'94 JCB 215 (experienced) Operator's question

[JohnK]

OK, I decided I would drive the backhoe on the road a couple of miles to a job, instead of hauling it. I shifted into 4th gear and it seemed to be VERY slow and slower going up a grade. I can assume I have done something wrong or didn't do the right thing to get it to go more than 10MPH. (Unless it's a mechanical/transmission problem).

I had a friend tell me that there may be a lever on the steering column that would limit the slip or electronically put it in road gears. I am not familiar with a function like that. I have the two levers one on each side of the steering column. What all functions are they to perform?

 

[robin yates uk]

sounds to me you have a transmission problem, low on oil,.The JCB gearbox is bulletproof,, 4 forward, 4 reverse.The gears you use on the road are the same as the ones used on the site.The top speed of your machine on the flat is 24mph.I assume all your filters and screens are new because dirty filters will slow the machine down

 

[JohnK]

That could be my problem. I'll get some new filters and screens to see if that helps. I haven't gone completely through the whole machine since I bought it this fall. Time for me to read the service manual I downloaded much closer!

The friend thought that the right lever below the steering wheel controlled the high-low range as it did on another backhoe he had operated. Most of the right lever's functions are still a mystery to me, including the buttons on the end of each of the levers.

I hope to get this backhoe figured out before it gets warm in the spring!!

 

[robin yates uk]

Your machine has a 4 speed box, 4 forward, 4 reverse.There is no Hi/lo range on this model. Some photos are going to be big help because JCB had many variants on a lot of their models.

 

[Jock]

Hey mate

I haven't had much to do with the 215s as we don't get them in Australia

Check your getting max throttle on the fuel pump. Pretty sure if its a Perkins it should be about 2400RPM

I took a 4CX for a spin down the road the other day. It was fine in the w/shop but very gutless on the road. Turns out it was only getting 2200rpm from the foot pedal. Made an incredible difference on the road when I adjusted the throttle cable

Other thing you could do is a stall test to check the condition of your torque converter.

First thing I would try is max RPM though

 

[robin yates uk]

Hey mate

I haven't had much to do with the 215s as we don't get them in Australia

Check your getting max throttle on the fuel pump. Pretty sure if its a Perkins it should be about 2400RPM

I took a 4CX for a spin down the road the other day. It was fine in the w/shop but very gutless on the road. Turns out it was only getting 2200rpm from the foot pedal. Made an incredible difference on the road when I adjusted the throttle cable

Other thing you could do is a stall test to check the condition of your torque converter.

First thing I would try is max RPM though

try opening the hand throttle as well as the foot accelerator pedal, this sometimes gives you proper revs and as Jock has said the perkins revs at 2400rpm so it could be a stretched accelerator cable

 

[Deon]

I used one my friend owned. It was also very slow on the road. I replaced the air filter
and gained about 5 mph. It smoked a lot less too. Your hoe has probably
not been neglected to that extent.

 

[JohnK]

I do have a perkins motor and was wondering if it might be the RPMs. The tachometer isn't working but I can try the hand throttle to see if it does give me more speed. I plan on changing the filters and screens also. It probably does need them changed since the company I bought it from wasn't accurate in their description or questions I asked.

Thanks every one for your help!! I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[JohnK]

Here are a couple of pictures I have of the 215. Let me know what pictures you would like to see and I'll upload them.

 

[Jock]

Easiest way is to just hold your foot flat on the pedal and get someone to try and move the arm on the fuel pump. If it has any more travel or increases the revs then it needs adjusting

 

[JohnK]

Jock, I tried it and it's needing some serious adjusting. I'll see what happens when I get that fixed... Thanks!!!

 

[robin yates uk]

when chamging the airfilter always replace the 2, there is a secondary, slim one which sits inside the main filter.This filter can look clean to the naked eye but failure to replace will result in poor fuel economy and lack of performance.I know a guy with the same aircleaner who rebuilt his engine because of black smoke.the one thing he did not replace was the slim,inner one.He started her up and guess what?Black smoke!

