£4 million JCB deal continues 25-year tradition

Lafarge Tarmac upgrade mobile plant fleet with purchase of 60 new 2CX Streetmaster backhoe loaders

LAFARGE Tarmac have bought 60 new JCB 2CX Streetmaster backhoe loaders in a deal worth £4 million. The order marks a 25-year partnership between Lafarge Tarmac and JCB for handling road-maintenance projects. The latest machines were supplied by JCB dealers Gunn JCB.

Lafarge Tarmac – who took delivery of their first 2CX Streetmaster model a quarter of a century ago – instigated the configuration for the latest batch of machines. Developed in conjunction with the company’s operatives and health and safety team, the models purchased have been tailored to Lafarge Tarmac’s exact requirements.

Featuring enhanced lighting for night-time operations and a heavy-duty, rear-mounted JCB HM165 breaker which reduces exposure to hand arm vibration, the backhoe loaders are also fitted with security devices, including CESAR registration which comes as standard on JCB machines.

Lafarge Tarmac’s national plant and transport manager, Jonathan Medforth, said: ‘The JCB 2CX Streetmaster, in its various guises, has been our machine of choice for 25 years now. It truly is the workhorse of our contracting sites on a daily basis.

‘The low-vibration, rear-mounted breaker, the speed and manoeuvrability of the 2CX, and its ability to operate in small working areas combine to make it ideal for our work. The machine caters for all the needs of our business, from cutting day joints in asphalt to loading pre-coated chips in hydrostatic chipping machines.’

Purpose-built for road maintenance and construction tasks and compatible with a range of attachments, JCB say the compact 2CX Streetmaster with its 4x4x4 steering provides good balance between manoeuvrability and performance.

It features a high-power self-levelling loader with high lift capacities and breakout forces, resulting in maximum productivity and the ability to maintain the load level during raise and lower cycles.

In addition, operating conditions are said to be unrivalled for machines of this size, with a ROPS/FOPS canopy or cab providing a safe and spacious environment with exceptional visibility and lower noise levels.