JCB is introducing a small number of platinum edition 3CX and 4CX backhoe loaders to mark 70 years of manufacturing the ‘iconic’ machine.
Company founder Joseph Cyril Bamford CBE invented the backhoe concept and the first JCB model was produced in 1953 after he combined a lightweight backhoe with a Major Loadall tractor loader. This, JCB revealed, created a single machine which combined a front shovel and rear excavator arm for the first time.
Under the leadership of chairman Lord Anthony Bamford, more than 900,000 JCB backhoes have now been made. Today the business manufactures the machine in the UK, India, and Brazil.
A total of 70 limited edition 70th birthday 3CX PRO and 4CX PRO machines will be produced.
The platinum edition models will have servo excavator controls, Powerslide, air conditioning and bi-directional auxiliary flow hydraulics. The machines will bear limited edition platinum decals and grille badge. They will 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.
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.”
