JCB moves into heavyweight excavators

Two new JS Auto tracked excavators, about to be launched by JCB Construction Equipment Australia, will move the company into the heavyweight end of the crawler excavator market.

The company's general manager sales Hylton Taylor, said it will be launching the JS290 Auto in Australia during August with the JS360 Auto to be released next year.

“In a global crawler excavator market of 148,000 machines, around 9% are in the 28 to 33t class*, making this an important sector of the market,” Taylor said.

Based on a long undercarriage for stability, the JS290 was powered by a six cylinder EU stage 3A compliant JCB diesel engine.

“By using this large capacity 7.8 litre power plant, the JS290 offers an unstressed 161kW of output, around 6% more than the class average. Yet the machine offers lower fuel consumption and emissions levels than the competition,” he said.

Best in class tear out

It also boasted 4% more hydraulic power and 11% higher dipper tear-out force than many competitors. Slew torque and bucket tear-out forces were best-in-class at 14% and 19% ahead of the sector respectively.

Engine oil change intervals were set at 500 hours and the JS290, like all JS Auto machines, used a Plexus hydraulic filter that allowed 5000-hour hydraulic oil change intervals, reducing downtime and ownership costs.

“The engine and hydraulic system are controlled by JCB's advanced management system that offers a choice of four working modes. This allows the operator to choose the exact power and hydraulic output needed for each task, reducing fuel consumption and increasing productivity,” Taylor said.

New boom

The machine was equipped with a new design 6.2m main boom and a choice of three dipper arm lengths, including a 3.1m option. The boom featured a deeper cross section around the ram mounting for additional strength. Boom and arm pins required greasing only every 1000 hours, further reducing service and maintenance times.

All filters were remote-mounted in a centralised service point which was easily reached from ground level.

The JCB JS Auto cab now featured a high backed, air suspension seat for additional comfort. Major functions were controlled and monitored through the AMS console with secondary switches mounted within easy reach of the operator. The JS290 featured the lowest bonnet line in its class for excellent operator rear visibility.

Taylor said he JS290 was a robust addition to the JS Auto range of excavators. With the strength of the larger JS330, it offered a lower cost solution for operators who needed a versatile excavating machine that was easy to move rapidly around a site.

More Information: Construction Equipment Australia, 1300 788 757, www.cea.net.au.

* Earthmover and Civil Contractor's annual Plant Specs publication, puts excavators into 26 to 30t and 30 to 35t categories covering this range. In the 2008 edition there are 38 models from 12 manufacturers in these two categories.