JCB Robots now 'safer and easier to serve'
01 April 2000
JC Bamford Excavators (JCB) says its JCB Robots - acknowledged as among the world's safest skid-steer
loaders - have become even safer and easier to service.
''The machines broke the mould when they were launched in 1993 complete with a single loader arm, which allowed side entry into the cab, bringing unique safety benefits to the market,'' says a spokesman for the UK-based manufacturer. ''Now, a new generation of radically-redesigned machines builds on the success of their trail-blazing predecessors.''
The new Robot 160 and 170 loaders have both been restyled to replace the twin loader tower with a lower, single structure to offer unrivalled visibility - including a completely unhindered view over the left hand side of the rear bonnet, he says.
The machines also bring new thinking to the design of the cabs, offering operating improvements and operator comfort enhancements. Previously the cab and chassis were welded together to create one structure. Now the machines feature a resiliently-mounted cab, which enables it to be removed completely in the event of damage or for transportation purposes, says JCB Compact Products managing director Alan Thomson.
He continues: ''The new cab also includes roof cut outs, which improve shovel visibility at full height. For truck loading operations, this enables material to be tipped more accurately from the bucket, minimizing spillage and damage to the side of the truck.
''Comfort has been enhanced with a reduction in in-cab noise and the addition of high-back seats for back support. The major control options (two manual and one servo) remain to suit any operator.
''Access to the cab has also been improved as a result of the relocation of the drive chains in a single case on one side of the machine, creating extra space to get in.
''Great emphasis has been placed on simplifying serviceability, and the introduction of the single tower allows the use of an automotive type steel bonnet, giving access from both the rear and the side of the machine for routine maintenance.
Further service aids have been achieved by removing the shovel ram linkage, reducing the parts requiring maintenance, incorporating a separate hydraulic tank, which is easily removed for cleaning, using a swing-down rear grille, which totally exposes the radiator and oil cooler, again for ease of cleaning, adding a drain hole in the rear of the chassis to enable debris from the radiator and oil cooler to be removed, and introducing colour-coded drain hoses for engine, radiator and hydraulic oil.
Other improvements include an increase of up to 31 per cent in axle torque, wheels that are interchangeable with those of main competitors, a hi-tech pump which reduces noise levels by up to 9 decibels when spin-turning, and an increase in hydraulic flow from 100 litres per minute to 115 litres for improved hiflow attachment performance, he says.
