A huge ‘75’ artwork visible from outer space was carved into a Staffordshire stubble field to mark JCB’s 75th anniversary, and to help launch a new high-tech precision guidance solution for JCB’s Fastrac agricultural tractor.
The giant logo was cultivated using a Fastrac tractor in a field eight miles away from the company’s World Headquarters at Rocester and covered almost eight acres – equivalent to four football pitches.
The JCB Fastrac 4000 Series tractor used to create the artwork was equipped with a JCB Twin Steer called JCB Twin Steer which controls both steer axles for unprecedented levels of accuracy. The artwork was created by uploading its digital version prepared by Trimble, JCB Agriculture’s precision farming partner, to the Fastrac tractor’s automatic steering system, which than calculated the guidance paths. The operator only had to turn the tractor at the end of each run and lift and lower the cultivator mounted at the back, and the JCB Twin Steer guidance system did the rest.
Hands-free steering is now commonly employed on tractors to accurately match every pass across the field to maximise implement working width when cultivating, applying inputs such as fertilisers and crop protection materials, and when sowing new crops. This not only improves work rates, reduces costs, eliminates wastage and minimises soil compaction but also makes the operator’s job more comfortable and less tiring. Auto steering works by intercepting signals from a constellation of satellites via a receiver mounted on the tractor’s cab roof; the most high-definition system available for the Fastrac works to an accuracy of +/- 2cm.
JCB Twin Steer exploits the added manoeuvrability of the Fastrac’s multi-mode four-wheel steering system by adding a second receiver mounted directly above the rear axle and installing a second data processor so that the two axles can be controlled individually. This functionality can be used to keep precision weeding cultivators and hoes on track and when forming and planting beds for crops such as potatoes, onions and carrots, and salad crops such as lettuce, as well as when laying a fleece wrapping to protect delicate crops.
John Smith, managing director, JCB Agriculture, said: “The Fastrac was the perfect tractor to undertake this task; with its all-round suspension, four-wheel steering, multiple implement mountings and high road speed, the JCB Fastrac remains unique, with performance capabilities and unequalled levels of ride comfort that make it an increasingly popular choice for farmers and agricultural contractors.”
JCB Twin Steer is available on the newly-introduced Stage V versions of the Fastrac 4000 Series tractors, which have uprated axles, increased payload capacity and new higher performance tyre options, by adding the optional Trimble TMX-2050 precision farming system and Twin Steer GPS Ready unlock key. Additional function unlock codes, and an additional receiver and NAV3 controller, are then sourced from a Trimble reseller to complete the system.
