JCB celebrate 70 years of backhoe innovation

Manufacturer marking anniversary with special Platinum editions of 3CX and 4CX models

JCB are celebrating 70 years of manufacturing their iconic backhoe loader with the unveiling 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 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.

While it took 20 years for JCB to build their first 50,000 backhoes, under the leadership of JCB chairman Anthony Bamford, more than 900,000 have now been made. JCB has been world market leader for backhoes for almost 25 years and today manufacture the machines in the UK, India, and Brazil.  A total of 70 limited-edition 70th birthday 3CX PRO and 4 CX PRO machines will be manufactured.

Lord Bamford said: ‘The backhoe loader is an incredibly versatile machine and thanks to continued innovation and evolution, it remains just as relevant today as the day it was first invented. The JCB backhoe loader remains one of the most popular pieces of construction equipment in the world and it has a very exciting future ahead of it.’

The Platinum Edition models will have servo excavator controls, Powerslide, air-conditioning, and bi-directional auxiliary flow hydraulics, and will bear limited-edition Platinum decals and grille badge. The machines will also have Platinum-coloured wheels, while in the cab there will be an embroidered graphic in the carpet and upgraded seat material with 70th anniversary branding, along with a steering wheel centre cap featuring the 70th logo. Each machine will also have a special plaque and customers will receive a special Platinum gift pack with the backhoe loader.

Over the last seven decades JCB have continued to develop and enhance the backhoe loader concept, with turbocharged engines, powershift transmissions, all-wheel drive, and extending dipper arms. The machine has broadened in appeal, with the launch of the skid-steer-based 1CX, the all-wheel-steer 3CX Compact, and the larger 4CX and 5CX equal-sized-wheel machines.