Owning my dream machine! The JCB 3CX backhoe loader

I run through my latest purchase - a JCB 3cx backhoe, and why I purchased this machine for my contracting business.
www.gunnscontractors.co.uk

[@tractors-plant-machinery]

Great video Ollie, fair play on a very sound purchase 👍. Your absolutely right about having the bucket mounted forks, they're much more handy than having to take the bucket off. But don't rule out getting a front quick hitch in the future, there's work to got out there, even its just bale loading/stacking, mucking out with a muck grab/log grab or nipping around sight with a sweeper. Its the swiss army knife of the plant world.....aim to have as many attachments as possible! Just a tip when the ground is wet and slippy, use the independent back brakes to your advantage 👍.

[@bekabeka71]

My dream is to own a modern tractor 🥹 a John Deere or Fendt. But it’s too expensive. I recently have bought my first ever a soviet Belarus tractor at 28 years old! 🙂👌🏼

[@jamieroche287]

Be careful with belarus there dangerous machines shoulda got a ford or old massey

[@tosijjaan]

What model?

[@gordonwood3184]

After driving backhoe loaders since the 70,/80s .from MF 50 B TO 50 HX.GREAT machine .to owning my own JCB 3 CX in 1994 .it was a grey cab 1990 cost 15.500 .I was on hire with it for 4/5 years £13.50 per hour then went up to 15.00 per hour . never had a lot of trouble with it .I yoused to wrap most of the hydraulic pipe,s behind the H frame with damp course and tye them with cable ties .to stop them rubbing together or chafing on metal saved me a lot of down time on breakages.Also when I was loading or on the road I yoused to put the back acter in the middle 1 you put even weight over both back wheels also when reversing you could see more .you always had someone walking behind you .And on the road I felt it drove better .and stopped ditching banging into the H frame .Also when loading with front bucket when the top of the bucket just below the fork shaft.if that is level to the eye then the bucket is level for loading with clam shut .or grading using the gauge on the right side of the bucket .hope this helps and best of luck 👍

[@nigelhales874]

Started on MF 50b mate

[@nickaf5262]

That 3cx is mint what a find 👍

[@ruthbees7214]

Nice machine wise purchase I think. The man you are on about is Frank Cunningham. I have watched nearly all his video's. He is a very good operator smooth and efficient. He is the complete owner driver for me his welding and fabing skills and machine repairs are spot on. He keeps his machine in very good order. That is the key to it all if it looks good and is reliable that's all anyone can ask. I know a chap that has a machine with 10 000 hours on it. Looks like new and still goes out with all the major house builders. Helps pay for a new machine. Thanks mark 😁

[@AW-Services]

Don't see many JCBs I remember in the 80s were nearly all farmers, builders and contractors owned a JCB Just make sure you have a good rechargeable grease gun and regular greasing of your pins and joints.

[@Reggieuk97]

Great video Ollie, I'm happy that you have got your dream machine!!!!

[@pete32232]

Great video mate, I started on these in 2004 at 19. I also had one of the first 6 speed torque lock contractors in Norfolk from watlings early 2006. I only like the X pattern though that’s the way they should be 😆 if stuck you could lean over the seat an claw ya self out and in drive also if needed. Great machines! I’m on 360s these days but I’ll always prefer 3cx’s

[@jix177]

Great looking machine. Best of luck with it.

[@19sjw]

Very good video,I run a 3cx with sticks for the back hoe and a mini digger, difficult changing between them. I got over that by swapping the pipework on the mini digger so left hand is boom,right hand dipper,as per the 3cx To me,the 3cx is the right configuration to use the back end as that is how you use a shovel by hand. When you got stuck,you could try using the rear axle independent brakes to help it round,might have worked!

[@Acegaming49]

Great video Ollie please can you do a machinery/yard tour pls that would be great 👍

[@Andrew-qz1vf]

Excellent viewing ollie my bream as well practice makes perfect mate well done. 👍

[@nigelhales874]

I am old school site master driver many years now ...Great practice some time leave soil in back actor to give you trackion !! Very wet ground this year

[@GCSMachinery]

Great video Good to someone having a go. I started out with a backhoe loader and did well from it. Well done

[@Anandthakur9811]

Nice

[@Pro2eus]

They are a cool machine and I too have a soft spot for them, I looked at one many years ago, but was really surprised at how pricey they were. It was a similar amount of money to buy a digger and a small telehandler. The telehandler has been a star and gets far more use than I expected.

[@PaulAnderson-ky8ne]

Great machine. We have an older version with the stick controls which is very different to the operatering patterns of a normal 360 machine. Its takes some time to get used too. And as for the 4 way front bucket, I still struggle after many year to grab a clean load off the floor using the jaws. But a great bit a kit. Your videos are great and you show it how it is, no bragging or with any bull, just how it is, which is great. Good luck to you.

