DRIVING up the gravel road to Paul Trenorden's Wyalkatchem farm, a practically new yellow JCB tractor stands in the driveway.
Next to the tractor is JCB tractor specialist James Coxon, who has flown from England to Dowerin to showcase farmers the newest JCB Fastrac iCON 8330 series tractor.
Mr Coxon, along with Boekeman Machinery sales representatives Russell Harvey and Murray Jones, were visiting farms in the Dowerin area so farmers could try the newest JCB tractor on their own land.
Some of the visits were planned, while the visit to Mr Trenorden's farm was a friendly pop-in.
Mr Trenorden took the yellow tractor for a spin, saying it was a comfortable and smooth ride.
The Boekeman Machinery team was able to cover a lot of ground and visit a lot of farmers on that particular day recently, as the JCB Fastrac iCON 8330 series can drive up to 70 kilometres per hour on road and in the paddock.
Over the past few weeks the Boekeman Machinery sales teams have been doing the rounds from Northam to Dalwallinu to talk to as many farmers as they can - whether they are older JCB owners or have never owned a JCB before.
Boekeman Machinery, Dowerin branch manager Peter Crippen said he enjoyed the onfarm visits as it was an opportunity to catch up and see how machinery was running, and it was a practice Boekeman Machinery did often.
"It's good to go and ride with them (farmers) and to see how things are going - how the operation is going, how machinery is going," Mr Crippen said.
"It's good to catch up and see how the machines we've sold are going, to make sure that everything's right - if there's an issue, how can we help?
"How can we make that better?
"There is nothing worse than selling machinery, if has issues and you don't know about it - it's always good to know so we can sort it before it becomes a major problem."
Sitting inside the JCB tractor, it is clear that comfort was high on the list of priorities.
As Mr Harvey pointed out, farmers generally have less sheep, resulting in a larger cropping program and find themselves in the tractor for longer periods for spraying.
There is now demand for a comfier cabin, and farmers don't want to spend their hours in an uncomfortable seat.
The result is after a long day in the newly designed seat is that farmers feel less tired.
As someone who had the opportunity to sit in a JCB Fastrac iCON 8330, I can testify the effort JCB put into an ergonomic design was noticed.
Padding was in all the right places, and I was pleasantly surprised by the chair that greeted my rear end.
The cab has been redesigned to a more user-friendly layout for an updated driver experience, but mechanically, the JCB Fastrac iCON 8330 is basically the same as previous models.
"Mechanically it is a very similar tractor, but new features and improvements in the cab make the old model look and feel ancient," Mr Crippen said.
"It focuses on comfort and speed, there's not much on the market that really comes near it - it really puts itself in a different league to other manufacturers.
"It is more a hybrid tractor, offering tractor capabilities with speed, comfort and easy usability."
While most tractors don't have suspension on the rear axle, the JCB Fastrac iCON 8330 has active suspension on the front and rear - making those 70km/h drives feel smooth and effortless.
Mr Crippen said the high speeds the JCB could achieve were perfect for farms with distances between paddocks or split farms.
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While the JCB might look the same on the outside, the changes inside are quite significant.
The screen layout and customisations available on the iPad-like screen make it easy to adjust the controls.
With just a swipe of the finger on the touchscreen, farmers can change the screen and modes.
Earlier JCB models have been limited in the functionality and customisation of the layout on screen, while with the newest model, farmers can customise and save settings as a 'profile'.
For example, when selecting a spreading profile, all the hydraulics and transmission ratios will be set to predetermined settings.
The tractor features 50 control profiles, with the ability to assign functions to both the main and auxiliary joysticks.
The main joystick has five configurable buttons and the optional auxiliary joystick has four.
The configurable buttons can be programmed for functions such as hitch controls, PTO control, and transmission settings.
The auxiliary joystick also benefits from an assignable proportional rocker and a two-axis proportional hydraulic control.
Jasmine Peart
Jasmine is a earnest listener and a passionate advocate for justice. She feels privileged to be trusted by farmers across Western Australia to tell their truth.
Jasmine is a earnest listener and a passionate advocate for justice. She feels privileged to be trusted by farmers across Western Australia to tell their truth.
