Hawk Plant Orders More JCB 3CX for Sale, plus Telehandlers and Quick-Hitches

Hire company Hawk Plant has purchased three new jcb 3cx for sale and ten Loadall jcb telehandlers from JCB dealer Gunn JCB. The plant firm also bought 12 Dualock quick-hitches from JCB for its recently purchased JS220 tracked excavators.

The new purchases add to the growing list of big orders from plat firms since the beginning of the year, signalling the long overdue recovery of the construction industry. The Dualock quick-hitches from JCB represent a leap forward in design and safety for coupling attachments to excavators and other construction equipment.

The Dualock is a double locking quick-hitch developed by JCB Attachments with independent locking of the front and rear pins. Designed for use with JCB tracked excavators from the JS130 through to the JS460, the hitch is compatible with both genuine JCB buckets and JCB scoop buckets on jcb 3cx for sale, along with the full range of JCB powered attachments. It uses the blocking bar system from the BUG coupler to secure the rear pin lock.

In addition, a new mechanical front lock secures the front pin independently of the rear. The face of the front locking mechanism is painted red and can easily be seen from the cab, ensuring the operator can be confident that the bucket is securely fastened before operating the machine. A series of on screen checks via the JCB JS Auto excavator Advanced Management System further ensures it is secured.

Hawk Plant director Paul Allman said: “Driven by a commitment to provide our customers with the safest equipment available, we are replacing our quick-hitches across the fleet. Customers must be totally confident in the equipment that they are operating. We are now providing them with levels of safety well in excess of those required by current standards.

“They are starting to demand dual-locking hitches whenever they hire excavators and we have every faith these new units will deliver. To date they have worked effectively with no issues whatsoever.”

Founded in 1972, Hawk Plant specialises in large bulk earthworks equipment and has a fleet of more than 1500 items.

Bobcat and Massey Ferguson Launch Rivals to JCB Telehandler

Agricultural giant Massey Ferguson and American compact machine manufacturer Bobcat have both released new telehandlers, seen as a bid to tackle the rising popularity of the jcb telehandler in the US.

JCB have long dominated the telehandler market with a vast variety of telehandlers for different applications, and the new vehicles from Massey and Bobcat are a clear effort to beat JCB on the American market, where both brands are strong and established.

Massey Ferguson's new MF 9000 series consists of three new models ranging from 100hp to 130hp - the MF 9306, 9407, and 9407S. The 9306 has 3t lift and 6m reach whereas the 9407 has 3.5t lift and 7m reach. The 9407S has the same lift as the 9407, but a larger engine for more demanding tasks like handling straw.

Each is fitted with a Perkins four-cylinder engine, and gets a two range 40kph hydrostatic transmission. The new boom configuration has a low rear pivot point for better visibility and hydraulics are supplied by a 190litres/min closed centre load sensing pump.

JCB have recently developed and built telehandlers with agricultural applications in mind, and Massey Ferguson appear to be retaliating with their own machines, hoping to appeal to farmer's strong brand loyalty to MF products. The latest jcb telehandler, the 515-40, was promoted as the smallest ever made and its outdoors-indoors cross functionality is marketed to appeal to agricultural operators.

Bobcat will be showing its new TR50210 rotary telehandler for the first time at the Samoter expo in Verona, Italy in March.

The TR50210 is one of four new rotating telehandlers from Bobcat, complementing the company's existing range of 12 rigid frame telehandlers. The new 360° and 400° rotating models offer lifting capacities from 3,5 to 5,0 tonnes and lifting heights from 15,7 to 24,5 m.

JCB have already secured two separate £14 million deals since the start of the year, and show no signs of slowing down. Several industry expos are scheduled for this year, and will surely indicate the manufacturers most likely to capitalise on the gradual recovery of the construction industry.

George Osbourne Visits JCB 3CX Transmission Factory

The Chancellor visited JCB's transmission factory in Wrexham, tying into JCB's announcements of a £14 million supply deal and a plan to recruit 22 more employees at the site. The factory manufactures axles and gearboxes for a range of JCB vehicles including the jcb 3cx and jcb telehandler range.

Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillian accompanied the Chancellor on his visit, where he commented optimistically on the future of the region.

Mr Osborne said: “Prices around the world are going up but the good news is that here in North Wales manufacturing is going well.

“Two years ago this factory was laying people off and now it is taking people on.”

The JCB Transmission is based on Wrexham Industrial Estate, and will manufacture axles and gearboxes for more than half of the products involved in the £14 million deal with H.E. Services, a plant hire firm based in Kent. H.E. Services has ordered a wide range of JCB equipment including excavators, jcb 3cx backhoe loaders, mini diggers and Loadall jcb telehandlers.

In addition to the new jobs in Wrexham, JCB will be recruiting up to 80 engineers across its sites in the UK, some of which will also he hired to work at JCB Transmission in Wrexham.

Alan Blake, JCB's chief executive said the company's recent big wins, including another £14 million deal with plant hire firm Hewden's, had been down to the company's innovative fuel efficiency features in its new vehicles.

“Not only does JCB produce a world-leading engine in terms of productivity, our transmissions manufactured here at Wrexham are the most efficient around," said Mr Blake.

He added: "This year has certainly got off to a flying start for JCB; our order books are in their healthiest position for four years and at this stage the outlook for the rest of 2011 is extremely promising.”

Clwyd South councillor Paul Rogers described the visit from MR Osbourne as “recognition of how important manufacturing is to the economy and the people of North East Wales”.

John Bell, Welsh Conservative Assembly candidate for Alyn and Deeside, also met Mr Osborne and said: “The news from JCB is a real shot in the arm for their staff and the economy of North Wales."

JCB Telehandler Accident Highlights Importance of Safety Training

The operator of a jcb telehandler in Lyme Regis had a close call when his vehicle toppled over a sea wall, crushing several beach huts below. Authorities say that no one was hurt in the incident.

The telehandler operator was moving sheets of shuttering plywood whilst working on the Marine Parade shelters regeration scheme in the Dorset seaside town. Brendan Webb, 36, was working for Febrey Structures, a Bristol plant firm, at the project when his machine tipped over.

The work had gone smoothly, until Webb began placing the material on upper floors of the site. The boom of the machine was at its maximum extended length when the incident occurred, causing authorities to question the safety precautions taken on the site. When the vehicle tipped, the boom fell over the edge of Marine Parade's sea wall and threw its load onto three beach huts below.

Local authorities have called in government inspectors to investigate the cause of the accident. Town clerk Mike Lewis said: “The main contractor promptly notified the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

“A team of senior executives from the company including the in-house health and safety officer and external H&S advisers attended the site within two hours, from which an incident report will be compiled, in addition to that of the HSE in due course.”

The accident highlights the importance of safety precautions employed when telehandlers are used, and equally the value of regular training for operators.

The telescopic boom of a jcb telehandler, the arm that lifts and places the loads, is the both signature feature of the machine but also also the main source of danger when operating it. Operators of these machines are required to take training in the use of a telehandler, especially regarding load weights.

Whilst these machines can lift several tonnes, if the operator has over extended the boom, or not properly calculated the load distance and capacity when lifting, the machine will tip, potentially damaging the load, the machine and injuring the operator.

The HSE has yet to comment on the incident.