New JCB backhoe loaders for Farwell
Ten 3CX Sitemaster backhoe loaders form heart of machinery order worth more than £1 million
DORSET-based Mark Farwell Plant Hire & Contracting have ordered more than £1 million of JCB machinery – including a fleet of ten 3CX Sitemaster backhoe loaders.
The company, which runs more than 80 machines in total, operates from premises in Blandford Forum, working throughout Dorset and into Wiltshire and the surrounding area. The latest fleet additions – which also include tracked and midi-excavators – have been bought through dealers Holt JCB.
Company owner Mark Farwell said: ‘We’ve operated JCB machines for 32 years and they’ve always been a good machine. We’ve never had a bad one and they’ve always been reliable. Holt JCB are right on our doorstep and they give us a really good service too.’
The company’s business is split between its own civil engineering and earthmoving contracting work, and the plant-hire side where machines are available with or without operators. Farwell have always run backhoe loaders as part of the fleet, changing the machines every two to three years to keep pace with the latest technology and to provide the best machines and service to their customers.
The 10 backhoe loaders are the latest 3CX ECO machines, powered by JCB’s award-winning EcoMAX Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim diesel engine. This highly efficient powerplant offers 6% more torque than the previous model, yet consumes up to 9% less fuel.
The EcoMAX engine also meets the latest emissions standards without the need for a diesel particulate filter (DPF) or any form of exhaust after-treatment, simplifying maintenance and further reducing ownership costs.
Farwell have specified the machines with powershift transmissions and the optional Torquelock lock-up torque converter, which offers fuel savings of as much as 25% when travelling on the road. The machines are also specified with JCB’s Smooth Ride System (SRS) loader-arm suspension and with hydraulic hammer piping.
Mr Farwell added: ‘We have always had backhoe loaders. They are a very versatile machine that is always in demand, both for our own contracting work and for the plant-hire side of the business.
‘The JCB product is good value for money…They are not the cheapest machines on the market, though the cost to buy is reasonable. But when you come to sell a JCB you always get a good resale value, so that gives us the best total cost of ownership.’
