What’s more it can match similar sized excavators at digging while outdoing them at trenching and backfill by virtue of its front loader. “It’s easy and intuitive to use, has great maneuverability, and with servo controls will suit operators of backhoes and excavators,” says Burnhope.Īs well as its ability to access confined spaces, it would seem that the 3CX Compact’s real trump card is its versatility, since it embodies in a single vehicle most of the functions of a standard backhoe, a dumper, a compact wheel loader, a forklift, a motorized sweeper and of course, a mini-excavator. The 3CX Compact’s small footprint and all-around visibility fits the design brief of enabling easy working in congested urban areas. Hydraulic flow of 75 l/min is provided to the rear end, where a fixed or extended 10ft or 12ft (3 or 3.7m) dipper is available, offering a maximum dig depth of 4.33m with a shovel capacity of 0.7m3. The 3CX Compact’s hydraulics deliver 80 l/min flow to the front end, where parallel-lift loader arms ensure load retention in combination with JCB’s Smooth Ride System (SRS), which minimizes bounce when traversing uneven terrain.
While 2WS allows safe highway travel andĤWS gives optimum on-site maneuverability, switching toĬreep Mode allows the engine to be run at high RPM to power high-flow attachments such as road planers while traveling at a speed of up to 3.5km/h (2.2mph).
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Three-speed hydrostatic transmission eliminates the need for gearchanges and allows full power to attachments at low speed, for instance when using a sweeper. The vehicle runs on a JCB by Kohler 74hp (55kW) diesel engine that meets US Tier 4 Final/Stage IIIB emissions standards with no need for aftertreatment, exhaust fluid or diesel particulate filters, keeping service costs down. With the option to switch to 2WS, the 3CX Compact is certainly capable of roading briskly and safely between sites without having to be mounted onto another vehicle, as with a conventional excavator. The 3CX Compact also boasts a top speed of 40km/h (25mph), which is 17% faster than the 2CX. These reduced dimensions give the 3CX Compact a turning circle of just 5.8m when in four-wheel steering (4WS) mode, which is 16% tighter than a standard backhoe, making it especially maneuverable in confined spaces and capable of performing a U-turn on single-carriageway roads. A width of just 1.9m enables it to enter areas such as gardens, parks and inner-city construction sites that have restricted entry, while a low travel height of just 2.74m allows it to access low buildings and even basements. The 3CX Compact is certainly a little vehicle with big capabilities, providing 75% of the lift capacity of a 3CX.
“We spoke to many customer groups and the best description we got was, ‘We need a little big machine.’ So we said, ‘What on Earth’s a little big machine?’ And they said, ‘Well, just imagine a machine that could do pretty much the same as the large machine – maybe 10% or 20% less in terms of its duty – but you just need to shrink it down, because working environments are now tighter and more challenging.'” Tim Burnhope, JCB’s chief innovation and growth officer for the UK, takes up the story of the 3CX Compact’s conception. As Bamford says, “More and more of our customers have been telling us that they need a backhoe loader that is smaller, simply because they are operating in congested towns and cities and on narrow streets.” As company chairman Lord Anthony Bamford says, “It was the backhoe loader that built JCB into the company it is today and made us famous around the world.”īut rather than resting on its laurels, JCB prides itself on achieving resilient performance in the face of uncertain market conditions by producing machines fully equipped for the future, through a policy of continuous innovation. Such has been the company’s success that nearly half of all backhoe loaders sold worldwide are JCB-made and the name JCB has entered the language as a generic term for a backhoe in the UK and also in India, where almost 75% of all backhoes sold in 2016 were JCBs. The 3CX Compact is 35% smaller than the 3CX and aims to bring the performance of its full-sized older sibling to groundworkers and municipalities working in confined or congested building sites, particularly in urban areas such as London, where UK construction is growing most rapidly.Įarly pioneers of the backhoe loader concept, JCB began the first UK backhoe production operation in 1953.
A direct successor to the 2CX tool carrier and essentiallyĪ scaled-down little brother of the 3CX backhoe loader, JCB’s new 3CX Compact tool carrier, billed by JCB as an innovative solution for the construction site of the future, looks set to perform strongly in 2017.