The manufacturer is celebrating the anniversary with special Platinum editions of the 3CX and 4CX models
JCB celebrates 70 years of manufacturing its iconic backhoe with the presentation of the Platinum editions of the 3CX and 4CX models.
Company founder Joseph Cyril Bamford CBE invented the backhoe concept and the first JCB model was manufactured in 1953 after combining a light backhoe with a Major Loadall tractor loader. He created, for the first time, a single machine that combined a front shovel and a rear excavator arm.
Although it took JCB 20 years to build its first 50,000 backhoes, under the leadership of JCB chairman Anthony Bamford, more than 900,000 have now been manufactured. JCB has been the world market leader in backhoe loaders for almost 25 years and today they manufacture the machines in the UK, India and Brazil. A total of 70 limited edition 70th Anniversary 3CX PRO and 4 CX PRO machines will be manufactured.
Lord Bamford said: “The backhoe is an incredibly versatile machine and thanks to continuous innovation and evolution, it remains as relevant today as the day it was invented. The JCB backhoe remains one of the pieces of construction equipment most popular in the world and has a very exciting future ahead of him.”
Platinum Edition models will have servo excavator, Powerslide, air conditioning and bi-directional auxiliary flow hydraulic controls, and will wear limited edition Platinum decals and grille badging. The machines will also get platinum wheels, while the cockpit will feature an embroidered graphic on the carpet and upgraded seat material with 70th anniversary branding, along with a steering wheel center cover with the 70th logo. Each machine will also have a special plaque and customers will receive a special Platinum gift pack with the backhoe.
Over the past seven decades, JCB has continued to develop and improve the backhoe concept, with turbocharged engines, powershift transmissions, four-wheel drive and extendable loading arms. The machine has increased appeal, with the launch of the miniature-based 1CX, the all-wheel steering 3CX Compact and the larger wheeled 4CX and 5CX machines.
