On track with JCB’s mini marvel

by Nick Drew | Wed 23 Nov 2016

On track with JCB’s mini marvel

Taking a look back at another of my Earthmovers Magazine articles and bringing it to life on the internet with this feature on the JCB 1CXT from 2014.

JCB has always had a reputation for being a leader in terms of innovation and new ideas. In 1993 the company launched the JCB skid steer loader, which featured a single side mounted boom design, the like of which had never been seen or tried before. This clever feature meant that the operator could access and egress the machine through a conventional side opening door, no longer having to climb over the bucket to get in and out, which can be a dangerous practice in itself. The following year JCB rocked the world with the launch of the 1CX wheeled skid steer compact backhoe loader. This revolutionary machine brought together all the features of a skid steer loader and a mini excavator into one compact package. Over the past 20 years the machine has been upgraded with the addition of an “Extradig” extending dipper, an additional hydraulic circuit for using hand held tools, and improvements to the cab like air conditioning. 042

Now some 6 years since we first saw a concept tracked version of the 1CX at the Intermat exhibition in Paris, the 1CXT is now in production at JCB’s Utility Products factory in Cheadle. This compact machine was officially launched at the Hillhead show in Buxton in 2014 and amongst all the big kit on show, there was a real sense of a buzz about this new tracked machine, which offers the end user the best of both worlds in a “Swiss Army knife” style package. In the UK, the tracked mini excavator still remains the chosen compact excavator of choice with many contractors and as a market we remain fairly sceptical about skid steer loaders, unlike other countries, like the USA for instance, where the skid steer loader has been and still remains hugely popular. The wheeled 1CX skid steer backhoe loader has also proven to be very popular in America, as it has in European locations such as Spain and Portugal. Turkey is also proving to be a strong market for the 1CX, especially in the south of the country, where I have witnessed them being used by contractors working on a wide variety of jobs including greenhouse maintenance & construction and the utilities sector. 045

The 1.8m wide 1CXT tracked model is going to be much better suited to the UK market, where our wet weather can often play havoc with the ground conditions, especially in the winter months. The machine weighs in between 4,262kg and 4,342kg depending on specification, but with its 320mm (12.8”) rubber tracks the machine only has a footprint 0.8m², making it a good low ground pressure machine which will greatly reduce surface damage. The machine takes its power from Stage IIIA emissions compliant Perkins 404D-22 4 cylinder engine, a well proven unit that offers a power output of 49hp (36.3kw). Track drive comes from a Danfoss/Rexroth hydrostatic transmission, which can offer a top speed of 7.5kph. Sharp eyed readers will recognise that the elevated drive sprocket style track assemblies are the same as those used on the company’s 205T compact tracked loader, so once again they have adopted well proven components into the new machine. With both the engine and transmission mounted low down in the chassis the machines centre of gravity is excellent, and even on steep gradients the machine gives a good feeling of security. So just who is this machine targeted at? A JCB spokesman said, “We think it will appeal to a wide range of customers including small builders, forestry contractors, groundworkers, landscaping contractors, fencing and agricultural contractors. 075

The machine could also be an ideal first start up machine for owner operators, especially with such a wide range of uses and applications, for instance, the machine is ideal for working in tight back gardens, where it could be digging a swimming pool or engaged in garden makeover work. The excavated material can be loaded out using the front bucket eliminating the need for additional plant like a dumper, which helps to keep operating costs down. In addition the hand held tool circuit gives the user even more scope to run a wide range of tools, including breakers and water pumps”. When fitted with front pallet forks the machine is also capable of lifting a full pack of blocks and dumpy bags of sand thus eliminating the need for a forklift. The rated lift capacity of the 1CXT is 1,135kgs when the machine is fitted with the optional Extradig extending dipper, which is impressive for such a compact machine. 086

The standard machine features an auxiliary front hydraulic supply flow of 45 litres per minute, but for those wishing to run auxiliary high-flow attachments such as patch planners, augers, chain trenchers, flail mowers and rotary road sweepers to name a few, a high-flow option is available, which is capable of delivering 100 litres per minute. According to JCB, on the backend what you are effectively getting is a backhoe with the capabilities and power of an equivalent to a 2.5 tonne mini excavator in terms of reach and dig depth. From my experience in the cab I would not dispute that claim, all be it without the ability to slew 360^o of course. Dig depth on the 1CXT is 2.55m with the fixed dipper and 3.08 with the extended dipper. 089

The front loader arms feature the standard four-ram loader design, which features parallel lift, ensuring good bucket load retention and maintaining a level lift when raising and lowering the bucket or attachment, something that is especially important when carrying out lifting operations with the fork attachment. Load over height on the 1CXT is 2.65m allowing for loading into high sided lorries and JCB say you can expect 25% greater dump angle and 15% more breakout in the dig. 093

During Earthmovers visit to the JCB testing ground, the machine was demonstrated with a variety of attachments including a chain trencher, power angle dozer blade, 6 in 1 multi-purpose bucket and a scrap grapple bucket. The fitting of the work tools is facilitated by the manual quick coupler. These attachments gave a brief glimpse of the scope and versatility that end users can expect from this compact machine which is like a skid steer loader on steroids and definitely packs a punch above its weight. 125

