Having been happy with the two JCB Fastrac 2170 tractors that Milton Farmers operated, Fife grower Harry Black was curious to find out how much of an advance JCB’s new 4000 Series design was – and he’s not been disappointed, he told The Scottish Farmer.
“There’s no comparison. It’s a really different animal,” he said of the 4220 model supplied through Tom Boyd at AM Phillip.
“It’s a more capable tractor in every respect, with much better pulling power and the ability to handle a wider range of jobs really very well.”
The 235hp 4220 – top of three models in the new range – continued a tradition of running equal wheel tractors at Milton Farm, which is based at Leuchars. It started in 1976 with a trio of MB-tracs and continued with a Fastrac 2135 before a pair of 178hp Fastrac 2170s arrived in the fleet.
“We do a lot of row crop work growing carrots, potatoes and sprouts in addition to cereals, which involves a lot of wheel changing,” said Mr Black. “Running tractors with equal size wheels means we don’t need so many different sets of wheels and tyres.”

The Scottish Farmer:

A BIT of ballast up front and the JCB 4220 handled the bed former no bother

The newest model maintains that equal wheel layout, but with the speed control advantages of a stepless transmission. It also has active suspension on both axles and a high-specification braking system.
“Being able to haul quickly in comfort and legally at 60kph but also safely is crucial for our operation,” added Mr Black.
“We run trailers with commercial running gear and anti-lock braking, and the tractor’s own ABS and the stability that comes with the hydraulic suspension front and rear make it a great tractor on haulage.”
But it’s the new Fastrac’s performance in the field that has surprised him most, making it a better all-rounder than its predecessors.
The tractor handles a 4m one-pass power harrow and drill with a seed hopper on the front without any problem, and the same goes for the farm’s five-furrow plough and press.
Mr Black questioned how well it would cope with a triple bedformer but it answered that without the need for any ballast on the rear deck. It did the same when put on a triple bed tiller.
“It’s very controlled on the front and rear suspension, which seems to help with traction because it just doesn’t need the same weight on the tractor,” he pointed out.
“The pulling power is impressive and when you combine that with flexibility of the CVT transmission, the stability, ride comfort and speed, you realise it has capabilities across so many different applications.”
Primarily, the tractor was purchased to help cope with increased farming commitments that take the total managed by Milton Farmers to some 700ha (1730 acres), some of it located 14 miles away from the main steading.
Most land is ploughed ahead of cereals and spring-planted crops, with the new Fastrac 4220 contributing to that workload. It also sowed all grain crops with the one-pass outfit.
Transplanting sprouts, opening up and tilling carrot beds and hauling harvested crops are also in a varied workload that has seen the tractor clock up a remarkable 1700 hours in one year.
“The new cab a vast improvement, providing more space and better controls,” added Mr Black.