The JCB Loadall telescopic handler is celebrating its 40th birthday this month, a major milestone for the company.
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JCB Chairman Lord Bamford leads the cheers to celebrate the JCB Loadall’s 40th anniversary
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Launched on October 20 1977, more than 220,000 Loadall units have been made. JCB says the daily output of its telehandlers at its World HQ in Staffordshire, United Kingdom, is now at its highest level since the launch, with the number of machines built expected to increase by 25 percent by the end of the year.
With the help of 1200 JCB employees, one Loadall machine rolls off the JCB Rocester production line every six minutes.
JCB chairman Lord Bamford says he has always been confident that the Loadall would succeed, despite low sales early on.
“When we launched the Loadall in 1977, we sold just 64 machines that year but we were very confident that the telescopic handler would grow in popularity simply because it made jobs so much easier on construction sites and on farms,” Bamford says.
“The concept soon took off and the faith we put in the telescopic handler four decades ago has been repaid,” Bamford adds. “It’s wonderful to celebrate 40 years of success of the Loadall with production hitting historic levels.
“I’d like to congratulate everyone around the world who has contributed to this success over the past 40 years – we must now look forward to the next 40 years and build on what has been achieved so far.”
Loadall facts:
- Every Loadall spends 13 minutes at full speed in a roller test booth to calibrate the driveline
- Loadall manufacture consumes more than 35,000 tonnes of steel a year
- Each Loadall takes around 35 stages to produce and eight hours to assemble.