Rock solid foundations
Carving roads through rugged terrain. Breaking stone in the heart of the Scottish landscape. Keeping machines moving across remote, rural quarries.
It’s all in a day’s work for McFadyens Contractors – and when the work is this unforgiving, you need machines that are just as tough.
Their newest addition, the JCB 370X tracked excavator, is already proving its worth on the hardest jobs in the quarry. Big, powerful and impressively fuel-efficient, it’s more than capable of handling the heavy-duty demands of this long-standing family firm.
With a history dating back over 100 years, and as one of the biggest employers in Campbeltown, Scotland, McFadyens Contractors have made a name for themselves across Argyll & Bute as one of the main contractors for Forestry and Land Scotland.
The company’s two hard rock quarries, and new sand and gravel quarry, produce around 250,000 tonnes of material per annum – much of which is used on a wide range of local projects for new timber roadlines, roadline maintenance, bridge repair and by the farming community to spread lime onto their fields.
At the heart of their business is an almost entirely JCB fleet which includes JCB rollers, wheeled loaders and X Series machines, which have been supplied by their local Glasgow-based dealer, Scot JCB, for the past 50 years.
Power and productivity
Quarrying stone is one of the toughest challenges construction machinery can face which is why it requires only the most robust, strong and reliable equipment. Having owned numerous JCB excavators in their many years in the business, McFadyens knew they could once again put their trust in their valued partner to supply machinery that could face up to this relentless feat.
The JCB 370X is the biggest and most powerful model in the JCB X Series range with the ability to move 4.5 tonnes more material per litre of fuel than competitive models and boasting a Stage V/T4F 240kW (322hp) diesel engine delivering 14% more power.
“In our opinion, the customer support from Scot JCB is currently the best the market has to offer so when we were looking for a high-performance 40-tonne class excavator they were our first port of call. Our JS360 has been excellent over the years and the new JCB 370X is proving to be even more productive, comfortable and fuel efficient with the latest Stage V engine technology.”
David McFadyen | Company Director
Creature comforts
While the task in hand may be tough, messy and noisy, that doesn’t mean the operator has to suffer as the JCB 370X isn’t just designed for power and performance – JCB has put the operator first to make the latest model in the X Series range even more comfortable and easy to work with than its predecessors.
David McFadyen, Company Director said: The machine’s operative is very happy with the new machine, as it has one of the best cabs in the market. It is delivering tremendous tear-out and digging performance while burning less fuel.”
Andrew McLean, Quarry Supervisor said: “The new 370X is a big step forward in terms of operator comfort, machine performance and productivity and is very well balanced. It’s very comfortable to operate and has all the latest in-cab tech and creature comforts which makes for a very pleasant shift. The extra productivity when loading the crusher means I have more time to wall-out the stone, pull some of the face down and generally keep the work area tidy.”
The JCB 370X’s best-in-class CommandPlus cabin has a host of new features: sleek and intuitive 10" touch screen display with integrated HD camera feed, customisable user profiles with immobiliser input code for greater security, increased intervals for hydraulics, induction filters and greasing to simplify servicing and ground level access for most daily checks.
Rolling into action
To keep the internal haul road linking McFadyens Contractors’ two quarries smooth and operational, the company also placed an order for a JCB CT380-130 compact tandem roller which it is using to compact material into some small potholes on this narrow road – and it is doing the job perfectly.
As David McFadyen said: “JCB rollers have proven themselves to be extremely reliable and productive machines, which have great compaction technology that helps ensure smooth finishes. We are confident the new model will be even better, backed up with exceptional service support from Scot JCB.”
Powered by the latest EU Stage V diesel engine with DOC and DPF, the CT380-130 weighs in at 4.1-tonnes and offers a linear load of 15.8kg/cm. The machine has a vibrating frequency of 50-60Hz and a 0.50mm amplitude, delivering a centrifugal force of 41-59kN. It is designed for ease of use, low maintenance and to offer a simple, robust compaction solution.
Stronger together
McFadyens Contractors have carved a place for themselves as true experts in hard stone quarrying, and with their latest investment already proving its power, it’s easy to see that this civil engineering powerhouse and its trusted partner JCB are stronger together.
Learn more about McFadyens Contratcors relationship with JCB here.