Three Generations of JCB Backhoe Loaders
The JCB backhoe loader is an icon of global construction - a revolutionary design in 1953 that shaped the industry’s future.
Fast-forward to 2025 and JCB has marked the production of the one millionth backhoe loader, manufactures 500 machines per day and has cemented its position as a global leader.
Echoing that history, Hoskin Plant & Civils Ltd, based in Cornwall, has been an avid supporter of the JCB backhoe loader for three generations. Purchasing its first machine in 1964 and over sixty years later adding one of the latest JCB 3CX PRO DualDrive models to its fleet.
Offering a full suite of groundworks, civils and operated plant hire across Devon and Cornwall, JCB backhoe loaders have proved an integral part of the company’s evolution.
Planted in history
The backhoe loader is a stalwart of JCB’s extensive fleet of construction equipment owing to its versatility, productivity and power. This ‘master of machines’ makes every job easy from roading and grading to loading and excavating. The multifunctional equipment removes the need for additional machines, so it is cost-saving too, and the JCB backhoe loader is the world’s bestselling machine in its class.
The JCB 3CX’s enduring popularity is owed in part to its extraordinary versatility, meaning one machine can do the job of many, saving customers time and money moving between sites and ensuring maximum productivity.
“My Grandad started in the plant industry in 1964 and he ran JCB backhoe loaders. In the early 90s he had eleven 3CXs as well as other machines. Then my Dad went out on his own and ran one 3CX for Cornwall Council. I then took over in 2017 and we now have seven 3CXs. We do a lot of roadwork and they are the best wheeled digger on the market, especially the new ones. The 3CX can do literally everything - we work a lot with Cornwall Council as well as doing our own work. A mini excavator wouldn’t be big enough but anything bigger you’d need a lorry to move it. The 3CX will get there under its own steam and do the job of several other machines on site. With the front bucket it’s so versatile.”
William Hoskin | Hoskin Plant & Civils Ltd Managing Director
Quicker and more productive
While the JCB backhoe loader has long been lauded for its stellar versatility, with the latest addition of DualDrive, the team at JCB has once again managed to make the iconic machine even better than before.
JCB’s latest backhoe innovation, DualDrive, allows the operator to drive and reposition the machine while facing the excavator, without having to turn the seat to the front-facing position, maximising comfort and productivity.
As William Hoskin explains: “The new DualDrive feature makes jobs a lot quicker as you don’t need to keep turning around, you can face backwards and use the back actor and keep going. It’s also a lot more comfortable as you don’t have to turn around, grade out of it as you pull forward. It’s a very good machine. It has an operator on it full-time who absolutely loves it."
The new 3CX PRO model boasts a number of further developments, including a single loader lever to reduce operator effort, revised direction control for quicker and easier use, a return-to-grade function for improved performance and upgraded quickhitch with wider fork carriage.
An iconic journey
Like the new road in Truro Hoskin Plant & Civils Ltd’s 3CX PRO is building for Cornwall Council, the journey of the JCB backhoe loader has been a long one, but with loyal customers like the Hoskin family and JCB’s continuous innovation, this iconic machine is now better than ever.