[@-DC-]

Fantastic Machines best of luck 👍

[@williamscott2823]

Very nice machine well done 👏

[@bobrose7900]

This issues with getting stuck would worry me at this weight and any sort of slope. You hire(?) track pads which we used on a school swimming pool conversion (forgot about that from our discussions!) which worked really well and saved a lot of embarrassment! The extending dipper and those permanently attached pallet forks are priceless - I'm constantly swapping the forks on the Avant and their hitch system is not the greatest, but lifting and loading out are 50% of the work for us. Nice big engine and flow rates - I imagine a lot of equipment would work with it. Looks a lot of fun!

[@reecemcdowell7768]

Howdy from Texas. This was my first video and I can’t wait to see more

[@bentheop]

Great video Ollie, great as always to hear your feedback on things. Noticed your skills with the front bucket too! Crowding it back whilst using your thumb to close clam 😎

[@furnissterrassements]

Lovely machine Ollie It's a challenge trying to find the kit that best suits our needs. I'm still swopping and changing to suit the work 20 odd years later. Besides it was an itch you needed to scratch 🙂 and you've scratched it in style 😎 Well done 👏

[@juliancarder]

Great video Oli your a Pro and could have my job doing a walk around !

[@Olliegunns]

Thanks Julian, that's praise indeed coming from an expert in backhoes - I'm just playing at them!

[@zzirSnipzz1]

I watch Digginok as well awesome fella Frank is, Another guy is Metronix JCB a Romanian husband and wife.Will be nice to have you join the Backhoe list as well as I enjoy your stuff and I have a soft spot for backhoes

[@kevocos]

Lovely machine, you'll knock great use out of her. I had the childhood you'd have loved Ollie, my Dad had a groundworks firm and I grew up with JCB 3C, Hymac 580c, Ford 550, 3CX grey cab and a 3CX yellow cab. They were all pigs until the grey cab 3CX, I believe that model machine herald the beginning of manufacturers really considering the comfort of the machine operator.

[@Olliegunns]

Ive played with a powershuttle 3Cmk3 and latterly, a black cab 3cx, which whilst worn out was a lot nicer to operate than the 3C. But these machines were the top dogs back in the day and I don't think the concept is dead just yet!

[@PSExcavationsLLC]

Agree with you on the grey cab SiteMasters, I still use one on almost a daily basis, see it in action on my channel, great machines and basic technology!!

[@martindoherty4843]

Good, luck, olly

[@vijaysunuwar6505]

Good 👍

[@JasonLKoon]

Thanks!

[@Olliegunns]

Thanks for the support, means a lot

[@JasonLKoon]

@@Olliegunns your videos helped my decision when I purchased my new JCB equipment. Specifically your tiltrotator video. That was the first thing I purchased for my 55Z. Great videos. You operate a cool business.

[@DJC995]

Hi Ollie Nice One A farmer I do a bit of work for has a 3CX they built a trima quick hitch to use all the tractor loader attachments that used for every thing I cant get the hang of X pattern levers on that Thanks again

[@nickhill3362]

I would unclip the brakes and use them to help me steer on my old 3cx I have been driving them since 1989 it is all second nature to me ollie

[@Olliegunns]

I should have thought of this at the time - do it with tractors all the time!

[@nickhill3362]

@@Olliegunns and put the weight of the back hoe on the none braked wheel the old 3cx with low backed seats were best for this as you could simply reach the back levers and work the brakes steering and back hoe to great effect and be at one with the machine ollie

[@TheJCBjohn]

Perfect machine for you there, you’ll s surprised what you can do with it, I’d recommend putting wax oil on the slid rails make it easier for you to slide from side to side 👍

[@Olliegunns]

Thanks John, I actually did that later that day as I had an annoying squeak from the jack legs too so thought I'd better reapply some.

[@brownwarrior6867]

Anyone looking at owning a backhoe should consider Hydrema Backhoe from Denmark. Similar front end and off road abilities as the 4CX whilst the backhoe has a 280 degree digging range due to a slew box rather than a rigid rail setup as on the JCB. Strong and quick on the main road.

[@Olliegunns]

The Hydrema's are lovely, and really well built. But the price tag is more than double what a standard backhoe would be - and sadly, the UK hire market just isn't interested in anything other than cheap!

[@peefor135]

Useful info about the JCB. Regarding the Avant not able to handle to loads you wanted, it's a shame you could not have tried a larger model. I've had a 745 for over 10 years now and the amount of stuff moved has been tremendous. It will lift a pallet of roof tiles up to bungalow fascia level, and the same with a 1 tonne bag if you wanted. But have to agree nothing is as exciting as a JCB.

[@Olliegunns]

I have quite a bit of experience with the larger Avant's, we use them at the Chelsea Flower Show during the build and they are incredibly powerful for their size. And whilst they can also run a large range of attachments - they don't have the ability to be an 8t digger as well. I knew when I bought that 520 that it wouldn't pick up full pallets but it did its job at proving the idea I had in my head about having a machine to move materials around. This 3cx is much larger, and less manoeuvrable, but actually the Avant proved that wasn't such an issue. Capacity was!

[@Backhoebb]

I wish I had the flip over forks Style. The coupler is handy, but you never have the forks when you need them, and you end up needing a second trailer to haul your extra forks and buckets around.

[@moderskeppets]

Great video. Cool you bought it! Makes me wanna add a Huddig to my business.

