Construction equipment manufacturer JCB is celebrating 60 years of making the iconic backhoe loader that has helped to shape the world - with the promise of more exciting innovations to come.
Company founder Joseph Cyril Bamford invented the concept of the backhoe and the first JCB model was manufactured in 1953 after he combined a lightweight backhoe with a Major Loadall tractor loader. It created, for the first time, a single machine which combined a front shovel and rear excavator arm.
From that early JCB Mk1 the concept developed rapidly, with the launch of the Hydra-Digger in 1956 and the heavier, more powerful JCB 4 in 1960.
Today backhoe loaders are the fourth most popular machine in terms of global plant equipment sales – despite the evolution of new and competitive products over the past 60 years. And JCB’s iconic backhoe is the biggest selling in the world – and has been for 13 consecutive years, dominating the market it created.
While it may have taken 20 years for JCB to build the first 50,000 JCB backhoe loaders, under the leadership of Lord Bamford, the company has gone on to manufacture the machines in the UK, India and Brazil. By the end of last year JCB had made 500,000 backhoe loaders.
Tim Burnhope, JCB’s Chief Innovation and Growth Officer said: “The backhoe loader is not 60 years old, it’s 60 years young and this iconic machine has only just started its journey. The JCB backhoe will continue to develop and grow. It is a concept that has much to offer going forwards.
“It is a hugely important machine and in the next few years we will see the backhoe loader develop rapidly as a powerful and versatile tool carrier. Because of this versatility, it is far more than just a digging machine and our customers are starting to reinvent the backhoe loader for themselves, based on what it can offer as a tool carrying machine.
“Industry is getting tougher with fuel prices increasing. The backhoe loader, with its strong residuals and versatile operation, offers a fantastic opportunity. I think it will become an industry defined product going forwards.”
Over the last six decades JCB has continually developed and enhanced the backhoe concept. The company was first with turbocharged engines, powershift transmissions, four-wheel drive and extending dipper arms, all leading to increased performance and productivity. The concept has also broadened in scope, to include everything from a compact skid-based 1CX, through the all-wheel steer 2CX , the ever-popular 3CX to the equal-wheel 4CX, and most recently the powerful 5CX models.
One of the most exciting developments came with the unveiling of the High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE). It is the world’s fastest backhoe loader, travelling at up to 55mph on both roads and cross-country, with a crew-protection variant, enabling battlefield commanders to have logistics capabilities in front patrols.
The company has developed its technology and engineering expertise as well, now building its own market-leading range of Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim diesel engines, its own transmissions and hydraulic systems, even the cabs are designed, assembled and fabricated in-house, allowing JCB to control quality and design at every stage of the build process. This has led to greater advances in productivity, economy and operator comfort, through the use of lock-up torque converters, offering true 40km/h travel speeds, Advanced Easy Control servo control levers and the fuel-efficient Ecomax engine.
This engine, which alone can save a customer up to 9% in fuel consumption, meets the latest emission standards without the need for a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) or exhaust after-treatment fluids, resulting in lower cost, efficient operation for customers. In addition, the electronic control systems employed on the latest 3CX Eco allow the operator to carry out all daily checks from within the cab, reducing downtime and increasing productivity on site.
Other recent backhoe loader innovations include a cab pre-heater, that can be set automatically on a timer to pre heat the engine and warm the cab during the winter months or in cold climates, allowing the operator to simply get in and drive away immediately, without having to clear windscreens and warm the cab beforehand. There is even the option of a hot drinks maker for the JCB backhoe loader, a plug-in water heater that can be used to make tea and coffee at break times.
Mr Burnhope added : “These are exciting times for the backhoe loader and there are many developments on the way. In addition, JCB will concentrate on attachments and ways in which the backhoe loader can provide complete solutions for customers in a wider range of industry sectors.”
The 4CX Wastemaster is a perfect example of a machine that can be used to compact waste in containers, can work as a hook-lift to relocate those containers, can clean up the site with a sweeper collector, can clear snow in bad weather and most importantly can easily travel between waste handling and recycling facilities, greatly increasing utilisation and cutting cost for the contractor.
The backhoe loader also remains a massively important machine for many markets around the world, one with unprecedented levels of back-up and support from JCB’s network of dealers and distributors. JCB backhoe loaders are available with the firm’s LiveLink telematic system, offering new levels of operating control and diagnostic opportunity.
Mr Burnhope added: “Demand varies by country, for instance some people are only just discovering the 1CX, a backhoe that is small and versatile. It’s a mini excavator, skid steer and mini wheeled loader all in one!
“We’re looking forward to the next 60 years of the backhoe loader, and from the work that is being carried out in JCB’s Innovation Centre right now, we know that it won’t look like it does at the moment. With the whole combination of attachments, the vertical integration of our powertrain, the JCB backhoe loader has put us in a fantastic position.”