JCB Fastrac-Would ja?

[Builder]

This website is GREAT. It has a "Ventrac" forum, but no AGCO forum (one of the biggest AG companies in the world) and no JCB forum (another HUGE worldwide tractor manufacturer). :laughing:
The "Ventrac" forum has a whopping 25 threads!!! You go girl!! LOL

Anyway, about ready to pull trigger on a M105X for between 30 and 35K. Then I found this Fastrac. Looks like a parts/service headache, but the machine will hit the road a lot since it's a mowing tractor and the speed would be a big help. We do have a JCB dealer nearby, but my guess is he's never sold/serviced a Fastrac.

1997 JCB FASTRAC 185-65 Tractors - 100 HP to 174 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com&

 

[Scooby074]

Fastrac's are sweet. Havent seen one in the flesh but they seem to be popular in europe... Could be due to JCB's reduced presence here in NA. They sure are fast though.

 

[Renze]

Fastrac's are sweet. Havent seen one in the flesh but they seem to be popular in europe...

nope. i've seen only two out in the wild, the first ones had reliability issues, and the wheels are way too small to deliver any traction, such as in tillage.
They were developed as a high speed hauler for the army, fitting R1 tires and a 3pt lift didnt make it a real farm tractor.
The big, new, 250hp model with 38" tires should be a different story, but the early small ones didnt make it in the fields.

 

[Builder]

After I talked to dealer, he said he is selling them at a pretty good pace and they have service many of them. They are popular with the manure haulers & spreaders because they can get down the road fast.

 

[Renze]

They are popular with the manure haulers & spreaders because they can get down the road fast.

Even in those jobs, a standard tractor with a top speed of 50km/h is the weapon of choice over here... Off course in Holland we have quite soft soil, maybe in Germany they are more popular. Here, nobody wants them because they dont have enough floatation and traction.

But anyways, they would be great for municipal jobs

 

[D7E]

Wonderful tractors , The lack of grip is a wives tale , They are fine if you keep good tyres on them and they feel a lot more in control than a normal tractor at 50k. I would have another 1135 in a heartbeat but i would be scared of backup here .

 

[Builder]

Exactly. I wonder why they wouldn't have enough "flotation and traction"?

 

[D7E]

I dont know , I had a renter 155/65 .."93" i think that seemed a little clumsy in the early days and i must admit did'nt grip much but was on almost slick tyres. We had 2 new 1135's and a 2155 after that we kept for over 7000 hrs and were much better with more visibility , I never found any reliability issues over a "tractor" and we had a unimog at the time too which most drivers preferrd the fastrac.
We were doing mostly potato work but my 1135 had a 3m combination drill with a 3m front press and seemed a bit strange at first but after a season on it was hard to go back to a tractor .Havent had much to do with the new ones...one thing for sure quality with a JCB is not an issue ....dealers in north america is another issue but improving rapidly i think ?...Floatation and traction i think is what thay were best at .... if you used it right ,another case of blaming the machine rather than the operator !
Fastrac 155-65 - British Farming Forum

 

[Builder]

What were the transmissions like? Did they have a button on the shifter to disengage clutch? What were the traction options for locking the diffs? Just rear or front and rear, too.

 

[Builder]

Old thread. Still looking. There's lots of them available with 6-7,000 hours for 30-40K price range.
One I'm looking at now has a Clark 6 speed truck transmission and 4 ranges. Perkins diesel..... has blowby but runs OK. Will need rebuilding in relatively near future.
I like what I see. Would make the drive from one mowing or hay customer to another much quicker.
I think I'm gonna go for it.