Lomond Plant order 98 JCB machines
Scottish plant hire company signals expansion plans with £5.5 million investment in JCB equipment
FALKIRK-based Lomond Plant have bought nearly 100 new JCB machines to support the company’s ambitious expansion plans, which have already seen growth in to the north-west of England – with depots in Yorkshire and the Midlands set to follow.
In total, Lomond Plant have ordered 98 new JCB machines, including 18 of the brand new 13-tonne JS131 tracked excavator models that have been purpose built for the rental sector, in a deal worth £5.5 million.
The JS131 machines join further excavators ranging from 1.5 to 22 tonnes, JCB site dumper models from 3 to 9 tonnes and multiple 3CX backhoe loaders.
Lomond Plant’s joint managing director, Ross Easton, said: ‘The JS131 has clearly been specifically designed for the rental market and is absolutely ticking the right boxes in that respect. They bring the huge benefit of no AdBlue requirement without any power reduction on general hire applications.
‘We’ve also introduced the new 48Z-1 mini-excavator model to our fleet. JCB’s new-generation 86C-1 and 85Z-1 have been excellent for us with reduced fuel consumption and better visibility. So when those same benefits were introduced on the 4.5-tonne model it was the natural choice.
‘We continue to expand our coverage across the UK and these machines will enhance the offering at each of our depots. We continue to use exclusively JCB equipment as we get tremendous support from dealer Scot JCB and the parts availability from the JCB World Parts Centre is excellent.
‘Another key bonus is JCB LiveLink. It’s a great tool that allows us to monitor plant 24h a day, seven days a week. The fact it comes with almost all models and seamlessly links to one system works really well for us.’
The new JCB JS131 is a crawler excavator designed for rental customers. It builds on the success of JCB’s popular JS130, but is powered by a rental-specific 55kW (74hp) version of JCB’s proven Ecomax diesel engine.
This fuel-efficient power unit meets Tier 4 Final (Stage IIIB) emissions standards without a diesel particulate filter (DPF) or any requirement for Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and a diesel exhaust fluid.
The 18 bought by Lomond Plant are already on hire to customers in applications such as civils, local authority work, utility work, house building and highways – including the high-profile M8/M73/M74 improvements near Glasgow.
