Looking for depreciation-proof tractor power, one Lincolnshire contractor has invested in a 21,000-hour, 12-year-old JCB Fastrac for trailer work. It has since been joined by a younger 3230 with 17,000 hours under its belt. Geoff Ashcroft reports.
Running a contracting business is not without its challenges. For Jake Clover of Swineshead-based Clover Farm Services, Lincolnshire, those challenges have included buying the right tractors to help the business grow.
He says: "I really did not want to be tied to hefty finance payments just to buy something with the security of a warranty. And that has meant taking a few calculated risks with older kit and being prepared to get the spanners out."
Jake has picked up on the contracting business started by his father, Dwayn so he could focus on spending more time on his machinery dealership business. Consequently, Jake has pushed forward with contracting and while his brother Josh took on the workshop service.
"I had been helping local growers, but as hired-in labour to drive their own kit," he says.
"I could see opportunities for having my own tractor and with growing demand from many farms in the area, we decided to invest in a tractor and a trailer to accompany a few implements the business already had, so I could provide a few contract services."
The firm has always had kit in its yard, but with growing demand for tractors and trailers to join wholecrop, maize and vegetable harvesting gangs, Jake reckoned a JCB Fastrac would be the most suitable power unit.
"I had spent some time on a Fastrac and was impressed by the comfort, speed and braking performance," he says. "It is an ideal tractor for trailer work."
Criteria
Jake's buying criteria focused on three key must-haves - a Cummins engine, manual gearbox and manual spools - enabling the team to execute its own cost-effective repairs. And a phone call to Harvey Milnes at Sheffield-based J.H. Milnes revealed a 2009-model 2155 that fitted the budget. The only potential downside was the 20,000-hours and 248,648 miles it had covered.
JCB's 2155 uses a six-cylinder Cummins QSB 6.7 - an engine used up to the 260hp JCB 7270. While starting at 160hp in the 2155, this model is reputed to have been fettled up to 220hp. Smoothshift wet clutch and six-speed gearbox with three ranges and three power splits means 54 forward and 18 reverse gears.
Full suspension and disc brakes with ABS affords a 60kph road speed.
"Talk is that if well looked after, a Cummins should be good for 50,000 hours," he says. "And the gearbox should be bulletproof. Prop shaft joints and brakes are likely to be the areas frequently replaced."
He says the firm buys genuine parts where possible and local dealer Pecks has been extremely helpful with parts supply and advice.
"This 2155 had spent its time hauling tankers and it has probably done way more than just a quarter of a million miles. The seat was worn out and it needed a little TLC here and there, but its condition was generally good, so a deal was done," he says.
Workshop
"When it arrived we put it through our workshop. We renewed all the oils, changed every filter, replaced all the suspension bushes, overhauled the rear diff and fixed a few oil leaks.
"We also had to free-up the rear linkage, but it gave us the opportunity to learn as much as we could about the tractor and its components," he says.
One year on and the tractor has clocked up a further 900 hours and needed little more than a compressor seal and its cracked mounting bracket, which broke during a repair job.
"To ensure you get the best reliability, you have to be diligent with inspections and repairs," he says. "We do expect our operators to take an interest in the tractors. Daily walk-rounds and inspections are essential."
He says such diligence is even more relevant when field conditions deteriorate.
"External disc brakes can be a magnet for dirt, stones and debris, so you have to take the time to get off the seat and make regular checks. There is no place for a steering wheel attendant with this type of kit," says Jake.
"And if anyone on the seat notices something out of the ordinary, they are encouraged to speak up so the tractor can be put into the workshop and fixed almost immediately, before it has the chance to develop into a major failure. It is almost preventative maintenance."
Being mindful of the hours covered, Clover Farm Services has taken the decision to reduce the engine service intervals to every 200 hours.
"We accept that running older kit with high hours requires a little more focus on servicing. It goes with the territory," says Jake.
Service intervals
"However you view it, we believe oils and filters are still cheap compared to replacing or rebuilding major components. In the harsh environments we work in, shorter service intervals are better than extended intervals."
Under Jake's ownership, the tractor is in the process of being externally refreshed. The most obvious change is the striking gold paintwork, specially formulated to create a Fastrac that is noticeably their brand.
"I wanted a signature colour and, on top of that, the wheel rims have been painted gloss black, roof and chassis LED lightbars have been installed offering high-level brake lights, I have fitted an LED beacon, UTV upgraded headlights and an air horn," he says.
A stainless steel exhaust is on his wish list and the chassis is yet to receive a fresh lick of paint.
The 2155 is not the firm's only high-houred tractor. An 11-year-old, 17,000-hour 3230 has just joined the fleet from dealer G.R. Pykett and is yet to get the distinctive Clover Farm Services gold finish and black wheels.
"The 220hp 3230 follows the same principle of Cummins engine, manual gearbox and manual spools. It is everything we are capable of fixing, at minimal cost," Jake says.
Elsewhere in the growing tractor fleet is a 1998-model, 11,300-hour Fastrac 1135 with four-wheel steering; a 2014 Valtra T182 Versu with a barely run-in 6,000 hours and a 2003-model, 4,600-hour McCormick CX105.
"Most of the demand from our customers is for a Fastrac and trailer, so we are still short of another Fastrac and could really do with another 2155 or 3230," he says.
"So far, these older JCBs are proving to be simple but comfortable tractors. And without complex emissions equipment, these are tractors we can continue to run for many thousands of hours.
"As long as we keep on top of maintenance, we can keep downtime to a minimum and we should be able to operate with a low cost of ownership. We are not afraid of big hours."
