J. C. Bamford Excavators (JCB)

The JCB Co was named after its founder Joseph Cyril Bamford. Joseph Bamford began his business in 1945 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England.

• The company started when Joseph Bamford made his first product in a rented lock-up garage and today is one of the top five construction equipment companies in the world.

• In 1948 a hydraulic arm called the Si-draulic was developed for tractors, this became very successful.

• The product that most people would recognise as a JCB is a backhoe loader which was first produced in 1953. This versatile machine can be seen wherever earth needs moving, digging or distributing.

• In 1991 JCB produced a tractor named the Fastrac. This featured a gearbox with a top speed of 72km/h (45mph), four-wheel drive through equal diameter wheels, four wheel braking and a suspension system over both the front and rear axles.

• Such features give the Fastrac, which is in production today, more comfort and extra speed for productivity.

• Because of the high speed it can reach the Fastrac is classed as a 'fast tractor' and must feature four-wheel braking and a front and rear suspension as a legal requirement.

• The rear suspension is hydro-pneumatic which gives a self-levelling action thus assistint the Fastrac in working with draught implements as well as reaching high speeds for transport work.

• Joseph Cyril Bamford died in March 2001. His elder son, Sir Anthony Bamford, took over running of the company which now manufactures 186 different machines in factories worldwide including the Fastrac tractor.

Sources of Information

From 1890 to the Present Day Farm Tractors by Michael Williams published in 2005 by Silverdale Books ISBN 978-1-84509-251-1

The Complete Encylopedia of Tractors by Mirco de Cet published in 2006 by Rebo International ISBN 978-90-366-1893-9