SOME eastern Wheatbelt farmers have had a chance to check out the Wongan Chaser chaser bin and a JCB Fastrac 8000 Series tractor in their home paddock in the past few weeks.
Wheatbelt Equipment, Merredin, agents for both the 30-tonne Wongan Chaser and JCB's range of agricultural machines, has made the pair available for some customers to inspect on their own properties and, with the biggest and most powerful Fastrac 8330 tractor, to trial it for a few days.
Eastern Wheatbelt farmers who have not yet had a chance to inspect the Wongan Chaser or the JCB Fastrac 8330 - acclaimed as the world's fastest production tractor with a top speed of 70km/h - can catch up with them at Wheatbelt Equipment's display at the Yilgarn Agricultural Society show at the Southern Cross sports complex from 9am this Saturday.
Isaac Panizza, who farms with parents Sally and James at Marvel Loch, was one of the farmers who had a chance to try the tractor on the farm and inspect the chaser bin at his leisure in his own yard.
When Farm Weekly called in with Wheatbelt Equipment sales consultant Wayne Stoner last week, Mr Panizza admitted the wet weather and preparing for the family's Old Aprelia (April in Italian) Merino and Poll Merino stud's first ram sale next month, had prevented him from hooking too much behind the Fastrac.
"The stud's been established since 1954 but September 2 will be our first sale and we've been busy getting a shed ready for it," Mr Panizza said.
Apart from the stud and a large commercial flock, the Panizza family has 5500 hectares of wheat, 1000ha of barley, 800ha of oats and 420ha of canola - they are trying the Emu early flowering hybrid variety - sown this season and looking very good.
"So far this month we've had 83 millimetres (of rain), our average is 30mm," Mr Panizza said.
"Hopefully we won't be hammered by frost again this year - we lost 60pc (of crops) last season.
"Once we get the shed sorted for the ram sale, we're going to have a go with a 33 foot (10 metre) speed tiller on the back of the Fastrac.
"But from the little bit of work we have done in it I'm really impressed, it's got a nice smooth gearbox, it's nice and smooth (riding) on the road, the cab is a good place to be - it's really finished off nicely and it's got a fridge.
"The joy stick is really good to drive it, you can put your auto steer on, put your hydraulics on, so you can go up and down with the press of a button - it's got all sorts of really good technology.
"We're John Deere (machinery) here, but it (JCB Fastrac) is John Deere ready, so we just swapped our screen across and plugged in and it (auto steer and guidance signal correction) works well.
"It would be good for spreading, on the chaser bin and a bit of tillage with a small tiller - all sorts of jobs, even putting it on a mixer and stuff like that," Mr Panizza said.
He was also impressed by the obvious quality build of the Wongan Chaser and that a-bolt on sheep feeder attachment is available for it.
"I am impressed with the build, all the welds are finished quite nicely, it's good and solid," he said.
Mr Stoner described the 250 kilowatt (335 horsepower) four-wheel-drive Fastrac 8330 tractor with two-range continuously-variable transmission with six operating modes, huge outboard twin-caliper ABS disc brakes on each wheel, powerful hydraulics with 10-tonne-rated rear three-point-linkage and the option of three-metre track width, as "a cut above the rest".
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"The JCB 8000 Series has attracted a lot of interest because of its features, its operator comfort with front and rear suspension and its speed on the road cutting travel time between paddocks or properties," Mr Stoner said.
"People know the JCB name and reputation through their telehandlers which are everywhere.
"People also know the Wongan Steel Chaser Bin - they were the first chaser bin built in Western Australia over 30 years ago and there's lots of them still out there.
"The Wongan Chaser is built at the same place, to the same design, to do the same job."
The Wongan Chaser has an internally-braced bin, walking beam axles with maintenance-free bushes, independent hydraulic cross auger and 43 centimetre (17 inch) PTO-driven folding 2.8 metre discharge auger that unloads about four tonnes per minute and single-lever operated full-length clean-out doors.
It comes standard with a roll tarp, folding inspection ladder, fire extinguisher and four tonne-rated jack stand.
- For information on the JCB Fastrac 8000 Series tractors or the Wongan Chaser, contact Wheatbelt Equipment, 41-45 Bates Street, Merredin, on 6014 6000 or see wheatbeltequipment.com.au.