 

[robin yates uk]

the lever to the left of the steering column is the forward/reverse lever. The right hand one is indicators and headlight beam.Do you have a hare/tortoise button on the left side near the handbrake? This is used when you are digging over hidden pipes and services,it reduces hydraulic power.

 

[Bill Smith]

My 580 Case B / C / D / and E were all slow on level ground and a lot slower up hill .Sound like thats the nature of the beast

 

[JCBiron]

My 580 Case B / C / D / and E were all slow on level ground and a lot slower up hill .Sound like thats the nature of the beast

To an extent, Bill is correct. Your 215 does not have a locking torque converter, so inherently, you will see some slip/lag/loss of speed when climbing any sort of grade in 4th gear. Even the newer machines will perform this way. However, you definitely should be able to run faster than 10 MPH. I don't think that 215 would ever hit 24 MPH like posted above, but your should see 18-20 I would think on the flat. RPM's would be my first check, then, I would try some of the other suggestions posted above (filters, etc.).

To answer your question on controls, Robin has it right. FNR on the left, Signals/Lights on the right. On the knob of your gear shift lever you should have a transmission dump button, which essentially acts as a clutch. This allows for easier shifting, shifting while "rolling", as well as functionality when using the front loader into a pile. On your front loader handle, you may actually have two buttons. One on the front, one on the side. One of them is also a trans. dump (same as the gear shift), but the other is a "pump dump" for lack of a better term.

The JCB backhoes had/have dual gear pumps. You should probably have a toggle switch on your dash that has a turtle or some other indicator of slow speed. This switch "cuts out" the second pump. This slows your hydraulic speed down for precision work. It also comes in handy when roading the machine, as you can bascially turn off the second hydraulic pump, and free up some engine power from the parasitic losses of driving the second pump. Now, not to confuse you further, but that second button on the loader lever does exactly the opposite of how you have the "turtle" switch set. So if you have the switch set to run only one pump, the button on the loader lever will momentarily turn the second pump back on for faster cycle speeds. Conversely, if you have it in "hi", the button will slow down your functions to the front loader.

Hope this helps.

 

[JohnK]

Thanks for all the great information. I now know I need to find a dealer who carries parts for JCB's. I think I've got a lead on a dealer about 45 mins away form me who can help with parts. Looks like my throttle cable will need replaced or repaired due to it being too long. It's not letting the engine get up to the proper RPMs. Robin, thanks for verifying what the levers do. I thought I knew but was given some inaccurate advise on them. I do have the turtle buttons and played with them a little, but I've been slow with working with the hoe, so I'll get more use when the weather gets nicer. JCBiron, I'll try the turtle switch next time I drive it down the road. My daughter lives a couple miles away and wanted some work done, so hopefully I have it done, but who knows for sure... I will get the list together on all the filters now and have them ready to change soon.

Looks like I'll be ready do get some good use out of this hoe soon!

Thanks again everyone!!!

 

[d4c24a]

your machine looks to be running 24" rear rims , rather than the usual 26" or 28,s

you should see around 18 mph 20 at the most

 

[robin yates uk]

you are correct, the rims are smaller than standard in the UK,I never noticed this myself so maybe I will get these eyes of mine checked,,,:drinkup

 

[JohnK]

WOW... I'm impressed. They are 24 inch tires on the back. 18-20MPH works fine for me. It's much better than 10mph.

 

[LMST]

JCB 214e 2005. Perkins motor- I had a problem with the air filter buzzer going off at full RPM - Full road speed. Turned out the rubber snorkle tube for air intake was sucking shut at full air flow, causing a restriction. The fix was a piece of 1 inch PVC slid into the length of the hose (2in. dia.oval) to hold it open. As mentioned earlier, what kind of performance do you want from a 18,000 lb. earth mover.