I took a look at the picture again. What is the thing in the background on the right side?
And whats the deal with the little flap inf ront of the bucket of the......um......miniscopic?
I'm not positive what that is in the background behind the Miniscopic. But this photo is from an exhibition hall that JCB had set up on the grounds of its HQ. They had something on the order of 250 different models of equipment there, representing the company's entire product line. It's much bigger than you would think, considering what we see here in North America.
Looks like that is the body of some kind of dumping vehicle -- probably part of the relatively new JCB GroundCare line. They have a whole line of turfcare products, including ZTR mowers and utility vehicles. Here's their press release for that line:
March 13th, 2007
JCB’S WIDE RANGE FOR GROUNDS MAINTENANCE AND LANDSCAPING
Following a succession of new product developments since the division was set up in 2004, JCB Groundcare has built up an extensive range of dedicated equipment for the grounds maintenance and landscaping sectors.
In the UK, the products are sold through a specialist network of 15 dealers covering the whole country through 60 depot locations. The JCB Groundcare dealer network is supported by the JCB Service organisation, which delivers unrivalled parts and service back-up.
The flagship models of the JCB Groundcare range are five new compact tractors. The robust new machines – which span from 23 to 54 horsepower - are ideal for use by grounds maintenance contractors, landscapers and green-keepers around golf courses, parks, sports and amenity grounds, smallholdings and equestrian centres. They power numerous attachments enabling operators to perform many grounds maintenance tasks in addition to their primary role of grass cutting. These include: ditching, loading, hedge-cutting, topping, aeration, flailing, overseeding and harrowing.
To support JCB Groundcare’s revolutionary compact tractors – a range of heavy duty mower, loader and backhoe attachments has been developed to further enhance the versatility of these new machines.
JCB’s 6x4 Groundhog utility vehicle - ideal for transporting people, material and equipment across rough and delicate ground - boasts a series of new features and attachments to further improve versatility, performance and operator comfort.
The machine is proving extremely popular in a wide range of markets including: country estates, agriculture, specialist hire companies, sports venues, utility companies, golf courses and grounds maintenance contractors.
The permanent 4-wheel drive utility vehicle is powered by a 768cc, liquid-cooled, 20 hp (14.9kW) diesel engine. It features CVT transmission including manual differential lock with a Kevlar drive belt for enhanced durability. In response to customer feedback it is now available with three new cab options for added weather protection, the incorporation of an electric winch and a new kit to enable legal road travel between job sites.
The machine delivers class-leading performance with a max travel speed of 18 mph (29 km/h), max payload of 500kg and a towing capacity of 500kg.
The JCB Groundhog benefits from impressive torque, giving extra performance in difficult ground conditions and on inclines. The 6x4 configuration gives four-wheel drive operation for performance in arduous conditions and the model has a superior power-to-weight ratio compared to leading competitor models. Allied with a choice of turf or rough terrain tyres dependent on the application, the machine imparts minimum ground damage on delicate surfaces and delivers great traction in heavy ground.
JCB Groundcare is also making a big impact with its smallest-ever machine – a downsized micro excavator which is ideal for working on confined garden and landscaping projects.
Despite its lower weight, the JCB 8008 has an impressive digging envelope and market leading performance. The 8008 uses a 762cc diesel engine, offering a power rating of 12.7hp (9.5kW) – an output which makes the JCB 8008 the most powerful machine in the 800kg sector and has a best-in-class hydraulic pump flow of 13.2 litres/min.
The JCB 8008 has a variable width undercarriage, allowing it to travel through a standard doorway. The track width is just 700mm when retracted, just exceeding the upperstructure width of 695mm. Once extended, the track width is a stable 890mm.
Aimed at the commercial market and estates, JCB’s first Zero Turn Mower – the ZT20D – has the benefit of being powered by a 18hp diesel engine, therefore giving multi-fleet customers the ability to use a single and safer fuel. The JCB mower has an extremely fast travel speed of 13mph making it the most productive type of grass cutting machinery – proven to be up to 50 percent faster than alternative equipment.
The twin 22.7 litre (5 gal) fuel tanks easily provide a full day’s continuous cutting using 48†rear or 52†side discharge decks. An optional PTO-driven grass collector for the side discharge deck can collect up to 436 litres of grass. The operator also benefits from an extremely comfortable, efficient and manoeuvrable machine.
With the launch of a new compact backhoe loader model, JCB continues to develop the market through design innovation. The JCB Mini CX 4x4 Series II is a four-wheel drive variant of its smallest ever backhoe –the Mini CX and will build on its success with improved performance in difficult ground conditions.
The centre-mount excavator has a maximum dig depth of 2.54m and vertical stabilisers to improve digging performance in difficult conditions. The loader end features a 0.25m³ bucket as standard, with the option of a parallel lift for forks, GP and 6-in1 bucket.
Also, still going strong, are two further products which have been in the JCB Groundcare portfolio since it was founded in 2004: the JCB Micro excavators and a range of tracked dumpster models including, a high-tip version.
END
Some JCB GroundCare details here:
http://www.jcb.co.uk/products/range.aspx?IID=5
You can find out much more about the company's complete equipment line at their UK web site (heck, I just discovered that they sell stuff like shovels and wheelbarrows over in the UK)
http://www.jcb.co.uk/
The little flap on the front of the bucket is a mystery to me, too.
Would be interesting to see what the difference is between this Miniscopic and JCB's Teletrucks:
http://www.jcbamericas.com/app/products.aspx?id=16
One cool thing that JCB did emphasize during our visit to the UK was breaking the diesel land-speed record at Bonneville. Of course I'd heard about it -- we covered it (
http://www.constructionequipment.com/article/CA6359306.html?text=dieselmax).
But by coincidence on the plane over there, one of the movies was The World's Fastest Indian. I hadn't seen it before. If you haven't -- and you can understand why a guy would mortgage his house, learn to cook in the galley of a freighter just to ship his machine half-way round the world, and sleep in his car for a chance to ride as fast has he can on the Bonneville Salt Flats -- I recommend it.
Anyway . . . it put me in a Bonneville state of mind.
So JCB took two of its Dieselmax, four-cylinder blocks (they've built 40,000 engines since they started the enterprise in 2004) and cranked the suckers up to 750 hp each with twin turbos, some space-aged fuel injection, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I didn't dig into. Pretty interesting stuff. They claim the project taught them a lot about wringing performance out of their engines, and that the four-cylinders will eventually start showing up in six-cylinder applications because of it (Note: Pretty much all of the diesel engine manufacturers will be substituting smaller engines into their lines as they adopt technologies used to clean up exhaust. Power densities are going through the roof!)
Sorry to go on and on about JCB. But they dragged me all the way over to England, and I'm bound and determined to get my money's worth . . .
