The road to heaven
Even with a reduced tailswing, the cab on the new JCB 145XR is proving a special place to work.
Indeed, the operators at Matthew Williams Digger Hire have praised it as a ‘lovely place to be’. The plant hire and groundworks company has built a great reputation in Norfolk carrying out specialist highways work for more than 20 years.
The company has built an impressive fleet of over 220 machines in its 26 years in business - the vast majority of which is JCB - ranging from micro excavators to X Series tracked excavators, cabbed dumpers, compaction rollers and 4m-14m Loadall telescopic handlers.
The latest addition to the fleet is a pair of JCB 145XR reduced tailswing tracked excavators which are proving popular with operators and customers alike.
The JCB way or the highway
With a wealth of experience gained over almost 30 years in the industry, Matthew Williams understands that specialist work requires versatile and effective machinery.
He has high praise for the local dealer who has sold him hundreds of JCB machines over the years; Watling JCB: “They’re a very, very good firm. From the top down, they’re all really good and helpful. That service and back up is worth a lot and keeps us coming back to JCB.”
“We buy JCB machines because they’re British. If JCB make it, we don’t go anywhere else. We are 100% loyal to JCB over the past 26 years we’ve been in business. We’ve been so well looked after by JCB and Watling JCB that we have no reason to go elsewhere.”
Matthew Williams | Matthew Williams Digger Hire Owner
The perfect pair
Given Matthew Williams’ ongoing relationship with JCB, it was only natural that when he was looking to upgrade and replace some existing JCB machinery he turned once again to his trusted manufacturer in the form of the brand new JCB 145XR tracked excavators.
The 145XR is the latest addition to the JCB X Series range and is designed to deliver the same performance as the conventional 140X, in a compact design with a 27% shorter tailswing.
As Matthew Williams said: “As the 145XR was launched I put my name down for one and it is a really good machine. Everybody likes them, they’re very good. The operators say the cab is a lovely place to be when working a shift.”
As with all X-Series models, the 145XR benefits from the full-sized JCB Command Plus ROPS cab. As well as being one of the largest on the market, with 2.86m³ of volume, the Command Plus cab benefits from a heated air suspension seat and a reduced in-cab noise level.
The cab is further improved with a new 10” touchscreen monitor, with the JCB UX interface. The switch panel incorporates customisable hot keys, allowing personalisation for the operator. Climate control, keyless start, and twin cameras for added visibility are all standard.
The JCB UX interface has up to 25 user profiles, which can be customised for the operator to set preferred joystick configuration to meet their individual requirements. Mobile phone connectivity has been improved, with phone book integration via the monitor. The machine is easy to use and help guides are available within the monitor, along with ‘how to’ videos covering all of the features of the JCB UX system.
The 145XR is available with a range of options, to tailor the machine to an individual customer’s requirements. These include auxiliary hydraulic circuits with up to 15 attachment settings and a premium heated and cooled operator’s seat. LED lights are now standard, with options available to increase to up to 14 LED work lights. A birds’ eye 360° camera system, integrated within the 10” display, can also be offered, along with high visibility, all-round handrails.
The road ahead
With these most recent purchases Matthew Williams Digger Hire has cemented the company’s position as one of JCB’s most loyal customers. Like the highways they work on, the relationship looks set to run on and on.