Checking in on a product innovation

JCB reports brisk interest in the Teleskid and talks ag market for its products.

Farmers traveling to the early-season farm shows get to see a lot of innovations. In 2017, during the National Farm Machinery Show, JCB launched its new Teleskid — a kind of telescopic boom-skid-steer hybrid, providing operators added versatility. Has the market responded?

“The response has been better than expected,” says Ray Bingley, general manager for JCB Agriculture in North America.

He explains that when a company puts a new machine on the market, it anticipates the potential customer; but for the Teleskid, the reaction has been strong from a range of different farm sizes. “Farmers looked at this machine and saw the extra reach, and it made sense to them — and it’s in a familiar platform.”

JCB, which innovated the material moving market 40 years ago with the first Loadall agricultural telehandler, is no stranger to moving into new markets. And while more farmers are seeing value in telehandlers, Bingley says the Teleskid may be their first purchase.

The Teleskid offers extended reach, but Bingley talked about customer reaction to this skid-steer machine’s single-arm design. “When we explain to them that we’ve successfully been building telehandlers for 40 years, they get that we know how to do this,” he says.

The Teleskid is the only skid-steer to combine the advantages of vertical- and radial-lift capabilities in a single machine. It can reach above 13 feet, forward 8 feet and dig 3 feet below grade.

Ag skid-steers

For farmers, a skid-steer loader is a handy tool carrier. JCB offers the only single-arm models in the U.S. market. This design allows you easy access to the cab — from the side rather than over the bucket.

The company launched the 215 during the National Farm Machinery Show. The machine features a compact size, yet offers higher flow hydraulics needed for some chores, Bingley says.

“The 215 fills in a gap in the power range,” he explains. “It offers the hydraulic capabilities of a larger machine in a compact platform.”

Also on the stand was a refreshed Model 270 skid-steer. This machine is an ag workhorse, too, offering the pressure and hydraulic capacity to run a range of attachments around the farm. It also features the single-arm design common to the company’s line.

The JCB skid-steer line features a restyled lower-profile boom to provide the operator better visibility during operation, and it’s possible to tilt the cab forward for service without raising the boom — a feature farmers will find handy during routine maintenance.

And 40 years ago …

JCB also is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Loadall agricultural telehandler with special badging for its 541-70 model. The company has sold more than 220,000 Loadall telehandlers; output today is the highest level ever, as more ag producers see value in this type of machine.

For the ag dealer, Bingley discusses the standard contract and what farmers would find on the lot. In addition to the Fastrac tractor line, which was refreshed in 2017, there would be the 215 and 270 skid-steer machines. And there’s the Teleskid, which gets plenty of attention. The company also offers wheel loaders and articulated telehandlers. It’s growing into a full lineup, Bingley says.

“We have a five-year plan to double our dealer network by 2020, and we’re on track to accomplish that,” he says. “We’re learning that the ag market in North America is diverse.” That diversity offers opportunity for this firm with a diverse product line.