Not much info here on JCB/Volvo machines

[materthegreater]

I am considering buying a used compact track loader so I've been doing a lot of reading here about them. Seems like most of the threads are about CAT, Kubota, Bobcat, Takeuchi, followed by Deere and ASV, with very little about Case, New Holland, JCB, Volvo etc. I know there are a lot more of the major brand machines out there which is probably why.

Anyway, I've found a few JCB and Volvo machines that seem to be in good shape and not overpriced. Does anyone have firsthand experience with these? I'm a small contractor and probably wouldn't put more than 500 hours a year on whatever I buy.

Thanks for any info and opinions!

 

[funwithfuel]

Don't entertain the one-armed bandits. The Volvos were just branded JCB junk. A lot of people got burned with junk engines, poor parts quality and overcomplicated electronics for a skid steer. There's better products out there. Good luck in your choice.

 

[efnfast]

I own a Volvo excavator. Volvo no longer supports it, parts are almost impossible to find. I've been told anything over 20 years old, Volvo no longer support, no parts, no info, nothing.
My 60,000 pound excavator might be headed to the scrap yard.
I own a Cat grader, 1964. I needed a part, went to Cat, the parts guy went out back and got it for me.

 

[skata]

The side door is very nice, especially if you're running attachments. See if you can demo one.

 

[KSSS]

The side door has some definite pluses. Easy makes it the safest SSL/CTL on the market for that simple reason. That said JCB has been working on this since 90's I believe. While they make a good backhoe, and telehandler (many of the Dairy guys out here run the telehandlers), they have continued to try and refine this one arm concept and the machine itself. I am not sure that they have yet figured it out.

Why Volvo ever signed up for this machine is beyond me. Obviously, it didn't work out. The Volvo dealers I am familiar with and have seen driving around the West, never had a SSL/CTL on their lot. It was a dumb move to market that JCB machine. It detracted from the Volvo brand and no one short of Corporate Volvo ever thought it had a chance at being successful.

 

[Txhayseed]

Your going to get mixed reviews. Here in the United states jcb gets a bad wrap and reasonable so. Dealer support is just not what it should be. Dealers come and go. United rentals and sunbelt rentals honestly keep jcb alive here. However if you go to Europe/Asia/middle east Jcb is everything and every where. I personally like jcb products and have had nothing but good experiences with them. I hear lots of horror stories from people but never experienced one myself. But that being said you really are buying any product they make and sell here with risk. No guarantee that the people who sell jcb/parts ect will sell them tomorrow. Unlike some companies jcb builds their own engines. A few rebrand of Perkins aside its not like a kubota or yanmar that you can pick up a rebuild kit for anywhere.. Volvo picked up the machine because they needed a stop gap to be competitive. Every other brand they compete against has a full line. They bought ingersoll Rand roller division for the same reason. The skid steer idea just didn't work out. Same for komatsu, Hitachi and many others. They decided to stick to what they know and what sold. Sucks for the dude that owns one. I can tell you plenty of horror stories about bobcats, John Deere. Plenty of models from both those guys I wouldn't touch with a 20 foot pole..

 

[materthegreater]

Thanks for all the input. I haven't been to look at any yet. The used equipment market is pretty slim still so I may just wait until things calm down a little. I do have a machine I can rent when needed, but it's not as convenient as having my own.

 

[skata]

Your going to get mixed reviews. Here in the United states jcb gets a bad wrap and reasonable so. Dealer support is just not what it should be. Dealers come and go. United rentals and sunbelt rentals honestly keep jcb alive here. However if you go to Europe/Asia/middle east Jcb is everything and every where. I personally like jcb products and have had nothing but good experiences with them. I hear lots of horror stories from people but never experienced one myself. But that being said you really are buying any product they make and sell here with risk. No guarantee that the people who sell jcb/parts ect will sell them tomorrow. Unlike some companies jcb builds their own engines. A few rebrand of Perkins aside its not like a kubota or yanmar that you can pick up a rebuild kit for anywhere.. Volvo picked up the machine because they needed a stop gap to be competitive. Every other brand they compete against has a full line. They bought ingersoll Rand roller division for the same reason. The skid steer idea just didn't work out. Same for komatsu, Hitachi and many others. They decided to stick to what they know and what sold. Sucks for the dude that owns one. I can tell you plenty of horror stories about bobcats, John Deere. Plenty of models from both those guys I wouldn't touch with a 20 foot pole..

If there is no dealer nearby, you can get parts and maybe service thru united or sunbelt, and they are located almost everywhere.

 

[funwithfuel]

I'd find an old 1845C before I spent a dime on a JCB/VOLVO.
And I like Volvo, that should tell you something.

 

[skata]

I'd find an old 1845C before I spent a dime on a JCB/VOLVO.
And I like Volvo, that should tell you something.

I think you're over exaggerating a bit. The jcb aren't that bad.

 

[funwithfuel]

I think you're over exaggerating a bit. The jcb aren't that bad.

It's an opinion, my opinion. I've seen several instances where Volvo tried to make them right, NO GO. When engines are crapping out under 500 hours, you can't reach the filter cuz the heater hoses and tire are in the way and you need special software to get it to track straight, oh and don't forget how the boom hinge for parallel lift loosens and breaks the center bolt. Yeah, I think they can all go back to Europe. Gimme a case or old New Holland any day.

