Monster tracks

JCB has come to be the generic term to denote excavators and other construction equipment around the world and especially in India. It's like entering a store and asking for a xerox copy not a photocopy which is the correct terminology. Any construction machine in yellow or actually any other colour is called a JCB, even if Hyundai or L&T is boldly printed on the sides. This is the all pervading impact this company has had on the construction industry around the world.

So what are we doing in one? Satisfying our curiosity. Isn't that enough for apetrolhead? And so I wrangled the rare opportunity of visiting a JCB factory and having a go in one of its excavators at a training ground and needless to say, I kicked dirt!

The imposing factory at Chakan is quite in keeping with the mammoth machines made here and the huge scale of operations. Its global leader status was all evident the moment I entered the lobby of the training centre. Almost every wall is adorned with photographs from the firm's archives, documenting its milestone achievements and rich history. But history was never my strong suit and being in control of a gargantuan excavator had my toes tingling. Nevertheless the JCB story is an interesting one. After all today these are some of the largest, most complex and intricate pieces of machinery on the planet. How did they get there?

It all began in 1945 in a humble 12 feet x 15 feet shed in Straffordshire, England where Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB!) made his first vehicle, a tipping trailer from World War II surplus materials left over by the British armed forces. He sold his first trailer for a healthy profit and soon began work on another trailer and within no time he had procured a old cheese factory in Rochester which he then converted into his workshop and had six people working at the workshop by 1950. In 1953, the first yellow backhoe loader rolled out of the Rochester factory and since then there has been no looking back for the company which would go on to become one of the biggest construction machinery manufacturers in the world. JCB started operations in India in 1976 in collaboration with Escorts and in 2003 it became a hundred per cent subsidy of JCB Excavators Limited.

But enough backtracking and let's track a forward path. The JS 210 LC I'm going to be perched in shortly rolls in slowly but purposefully. It's the biggest excavator JCB sells in India and having been told that I suddenly feel quite small. So small that the ground beneath my feet quakes as the machine inches closer.

Unlike a car where a tester first starts to inspect the quality and the fit and finish, I was completely dumbfounded when it came to the excavator. What do I look for in this machine? I have a soft corner for all kinds of heavy equipment and JCB being the leader in this field, I take it for granted that it's the finest. A closer inspection confirmed my assumption. The panel gaps appear to be uniform all around the excavator and the materials certainly feel robust. There isn't much to an excavator other than a cabin, the digging arm and the engine compartment so without much ado, I made my way into the spacious cabin which feels as advanced as the warrior bots from Matrix Revolutions. There are joysticks and levers and foot pedals sticking out of everywhere and there also is an Advanced Management System (AMS) console which controls the on-board computer system. Other than displaying the vital information, it also controls the engine management system and the hydraulics system, helping the operator maximise output and keep fuel consumption in check. The MAS has two modes, P and E. P is the productivity mode where the machine is tuned for maximum productivity and E is the economy mode which provides an optimal balance of power and fuel economy. Fuel economy is a crucial factor when it comes to these machines and the excavator consumes anything between 14 and 18 litres of fuel per hour depending on the work.

All-round visibility is excellent (as it should be) and the seat is one of the most comfortable I have experienced in a vehicle. The cabin environment is ideal to evade fatigue and long hours of work shouldn't be an issue in this excavator. The joysticks are hyper responsive and even my PlayStation tuned wrists didn't help at the start. You have to feather the controls rather than manhandle them and that takes a while to learn. I expected everything to be noisy and heavy but surprisingly it wasn't. Once inside the cabin, you are insulated from external elements. A knob on the right hand side of the seat controls acceleration and top speed is slightly more than a crawling toddler's. These behemoths are designed to be driven off-road only and top speed is never an issue here. What matters is the ability to go anywhere and that is something the excavator is very adept at. The sheer torque and the grip from the metal tracks push the vehicle forward with a might I have never experienced before and only a tall vertical wall can halt the excavator in its tracks. Forward, reverse and directional controls are taken care of by these two levers, one for the right track and one for the left. Push them forward to go forward and push them back to reverse, as simple as that.

The best part is operating the digging arm. The machine becomes an extension of your body, the controls are so intuitive. The JS 210 LC has an operating weight of 21 tonnes and that means you can do some serious digging. Operating the tub needs precision and these machines designed for maximum productivity can dig and clear serious stretches of ground quick time.

I am gobsmacked at how advanced these heavy machines are. The level of technology is phenomenal and the operator comfort surpasses all other priorities since it's directly linked to productivity and efficiency. Me, I can't wait to get my hands on the 3DX backhoe, which isn't a tennis shot but JCB's towering Swiss army knife.