
9 ft. 7 in. 2920 mm
20 ft. 9 in. 6330 mm
*Add 6.3 in. 160 mm when
equipped with water tank
548G-III Grapple
D
J
I
K
G
H
E
F
GRAPPLE
L Height of grapple from ground level
M Reach of grapple at ground level
N Reach of grapple at full reach
O Maximum height of boom
P Below ground reach of grapple
at full reach
Q Overall length with grapple
Grapple control
Optional
R Tong opening at tips
34 in. 864 mm
6 ft. 5.6 in. 1970 mm
7 ft. 1 in. 2158 mm
9 ft. 10 in. 2991 mm
34 in. 872 mm
20 ft. 9 in. 6330 mm
Joystick-pilot
Mechanical
85 in. 2159 mm
O
L
E
D
S Area 8 sq. ft. 0.7 m 2
T Minimum diameter of stem
5 in. 24 mm
P
M
N
J
Q
I
G
H
F
548G-III Grapple, single-function
R
S
T

John Deere is the world’s leading designer,
manufacturer, and distributor of forest machines.
Our range of purpose-built forestry equipment
is without equal in the industry.
From thinning to regeneration harvesting,
for both cut-to-length and full-tree applications,
John Deere builds woods-tough equipment
with the logger in mind.
DKA540548GCS Litho in U.S.A. (08-12)
www.JohnDeere.com