The JCB Loadall telescopic handler is a common sight on many Irish farms, both in the past and present day. The Loadall was first manufactured in 1977, which marked the start of big things for JCB as it revolutionised the agricultural industry and the way in which farmers carried out their work. Before 1977, farmers had stacked bales, loaded dung and shovelled grain using tractor-mounted hydraulic loaders. The introduction of the JCB Loadall, with its considerably greater versatility and output, increased the productivity of the farm workforce and showed the value of a purpose-designed machine dedicated to farm material handling.

Most farms around the country have some form of a purpose-designed machine for material handling, which they use on a daily basis. I have had numerous conversations with farmers over the years about this subject, the consensus being “I would be lost without that machine”.

History

The first JCB Loadall was produced at JCB’s world headquarters in Rocester, Staffordshire, England, on 3 October 1977 and, in its first full year of production, less than 300 machines were made by just a handful of employees. Today, thousands of Loadalls roll off the production line every year and the business producing them employs in excess of 800 people.

The 200,000th Loadall

It took JCB almost 30 years to sell the first 100,000 Loadalls but, interestingly, only 10 years to sell the next 100,000. This proves just how the popularity and loyalty for the JCB Loadall has increased over the past decade.

Today, JCB is one of the world’s leading producers of telescopic handlers with a total of 90 different models being produced. Eighty-eight of these are manufactured at the world headquarters in England for global markets, while two are manufactured in India for its domestic market. To mark the occasion of the production of the 200,000th Loadall, JCB produced a one-off limited edition Loadall, which is easily distinguished from the standard model by its unique celebratory colour scheme.

Innovation

One thing that JCB is renowned for is its innovation and “think-outside-the-box” attitude. This is reflected in its products such as the iconic 3CX and Fastrac, which wouldn’t have existed if it was not for their “can do” way of thinking.

Nowhere is more evident of this innovate attitude than the Loadall. One of JCB’s major innovations over the past 39 years was the introduction of the Loadall range, with the engine on the side rather than in the centre. This enabled the boom to be lowered, improving visibility for the operators by 390mm.

In 2008, visibility improvements further increased with the introduction of the high-vis range, which lowered the boom even further. The torque lock systems introduced on Loadalls in 2001 were also a testament to JCB’s innovation as it meant machines could travel quicker on the road and perform much better when travelling up hills, as well as improving fuel consumption.

The patented Smooth Ride System gave a major boost to users as it improved material retention in the bucket when travelling over rough ground, boosting productivity, as well as improving operator comfort.