08/06/07
The JCB Fastrac 8250 has been awarded the Royal Agricultural Society
of England’s (RASE) Gold Medal. The Society’s senior
award, the Sir Roland Burke Perpetual Challenge machinery trophy
for a sustained contribution to the potato industry, will go to
Cambs-based engineering company R J Herbert Limited. Both these
prestigious awards will be presented at this year’s Royal
Show, which takes place at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from
1-4 July.
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The RASE Machinery Awards, sponsored by Arch Express to help promote
its newly branded ‘Through The Night’ service, are
unique in that they are based on a rigorous examination of the
performance of the machines in the hands of commercial users. Judges
described the Fastrac 8250 as a “huge leap forward” in
tractor engineering. Users – large scale arable farmers with
experience of a wide range of tractors – noted its versatility,
an excellent machine for the full range of field tasks from heavy
cultivation to silage-carting, while fast road travelling is “as
comfortable as driving an automatic car”.
“The Fastracs we saw were heavily used – one had done
2200 hours in a year,” comments member of the judging panel
Brian Finney. “Yet they had done so without problems and
users were completely satisfied. Good weight distribution, excellent
transmission, simple controls and all-round suspension deliver
very high work outputs in complete comfort – it’s what
today’s tractor drivers are after, and sums up what the RASE
Gold Medal is about.”
The Burke Trophy, for sustained and substantial contribution in
a particular sector of the machinery industry will be awarded to
R J Herbert Engineering Limited. Founded in 1972 by Rod Herbert,
the present head of the firm, it has been at the forefront of technical
development, production excellence and service to the potato industry.
Herbert’s main products include packing, grading and washing
equipment for potato packhouse installations.
“We’re extremely honoured to receive this award,” comments
Mr Herbert. “We’re particularly proud to receive an
award that recognises the sustained and long-standing contribution
the entire staff at Herberts have made to the industry – these
are the people that drive the company and some have been with us
since we started.”
Visitors to the show will be able to see a truly prestigious line-up
of the very best agricultural machinery, notes Royal Show executive
director Peter Stovold. “The awards stand has become a central
attraction in the machinery area and the stand is staffed by well-qualified
engineers, throughout the show period.
“A RASE Gold or Silver Medal brings a manufacturer well-earned
esteem throughout the industry, since it is the only set of awards
based on the experiences of those that use the machines. The Burke
trophy is the senior machinery award presented by the Society.
It’s well-worth coming to the stand and finding out what
makes these innovations worth the prestigious award they’ll
carry.”
The winners of these two top machinery awards will join the RASE
Silver Medal award winners (see here for more), taking pride of
place in the machinery area of the Royal Show. The winner of the
New Equipment award, sponsored by Farmers Guardian, will be announced
at the show. This is the first year Arch Express has sponsored
the awards. The company’s ‘Through The Night’ service
is used by many major manufacturers to deliver parts overnight
to allow service technicians to repair equipment swiftly, making
the difference between profit and loss for many farmers.
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