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Key features of Fastrac Icon Series include equal sized wheel and tyre equipment and four-wheel steering.
Having taken over the distribution of the JCB Agricultural product range early in the New Year to complement the JCB Industrial portfolio it already supports, Power Farming will be using Fieldays to highlight the latest Fastrac Icon Series.
First introduced in 1991, Fastrac has become the “go-to” purchase for users looking for highspeed transport capability, exceptional paddock performance, alongside versatility with the choice of front, rear and midpoint/ upper mounting positions.
For the New Zealand market, the company will focus on the 235hp Fastrac 4220 Icon as its main offering, or indent-only availability of the larger 348hp Fastrac 8330 as an alternative. Key features of both Series include equal sized wheel and tyre equipment, fourwheel steering, a 50:50 weight distribution and 4-wheel disc braking with ABS. Standard specification includes a 12-inch touch screen, advanced suspension, 4WD and diff lock, auto air conditioning, 60-degree seat swivel and a full-sized instructor/ training seat.
Both models receive the iCON designation, signalling a sweeping electronics upgrade that enables modern technology to be fully integrated into the operating system.
The new platform comprises three sections: iCONFIGURE customisable control system iCONNECT integrated advanced precision agriculture and iCONTROL driveline software.
Power Farming’s JCB agriculture product manager – JCB, Steve Gorman, comments, “iCON gives operators unprecedented choice and convenience in the way they operate their tractor and fully-integrated GPS guidance and implement control applications that minimise the need for additional displays”.
The heart of the system is the seatmounted armrest console, housing the main joystick, auxiliary joystick, hydraulic control levers and PTO and hitch controls. Proportional control of electrically operated spool valves can be allocated to any of the five buttons on the main joystick or alternatively, four buttons on the auxiliary joystick.
The high definition 12” colour touchscreen display presents key machine information across five screens. “The basic run screen layout will be readily familiar to existing Fastrac operators,” Gorman says. “Swiping right brings up a more detailed running screen with settings for up to six front/rear electric spool valves.”
The next two screens display essential vehicle status information while providing a remote camera view or a ISOBUS 2 Universal Terminal screen for control of rear and front-mounted implements, he says. The fifth screen is dedicated to JCB’s new steering guidance and precision farming options.
The display can be positioned ahead of the controls for easy viewing or moved to one side to maximise visibility, while a 7” digital dashboard displays speed, engine rpm and essential vehicle status information.
JCB offers a fully integrated GPS guidance system based on a Novatel Smart-7 receiver, steering controller and JCB user interface. Alternatively, the GPS Ready option prepares the Fastrac for a range of third-party guidance and precision farming solutions. Section Control and Variable Rate Control are available as unlock options.
The iCON models also incorporate JCB’s new Smart Transmission Control for improved powertrain efficiency and operator comfort. In use, the operator sets the required forward speed and the tractor will determine the correct gear ratio to maintain that speed under changing conditions.
For added convenience, the joystick and pedal driving modes are automatically selected when either control is used. Operators have the choice of the ‘classic’ or ‘pro’ joystick transmission control formats.
“In the Classic format, the operator selects the direction of travel by moving the joystick forwards or backwards, while speed is determined by moving the joystick left or right,” Gorman says. “The new Pro format transposes those functions – forwards and backwards to alter ground speed, left to operate the forward/reverse shuttle and right to engage the roller thumb switch for speed adjustments.”
Other operator assistance functions include JCB Headland Turn Assist, which can store up to 50 individual work sequences; JCB Rapid Steer, which reduces the number of steering wheel turns required; and JCB Twin Steer, which provides precise four-wheel steering on Fastrac 4000 Series tractors.
Global tyre manufacturer Michelin has extended its agricultural trailer tyre range, with the introduction of its new WorkxBib series, designed for tipping trailers, slurry tankers and manure spreaders.
Following the record-breaking success of its hydrogen-powered Hydromax, JCB is ramping up its investment in the business, key to the first major change at the executive level of the business, with George Bamford stepping up to the post of joint chairman, alongside his father Lord Bamford.
During calf rearing, logistics can play an important role in getting the job done quickly and efficiently.
Massey Ferguson has announced a strategic supply partnership with International Tractors Limited (ITL), a manufacturer of low-horsepower and compact tractors, with recognised brands such as Sonalika and Sollis, to expand its portfolio with a new tractor range.
With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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