[@Olliegunns]

Now they are some weapon! Never seen one in the metal but some of the setups over in Sweden, Norway etc are mad!

[@moderskeppets]

@@Olliegunns I guess i have the same feeling towars them as you have to the JCB. We have them around every corner here in Sweden. Great vid. Keep it up!

[@maxwellbruce4747]

Great video pal . :-)

[@Valleyturfandtopsoil]

NICE TOOL Ollie

[@explorerc6707]

Great video I think everyone wants one of those 😂

[@njkip]

Cat 432 f2 ...👍👍

[@PSExcavationsLLC]

Cat 432E was the best Cat backhoe 😊

[@njkip]

@@PSExcavationsLLC I've driven those when I worked on parks dept...nice machines a lot dont like the excavator boom on them....not sure why...

[@PSExcavationsLLC]

@@njkip I run JCB now, not a new one! not interested with the tech (DPF/AdBlue). Unlike the older Cat's, the F2 has no flat surfaces in the cab to put anything on, and I think the 5 speed trans was a better drive, smoother maybe? Take a look at my old 3CX on my channel, a lot of people still like to see the old ones in use ..

[@njkip]

I've seen it I've subscribed to your channel ages ago, I love the old sitemasters, I used to have a 3D111 powertrain... It was a lump on the road but a hell of a digging machine. You're in Wakefield aren't you? Im only in garforth maybe I'll see you about..I hope so I'd love to have a look at your 3cx....great job you do love watching you at work in your vids..👍👍

[@PSExcavationsLLC]

@@njkip Thank you for subscribing and the support! Yes, Wakefield based but cover the whole of Yorkshire, not just with the 3CX, yes - your not too far away, maybe one day you will be 'stuck' behind me going down some road - haha

[@williamweller7428]

William 2:03

[@villageearthwright]

I wonder if you considered a hydradig instead?

[@Olliegunns]

I did, and really like the look of how they run them in Europe with a trailer behind too, but not allowed in the UK, and then I saw the purchase price.... They need to get a bit older for me to be able to afford one in the spec I would want - or I need to win the lottery!

[@villageearthwright]

@@Olliegunns That too bad your not allowed to run a trailer behind a duck there in UK I really thinks its a sweet setup, i'm not sure about here in the US but we probably can't do it either. Those Hydradigs are quite pricey for sure, it seems like wheeled excavators in general are substantially more then the tracked version.

[@Elvo7684]

Well done, great looking machine so versatile, you've definitely got the skills. Just out of interest, do you know why we don't see more skid steers in the UK?

[@Olliegunns]

I have often thought this, and my gut instinct is that the UK have got so used to pairing an excavator with a dumper that a skid steer isnt even considered. But we also have a lot less space than our USA cousins and you do need a bit of room to operate a skid steer. The stand behind mini versions that are starting to make their way over here are a good halfway house and I work for a couple of contractors who run these now quite successfully.

[@daveshepherd5352]

Lord Muck recently did another skidsteer video and I think more people should look at using one. They can operate in much tighter areas than a conventional machine.

[@Elvo7684]

@@daveshepherd5352 Yeah, I saw that video, it's a great review. I think he said they cost £30-£35k. But I can also see that by spending an extra £10k the way Ollie has, you can get a 3CX. I also don't see many for hire, so maybe that's another reason they have limited market presence?

[@daveshepherd5352]

@@Elvo7684 totally different market, totally different machines. I think Mucka is going to be reviewing some more skids and even some backhoes. The guy has such a wide range of knowledge and experience and doesn't take himself too seriously.

[@tomcarter1080]

So a 3cx backhoe is about equivalent to an 8t excavator? What would a 3cx compact compare to?

[@SBry94]

Around 3.5t

[@johnlenton9511]

Ey up Ollie great Videos by the way, we'll done on aquiring your 3cx with your quick learning skills you'll soon master it , Take a gander at ArisM_ 28 with his draw bar set up for trailers . All best

[@Olliegunns]

Is that a KZbin channel? I cant find it?

[@johnlenton9511]

@@Olliegunns sorry Ollie yes on you tube title A r I s M _28 if can't get it that way I just typed in JCB 3cx fitted with trailer draw bar , come across it 5 yes ago .Keep digging UN earning

[@michaellewis4632]

What is a Telly hander freaking Brit’s makes everything sound so childish

[@Olliegunns]

What do you call it? I guess its a telescopic forklift, but here they are widely known as telehandlers

[@michaellewis4632]

@@Olliegunns a backhoe

[@shizzleinthenizzle]

a duck would be better in every respect ?

[@collwyngoodlad3680]

Great interesting video as always. Can't wait to see more of your 3CX in future videos and projects. The backhoes certainly have their place on a site because of their versatility and they just need to be operated properly to get the best out of them. As you say, @Digginok is brilliant and I have learned a lot from him, but @tedsshed2185 is brilliant too with his 4CX and his channel is worth a look. You need to produce more 3CX content to fill the gap on KZbin!!!

[@Olliegunns]

I've spoken to Ted, he's also been a great resource - I should have mentioned him too! Not sure people want to see too much of me operating badly but I'll do my best