JCB produces 70th anniversary backhoes

Construction equipment manufacturer JCB has produced special Platinum Edition 3CX backhoe loaders to mark its 70^th birthday.

The company said the first batch of colourful limited edition machines had rolled off the production lines at its World Headquarters at Rocester, Staffordshire, UK.

The machines come with red buckets, full white cab and red wheels instead of the customary black and yellow finish – a livery last seen more than 40 years ago on the JCB 3C III model.

JCB said the special machines were en-route to customers as far afield as Australia, as well as the UK, France, Spain and Russia. It said a total of 70 of these distinctive limited edition machines would be manufactured – one for every year that JCB has been in business.

JCB backhoe loader managing director Yvette Henshall-Bell said, “There has been a huge amount of interest in these special backhoes. They look absolutely stunning and we are delighted that customers from all over the world are ordering them.”

Since JCB’s first backhoe was manufactured in 1953, it said it had produced more than 600000 models and now sold them in 120 countries.