JCB Fastrac Top Speed

[Blakewater]

According to the JCB website, the official top speed of the most powerful Fastrac is 70kph, or just over 40mph.

https://www.jcb.com/en-gb/products/agricultural-tr...

They can sometimes be seen going faster on the public road and there are videos of them online on motorways abroad overtaking lorries and doing around 55mph.

Are they electronically restricted to 70kph and people going faster have removed limiters, or is 70kph really a bit of a bluff and they can easily go faster?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dksz5mX0b7M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhFd9xUJqKw

[mac96]

I seem to remember that when they first appeared the top speed was quoted at 50 or 55mph? So perhaps older ones are faster, and the current crop have limiters.

And of course if that is the case, removal of limiter may be a thing as well.

[Blakewater]

It seems it might vary by country, depending on the legality of tractor speeds. Germany seems to allow a higher top speed. It means it's probably possible, if not legal, to tune a Fastrac for a higher speed in other countries.

[mac96]

That's probably it- my 50mph/55mph would have come from someone at JCB years ago, and it would have been the absolute fastest version, not necessarily just the fastest UK version.

[Huff]

Many comparable 'tractors' certainly have the power and likely gearing to go far faster but there are mandates which limit them - no different to many other classes of road vehicle -e,g:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tractor...

[hidetheelephants]

Something that tall and heavy on tractor treads has no business going any faster.

[Smint]

Fastrack pulled out in front of me on the A15 in Lincs circa 2007, was annoyed cos loaded so not going to be much chance of overtaking, settled at 40 realised he's leaving me behind, gradually increased speed to 55 on the limiter and could just about stay with him, handy for clearing the way cos being a local more likely to know if any camera vans hidden, bearing in mind we were still restricted to 40 on two ways roads then,

[Blakewater]

Smint said:

Fastrack pulled out in front of me on the A15 in Lincs circa 2007, was annoyed cos loaded so not going to be much chance of overtaking, settled at 40 realised he's leaving me behind, gradually increased speed to 55 on the limiter and could just about stay with him, handy for clearing the way cos being a local more likely to know if any camera vans hidden, bearing in mind we were still restricted to 40 on two ways roads then,

So tuned, derestricted or built to a different spec than modern ones. It seems they may have speed limiters fitted to keep them do the legally restricted limit.

Whether they're allowed on motorways seems to be a grey area and dependent on whether or not they're taxed as agricultural vehicles or HGVs, but I wouldn't want to be doing 40mph on a motorway in one and the ones shown in the videos are doing around 55mph.

It seems the military spec ones are faster and there's an excavator that can do 60mph.

https://www.jcb.com/en-gb/products/defence-product...

Edited by Blakewater on Monday 12th July 00:19

[944 Man]

No one will know how fast you went, because they dont have a tacho (or HGV licence, or O licence, duty paid fuel or drivers' hours governance)...

[Blakewater]

There's a video here of one doing 60mph on the M1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eAeEZRAEVQ

Someone on YouTube who runs one says they're geared for 40mph on their standard wheels, but you could potentially get a higher speed out of them by fitting bigger wheels.

[MattCharlton91]

Not a fastrac, but we used to use a U400 unimog for word, and she’d pull 60mph without any hassle, even pulling 26t. Not to most comfy thing in the world mind!

[Blakewater]

I've seen Unimogs going up and down motorways.