Ahh Yes, the old JCB vs Case vs Cat debate.
A bit like the Ford vs Holden (GM) debate in Oz.
Here's my 2c.
My own 89 JCB 3CX is a solid and reliable machine. Some JCB stalwarts say the "Grey Cab" was the best backhoe JCB ever built. I haven't owned later model JCB machines, however a mate of mine who runs his own earth moving company is seriously looking to get rid of his later model JCB and find a Grey Cab. It seems his (I think) 2000 model JCB is giving him a heap of grief not least of which is a second trans rebuild when the same bearing failed again.
Before everyone who is an advocate of Case or Cat jumps in, I don't have good things to say about the latest offerings from either company.
At work, we bought a brand new Case backhoe (have to check which model) in 2010. Since we've had it, it has spent more time in the workshop than hours being used. We have had a myriad of electronics failures, oil leaks and other faults and one time the front wheels nearly fell off as the machine managed to get through the Case factory and pre-delivery inspections with the wheel nuts loose!
Even now, there are some hydraulic leaks and we are waiting for parts. Also we noticed that one of the top loader arm pins has the grease nipple in such a position that we cannot even get a 90 degree grease gun fitting onto it. :Banghead What kind of R&D is that?
Now onto Cat. One our contractors bought a brand new 2010 backhoe last year which arrived around the same time as our Case around Oct/Nov.
Their machine has faired no better than ours. The Cat machine has had a few electronics failures. Twice the machine stopped dead in the middle of the road and would not re-start due to ECU problems. It then developed an oil leak in the side shift with 20 hours on the clock. Cat seemed to be aware of the ECU & side shift ram seal faults, yet the machine was delivered to a customer. The ECU had to be sent away to be fixed and the side shift seals took weeks to arrive as the machine was so new. On yet another new cat backhoe, a known manufacturer defect caused a bypass problem in the steering system which meant you had to continually turn the wheel to the right whilst driving along, or the machine would steer hard lock to the left and throw you off the road.
All I'm saying is that all machines have their good points and their bad. Like anything else we buy, manufacturers will try to find ways to streamline their processes to keep costs down and profits up. Sometimes we get a mid week product, sometimes a Friday arvo.
Most people say you get what you pay for, however when you spend well over $130k on a machine and still get problems, I'd hate to think what the cheaper machines are like. At the end of the day, I think it largely comes down to personal preference when choosing a machine.
Karl