JCB entered the wheeled loader market with the acquisition UK-based Chaseside Engineering, taking on its seven rigid axle machines. Relocation of production lines from Chaseside’s plant in Blackburn, Lancashire took several months and it was all systems go by the start of 1969, which marked the start of the first full year of shovel manufacturing at JCB’s expanding Rocester factory in Staffordshire. In that first year, the fledgling wheeled loader division would build just 298 machines, catering primarily for domestic customer demand.
The first JCB-designed machines arrived in 1971, with the launch of the 413 and 418 models, replacing the former Chaseside models. These shovels featured a cab mounted on the front section of the articulating chassis, to provide the operator with an improved view of the working area. They were also equipped with an oscillating centre pivot, to ensure that all four wheels remained in contact with the ground.
At that time, JCB launched a tracked loading shovel, the 110, the first of its type to feature a hydrostatic transmission and twin tiller loader controls. The crawler loader would continue to be developed, with the 112 and 114 models, well into the 70s.
In 1973 the 423 and 428 were launched, taking JCB into heavier wheeled loader territory. By the early 1980s the division had expanded again, with the introduction of the 428 landfill compactor.
Another sector with which JCB has enjoyed a positive relationship is the military, the company developing the 410M-1B military wheeled loader in 1984.
JCB continued to develop its growing range of wheeled loaders, moving into the compact market in 1987. The 406 was the first JCB compact loader and the first to have the cab mounted on the rear section of the articulating chassis. This model was soon joined by the 408 in 1989 and the 408 Farm Master in 1990.
Following the success of the compact models, JCB went on to redesign its heavier loaders, with the launch of the 411, 412S and 416 in 1994.
Additional compact models followed in 1996, while 1997 would prove one of the most decorated years for the company’s loader business.
If 1997 was a big year for products, 1999 would prove an even more eventful year for the business, with a move to purpose-built new premises in Cheadle, Staffordshire. With the ability to boost production, the multi million pound facility – producing under the name JCB Earthmovers – would prove critical to further fuel product expansion and sales growth.
By the early 2000s, the company’s range of wheeled loaders and telescopic loaders was well established, with the addition of new 407, 408 and 409 hydrostatic loaders, the TM300 Telemaster and the 456HT loader.
The company’s Dieselmax engine range, fitted to a number of the loaders, went on to power the firm’s Dieselmax streamliner to a world land-speed record for diesel cars in 2006, establishing JCB as a leading engine manufacturer.
JCB now produces wheeled loaders on production lines around the world, including the UK, India, Brazil and China. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of JCB opening a multi-million pound factory in Cheadle, Staffordshire dedicated to the production of wheeled loaders.
Tim Burnhope, chief innovation and growth officer, JCB, said: “Over the past 50 years, JCB’s wheeled loader range has evolved into a major part of our product portfolio. Fifty years is a long time but our sights are firmly on the future and we are committed to bringing new levels of innovation to this range. The launch of the spacious CommandPlus cab on our wheeled loaders was a pivotal moment in this machine’s history and this innovation really did put operator comfort at the heart of the design. JCB now offers 25 different wheeled loader models and manufactures the product on three continents. With our innovative range we are very well placed to increase our sales in a sector which has grown rapidly around the world for three consecutive years.”