I was then invited to take a closer look and to try out the machine for myself. Like on its successful skid steer range, access to the fully ROPS & FOPS certified cab is via the nearside door, which opens nice and wide to ease access. There is a nicely positioned foot step on the track frame and there are plenty of grab handles to assist in climbing on board, ensuring that the all important 3 points of contact can be maintained at all times. My first impressions once in the cab were of a practical place to spend a shift, with excellent all round visibility. Air conditioning was fitted in the demonstration model, but this is an optional extra and one I feel you would need on such a machine. There was also no radio, something I would be wanting as an owner operator, although I could not see any provision for the fitment of one. The seat and operating position was very comfortable with all controls nicely to hand. There is a lot going inside the cab for those of us who turned our backs on backhoe loaders many years ago and who are now more used to mini and larger excavators and it took a few minutes to get used to. 097

The machine can be specified with either manual controls for the backhoe or the preferred, in my opinion, EasyControl (servo) system, the latter being fitted onto this demonstration machine. For the older operator the manual cross pattern would pose no problems, but we find on sites today that many younger operators are just simply not used to the old SAE pattern. With the more ergonomically friendly EasyControl set up, the operator can select either SAE or the more familiar ISO control pattern by means of a large silver switch, mounted just above floor level to the operators left as he sits facing the rear. When facing rearwards and by means of flicking a switch on the left hand panel, the operator is ready to dig. When in the rear position, two seat mounted joysticks replicate the controls of any modern mini excavator making operation smooth and easy to get on with. 091

When spun around and getting prepared to use the front loaders and bucket the operator has to select loader operation on the aforementioned switch. The controls then become left hand joystick, travel and steering, including contra-rotation. While the right hand joystick controls all loader arm and bucket/attachment movements. Other features in the cab include the air-conditioning (optional) and heating controls on the right hand side to the front. This features 5 air vents to provide a good flow of cold or hot air around the cab. On the left hand side when facing forwards behind the ignition switch is a bank of rocker switches, which includes from front to back, park brake, hazard lights, indicator director, auxiliary isolation switch (isolates all aux functions, front and back) front or rear control selection switch, beacon, blank for other options, road lights, front and rear work lights, front windscreen wash & wipe, rear auxiliary/extending dipper selector. A rear wiper switch is provided on the wiper itself. There is also a hand throttle to the rear and a foot throttle on the right hand side. Fresh air can be gained by opening the sliding side window on the right hand side, and the large up and over window at the rear, which is also vital for when you need to communicate with ground crew during excavations. So without further ado I put the machine to work in its ISO control pattern on the demonstration plot. A bit of trenching work to start with just to get a feel for the way the machine reacts. I was initially encouraged by the team at JCB to excavate with no jack legs down, which seemed a bit strange to me, but I must say the machine sat still pretty well considering it wasn’t anchored down. This got me thinking that the 1CXT could be an ideal machine for digging along pavements and on roads, where the rubber tracks would cause no damage to the tarmac. When the digging got a bit harder I opted to lower the jack legs to prevent the machine being dragged backwards, but this only really happened when I got a bit greedy with the amount of material I was trying to pull. Like most UK spec backhoe loaders, the 1CXT is fitted with a sideshift backhoe and also features longer jack legs than its wheeled counterpart. 101

Generally the backhoe was very powerful and operated well with just a little bit of snatch on the slew. Just one criticism that I would say about it was the fact that it didn’t appear to like me using the dipper arm and the extending dipper at the same time, it was either one movement or the other, but I am sure this could be sorted with a bit of fine tuning. Visibility to the rear from the digging position is very good in all directions. For improved vision when loading trucks or dumpers with the EasyControl version the operator can actually operate the machine with the seat angled at 45^otowards the rear. The old backhoe loader scenario of having to de-camp for every pull by raising the jack legs and lifting the loader arms before moving forward can be speeded up with the 1CXT. The operator can actually travel the machine in the direction of the dig when facing the rear, by means of using the rocker switch on the dash to select loader/travel mode and pressing the override button which is located on the left hand joystick. This might sound complicated, but in practice it’s easy and enables much faster repositioning of the base machine. 100

Following my period of excavation I spun around and got set for some backfilling using the power angle dozer attachment. But first I took the machine for a spin to get to grips with the control set up. Selecting 3/4 throttle I powered away using the left hand joystick for direction and steering, it was very responsive even with the lightest of touches, turning on the spot. I headed back towards the excavation and dropped the blade to backfill the trench. I was impressed that the machine showed no sign of stalling as the material built up in front of the blade before eventually falling into the trench. Engine stall is avoided by the inclusion of the Power Management System (PMS) an automatic electronic control system which has been designed by JCB’s engineers for this machine. 083

With the material back in the trench I opted to do some “back blading” and at this point I deployed the float function, which can be selected by means of a rocker switch down on the left hand side of the joystick console. Vision to the front end is excellent thanks in part to the sloped bonnet design, giving the operator a great view of any front end attachments from the seat. On the servicing side of things, the machine is fitted with a large one-piece bonnet and there are removable side panels that allow excellent ground level access for daily checks and servicing. Long working shifts are easily accomplished too thanks to the 40 litre fuel tank, which is located on the near side of the machine. This tank, like so many today, is made of plastic to eliminate rust issues and condensation related problems. The tank also features a built-in fuel gauge, which is easily visible from the operator’s seat. 110

This unique machine reminded me of the days when it was common place to see tracked loading shovels from a variety of manufacturers with a JCB backhoe mounted on the back, all be it in a modern and dynamic compact package. I can see this machine appealing to a very wide range of customers with its overall versatility. The biggest problem end users will discover will be finding operators who can handle such a versatile machine, an all too common problem these days. 140

In the right hands and in the correct applications this machine, which offers the best features of a mini excavator and a skid steer loader, will be worth its weight in gold and would become a fantastic addition to any plant fleet in my opinion. Check out this great testimonial video featuring Nick Ray who is an Australian JCB 1CXT customer.

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