 

[Txhayseed]

Not to beat a dead horse and opinions are always respect because they do vary and offer insight from others experience. As far as failures go it wasn't just them and still isnt. Take bobcat right now with the "revolutionary" new R series loaders. We have probably 200 r series in the fleet right now. Failure rates right now are so high we can't keep up. Drive motors are snapping off due to " faulty bolts ". Swash plate sensors are failing left and right. Literally left and right. Lift arm and lift cylinder pins are sheering the bolts and getting stuck inside the pin boss. I had to completely remove motor and fuel tank to burn out a pin that got stuck. Great engineering. If the pins don't get stuck after breaking the bolt the pin falls out and cylinder rams into the frame until customers notice and by then the cylinder rod is all nice and scrapped up... Hydraulic hoses are leaking right off the truck. During PDIs on brand new units you have puddles inside and under machine. Coolant cross over tubes are breaking at welds on brackets with in the first 200 hrs. And the best of all... The guys who designed this revolution of modern engineering decided to mount the fuse block and battery in the belly pan under cab. Good idea. ? Well not really. Machines are filling up with dirt/ rocks so fast they are crushing batteries and fuse boxes and cables are destroyed. Oh yeah a clean out plate ... They put the bolts inside that to. Right under all that... We have machines come in every week sometimes 2 or 3 with no starts. Open the cab and its full to the sides. Some poor guy gets to get a shovel and spend the next 3 hours digging out dirt just to get to the bolts to remove the plate. Then another fun hour with the fire hose getting the rest out.. Every brand has its cheers and jeers.. Don't forget about the new shareware. What are they sharing with you ?? Nothing but keeps them out of the right to repair cross hairs

 

[funwithfuel]

Not to beat a dead horse and opinions are always respect because they do vary and offer insight from others experience. As far as failures go it wasn't just them and still isnt. Take bobcat right now with the "revolutionary" new R series loaders. We have probably 200 r series in the fleet right now. Failure rates right now are so high we can't keep up. Drive motors are snapping off due to " faulty bolts ". Swash plate sensors are failing left and right. Literally left and right. Lift arm and lift cylinder pins are sheering the bolts and getting stuck inside the pin boss. I had to completely remove motor and fuel tank to burn out a pin that got stuck. Great engineering. If the pins don't get stuck after breaking the bolt the pin falls out and cylinder rams into the frame until customers notice and by then the cylinder rod is all nice and scrapped up... Hydraulic hoses are leaking right off the truck. During PDIs on brand new units you have puddles inside and under machine. Coolant cross over tubes are breaking at welds on brackets with in the first 200 hrs. And the best of all... The guys who designed this revolution of modern engineering decided to mount the fuse block and battery in the belly pan under cab. Good idea. ? Well not really. Machines are filling up with dirt/ rocks so fast they are crushing batteries and fuse boxes and cables are destroyed. Oh yeah a clean out plate ... They put the bolts inside that to. Right under all that... We have machines come in every week sometimes 2 or 3 with no starts. Open the cab and its full to the sides. Some poor guy gets to get a shovel and spend the next 3 hours digging out dirt just to get to the bolts to remove the plate. Then another fun hour with the fire hose getting the rest out.. Every brand has its cheers and jeers.. Don't forget about the new shareware. What are they sharing with you ?? Nothing but keeps them out of the right to repair cross hairs

Wow Consider me enlightened. I guess there's a lot to be said in, " they don't make em like they used to. " I had no idea Bobcat had fallen so far. They are Doosan now, right? That would explain a lot.

 

[kshansen]

I'd find an old 1845C before I spent a dime on a JCB/VOLVO.
And I like Volvo, that should tell you something.

I only had close contact with one 1845C but if they are all the same I would jump at the chance to have one if I had a need for a skidsteer. I mean if the guys at the quarry could not kill one after almost 30 years that has to say something about them. Now I'm not saying it never broke down at all but best I can recall the diesel engine never had more than water pump replace at 20 years and drive motors or pumps were never replaced.

 

[skata]

I only had close contact with one 1845C but if they are all the same I would jump at the chance to have one if I had a need for a skidsteer. I mean if the guys at the quarry could not kill one after almost 30 years that has to say something about them. Now I'm not saying it never broke down at all but best I can recall the diesel engine never had more than water pump replace at 20 years and drive motors or pumps were never replaced.

Well to be fair, machines were underpowered back then. That's why they last so long. Lol

 

[kshansen]

Well to be fair, machines were underpowered back then. That's why they last so long. Lol

Well I'd rather have an underpowered 1845C that something that has enough power to break itself the minute some dummy gets in the seat!

 

[CM1995]

Wow Consider me enlightened. I guess there's a lot to be said in, " they don't make em like they used to. " I had no idea Bobcat had fallen so far. They are Doosan now, right? That would explain a lot.

Well in my opinion Bobcat turned downhill around the IR ownership and has been nothing but an icy slope straight to the bottom. Doosan just sprayed that special lubricant Clark developed in Christmas Vacation on the brand.

 

[KSSS]

Every OEM steps in poop at some point. BC has lost a lot of very good engineering talent over the last 10 years. I know because I know them to be now working for other OEM's. Regardless of the OEM, there are certain people you just cant replace easily or at all and BC has lost some of those people. The guys that built some of BC's highest selling, most popular machines are working elsewhere.

JCB on the other hand has yet to come out with a skid steer that has achieved any level of success, at least to the level the average, aware contractor would notice.

 

[kshansen]

Well my experience regarding the 1845C v JCB 185. When we got the 185 in 2002 it was intended to replace the then 13 year old 1845C. As of a couple years ago I was talking to former boss and he was bemoaning the fact that he was being forced to put the 1845C on Iron Planet Auction site, something like 15 years after the time the 185 was purchased to replace it! This was while the 185 was sitting on blocks in the shop with a drive motor out on the left side!

 

[funwithfuel]

So, I guess the old diesel uni-loader is all the beast I remember it to be. . I'm dying from laughter because not everyone knows how brutal a "miner" can be to a piece of equipment.