JCB 1400B backhoe

   / JCB 1400B backhoe #1  

Anonymous Poster

New member
Joined
Sep 27, 2005
Messages
0
Hi folks, I am new to this board and enjoyed reading some of the posts on it. Looks like there are others out there that like heavy equipment as much as me.

I finally bought a JCB 1400B 4x4 backhoe with 5000 hours for the unreal price of $8k. It runs/works great and I have been working on it myself when a repair is needed. I have no idea if anything was rebuilt on it but it starts right up, doesn't use oil and digs/pushes dirt like its supposed to.

What are folks opinions on JCB products? I have heard good and bad and was just wondering what you folks think?

luvmud (aka Gary)
 
   / JCB 1400B backhoe #2  
JCB products are the bomb. I bought a JCB backhoe last year and simply could not believe the way they build their machines. Mine is a 1981 JCB 3C111, with 580 hours. It looks like a beast and is about 18,000 lbs. My friend and I are both looking at new JCB backhoes for buisness use and we have a factory tour planned for next week. We are both very exited. We have done about six months of research on all backhoes out there and it doesn't look like anybody can touch the JCB. You know that JCB is an english owned company. Not traded but family owned. They are not directed by a board but by customer satisfaction. They are also the inventor of the backhoe/loader tractor. Very interesting stuff on the net about the start of the company.
I am considering the 2003 JCB 212s compact tractor and my buddy wants the 2003 JCB 214.
If you ever have then chance to look at other manufacturers backhoes, look at the pivot pins and the hose routing. JCB really does some thinking about long life and quality.
Congrats.
See my earlier post for a picture of my beast.
 
   / JCB 1400B backhoe #3  
I've got a 1550-B w/cab (broken glass) (no idea what the B stands for), "Fugly" if you know what I mean, bought at TVA auction. Starts right up, purrs like a kitten.

I to, agree that nice thought goes into them. When I seen b/h's on road now... one thing I notice is the way all the hoses seems to be tacked on to the hoe, specifically, at the "elbow"... where as "mine" are pretty much all nicely tucked INSIDE and out of harms way.

My understanding of their nomenclature, is... my 1550 will dig to 15 1/2 feet, and ostensibly, your 1400 will dig to 14 feet.

All I have to say about mine is /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif
 
   / JCB 1400B backhoe #4  
Hmmmmmmmmmmm, I'm glad I'm not the only one blown away with the ingenuity of JCB. My 165HF skid steer will work with the other brands but has a door so I can get in and out without risking life and limb by climbing over or under or thru the work being done.
 
   / JCB 1400B backhoe
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Its great to see others that own and enjoy the JCB line of machines. I really like my 1400B but am used to operating a John Deere 310e hoe.....wonder if I can rework my hoe's hydraulics to mimic that of a john deere?

I think the heavy equipment bug has bit me, now I need a dozer...I big ole D8 would work just fine :)

Gary
 
   / JCB 1400B backhoe #6  
<font color=blue>wonder if I can rework my hoe's hydraulics to mimic that of a john deere?</font color=blue>

Not only do I not know how the controls of a JD work, I dont know if it can be done.. but that said

After driving over some tree remains in the woods, the tire kicked up a several foot long log and did it's best to ramrod itself THROUGH all the plumbing I have in the back for my hoe. I noticed a small problem when the hoe simply dropped down to the ground like a giraffe with a shot to the head... and then upon my trying to raise it by pulling the requisite lever, the strange spewing of what appeardd to be giraffe blood 10 feet out the back end of the machine. (or a giraffe with a terrible bladder problem /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif )

Anyway, long story short, ripped 2 hoses up, AND twisted up the "steel pipe manifold" that's back there to "hard wire" the fluid around the knuckle (or what ever you call the pivot for hoe)

Since the manifold (which is only 3 welded pipes (into one unit) of various length, longest one probably 24 inches... but they are bent to be form fitted) cost something like $800 to replace /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif (yes... $$$ for 3 pipes that have hoses hooked on each end) sigh..

I turned that idea down, and just put some elbows on the new hoses I used to fix my problem.

Upshot..

I dont know if there are different "flow rates" through the manifold that might effect the function of any particular circut, but on Brutus, (flow rate not withstanding), I know that I'd be VERY able, even with my limited skills, to simply replumb the hoses on the manifold and make the controls act as I might want.

Seems to me, be real easy to find out, just call JCB and ask about the flow rates for each circut. I'd suspect that if all same, you can move around at will... I know we did that on the stabilizers. Either they came plumbed wrong, or were backward to our intuition. When machine was bought, the stabilizers when DOWN, when you moved lever UP, and we thought it made more sense to have them go down when lever was moved down. So, we changed it.

have no clue if this helps, but we can only try /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Richard
 
   / JCB 1400B backhoe #7  
Rather amusing phrase
 
   / JCB 1400B backhoe #8  
For a lonng time I here was not.
 
 
Top