The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
New machinery rollout With a hi-tech approach
Farmers venturing into the machinery area of the Royal Highland Show will find plenty of first-timers at the event.
Among the newest is the updated 175-348hp JCB Fastrac 4000 and 8000 tractors with their revised powertrain management and new controls package being shown by the Scot Agri division of Scot JCB.
The Fastrac iCON sports a new seat-mounted control console complete with 12in touchscreen display for preparing the tractor for different tasks and implements.
Users tired of going through the settings procedure every time they change implements can store multiple set-up profiles in an operator’s personal folder for later recall and editing.
Functions such as hydraulic spool valves can be drag and drop-assigned to fingertip levers – which light up with the appropriate colour code – or to numbered buttons on the master joystick or auxiliary joystick.
Fully integrated ISOBUS and JCB’s own satellite guidance can be had for the first time, along with a wiring loom for cameras positioned front, rear and side as required.
Operators no longer have to pre-select pedal or joystick operation of the CVT transmission, just using either control is enough to activate it; and there is a fully automatic mode that leaves the engine and transmission to decide how best to deliver a target ground speed.
Across the aisle on its double-plot exhibit, Scot
Agri will also highlight the latest Massey Ferguson tractors, which include the 135-200hp four-cylinder MF6S and 155-220hp sixcylinder MF7S ranges.
Reflecting the new styling established by the more radical 205-305hp MF8S tractors, the newcomers focus on comfort and connectivity with a new Multipad multifunction control lever and brighter 9in Datatronic 5 touchscreen with increased functions.
Operators can also use a new mode for the Dyna-VT Super Eco stepless transmission, regulating ground speed via the Multipad lever or accelerator pedal while engine revs are automatically adjusted according to the load and speed.
Further increased fuel efficiency is one of the potential benefits, for a transmission that already offers 40kph with just 1,450rpm on the tachometer.
Fresh from their LAMMA show unveilings, the Argo Tractors exhibit will likely include the 119hp and 126hp X6 with FPT rather than Deutz 3.6-litre engine and its 36x12 transmission, and the X6.4 HD, with an all-new Argo transmission delivering a 24x24 configuration, with the P6-Drive six-step powershift providing greater speed control versatility and auto shifting.
The tractor also moves up the power scale a notch, now offering three outputs from 125-145hp for draft work, and 135-155hp for transport, and static and mobile pto applications.