JCB is celebrating 25 years production of the Fastrac – a range of agricultural tractors that remain unique to this day.
It was JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford who struck on the idea of manufacturing an unconventional tractor while he was on holiday overseas in 1984.
He saw an opportunity to develop a tractor that had high road speed and which would also be capable of field work, including heavy draft applications.
His inspirational idea would become reality some years later when the world’s first real tractor with full suspension was launched.
The Fastrac design has developed hugely from the first prototype built in 1987 in secret beneath the office block at JCB Transmissions in Wrexham, North Wales.
The tractor brought together established technologies and components in a new way that not only provided ride comfort for an agricultural tractor thanks to the suspension incorporated in both axles but, as first tests were to prove, it also shattered the myth that suspension and ploughing is an impossible combination.
The design was developed and the prototypes entrusted to selected farmers for final feedback and refining before the result of the £12 million Project P120 was unveiled to the media and to the public at the Royal Smithfield Show in 1990 ahead of production start-up in spring the following year.
Agriculture Minister Baroness Trumpington cracked a bottle of champagne over the nose of the first Fastrac off the Cheadle assembly line.
Over the past 25 years the Fastrac has been the first to feature truck-standard disc brakes, multi-mode four-wheel steering, an anti-lock braking system (ABS) and self-levelling suspension.
'Proven its worth over the years'
Paying tribute to the JCB engineers who brought the Fastrac concept to light, Lord Bamford said: "The concept of a tractor better equipped for road travel and transportation tasks but also very capable at undertaking demanding field work has proven its worth over the years, in terms of increased productivity and lower operating costs.
"At the same time, the Fastrac has advanced the principle of giving operators the best possible comfort and working environment so they can be as productive as possible while looking after their health and well-being.
"There are many cases of farmers with back troubles, often brought on by driving conventional tractors, who have been able to continue with field work thanks to the supreme ride and comfort of the Fastrac."
The Fastrac has also enjoyed moments of fame; it is the only tractor to have featured twice on the BBC Top Gear programme – at the original launch and when The Stig set a time of 2 minutes 57 seconds on the airfield test track.
And it’s the only tractor to have launched a World record attempt. In 2006, a Fastrac 8250 capable of 105kph (65mph) got the high-geared JCB Dieselmax underway during the start-up procedure for its successful attempt on the diesel land speed record.
