JCB Fastrac 8250 gets Royal Show Gold
08/06/07

The JCB Fastrac 8250 has been awarded the Royal Agricultural Society of England’s (RASE) Gold Medal. The Society’s senior award, the Sir Roland Burke Perpetual Challenge machinery trophy for a sustained contribution to the potato industry, will go to Cambs-based engineering company R J Herbert Limited. Both these prestigious awards will be presented at this year’s Royal Show, which takes place at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from 1-4 July.

The RASE Machinery Awards, sponsored by Arch Express to help promote its newly branded ‘Through The Night’ service, are unique in that they are based on a rigorous examination of the performance of the machines in the hands of commercial users. Judges described the Fastrac 8250 as a “huge leap forward” in tractor engineering. Users – large scale arable farmers with experience of a wide range of tractors – noted its versatility, an excellent machine for the full range of field tasks from heavy cultivation to silage-carting, while fast road travelling is “as comfortable as driving an automatic car”.

“The Fastracs we saw were heavily used – one had done 2200 hours in a year,” comments member of the judging panel Brian Finney. “Yet they had done so without problems and users were completely satisfied. Good weight distribution, excellent transmission, simple controls and all-round suspension deliver very high work outputs in complete comfort – it’s what today’s tractor drivers are after, and sums up what the RASE Gold Medal is about.”

The Burke Trophy, for sustained and substantial contribution in a particular sector of the machinery industry will be awarded to R J Herbert Engineering Limited. Founded in 1972 by Rod Herbert, the present head of the firm, it has been at the forefront of technical development, production excellence and service to the potato industry. Herbert’s main products include packing, grading and washing equipment for potato packhouse installations.

“We’re extremely honoured to receive this award,” comments Mr Herbert. “We’re particularly proud to receive an award that recognises the sustained and long-standing contribution the entire staff at Herberts have made to the industry – these are the people that drive the company and some have been with us since we started.”

Visitors to the show will be able to see a truly prestigious line-up of the very best agricultural machinery, notes Royal Show executive director Peter Stovold. “The awards stand has become a central attraction in the machinery area and the stand is staffed by well-qualified engineers, throughout the show period.

“A RASE Gold or Silver Medal brings a manufacturer well-earned esteem throughout the industry, since it is the only set of awards based on the experiences of those that use the machines. The Burke trophy is the senior machinery award presented by the Society. It’s well-worth coming to the stand and finding out what makes these innovations worth the prestigious award they’ll carry.”

The winners of these two top machinery awards will join the RASE Silver Medal award winners (see here for more), taking pride of place in the machinery area of the Royal Show. The winner of the New Equipment award, sponsored by Farmers Guardian, will be announced at the show. This is the first year Arch Express has sponsored the awards. The company’s ‘Through The Night’ service is used by many major manufacturers to deliver parts overnight to allow service technicians to repair equipment swiftly, making the difference between profit and loss for many farmers.

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