JCB Smart Phone Apps

[Wee Jim]

I see JCB have launched a couple apps for smart phones. One is a dealer locator (but lets be fair if you own a JCB you'll know where the dealer is) and the other is some kind of fuel efficiency thingymabob. I thought it might be of intrest to some of you.

[Dan]

I think you might be a man alone as a JCB lover Jim ... every other comment I read here seems to have a beef of some sort with them

[Stock]

Too right Dan will post a little something later when my temper settles and I can do it objectively ...................................

[ianoz]

Jim , Don't pay any attension to the Grumpy Hibernian .In 5years i reckon i have paided out in repairs to my 8080 excavator , what you just paid for your excavator ,if not more . Some of us whould just like to see JCB forget about slaping their loggo on every thing imaginable ,and consentrate on improving and developing the machines that has got them where they are today .

[Wee Jim]

I have driven other diggers but i have to say i like my JCB the best!

[ianoz]

Smallest i have operated is our 3 ton Yanmar , so can't really comment on the smaller machines . By the sound of it ,you got a good machine . There lies the problem, there are also bad machines coming off the assemberly line .

[Wee Jim]

there are also bad machines coming off the assemberly line .

is that not true with every manafacturer though?

[Dan]

is that not true with every manafacturer though?

No .... only perhaps that some manufactureres seem to have a few 'good' ones in their range, but thats different, to ones that dont work, or suffer premature failures that they really shouldnt suffer in this day and age. The rams on some volvo minies for example are crap, I mean chrome pitting and rusting when the unit it barely 3 years old ? ... you wouldnt get that on a jap built machine

[Wazza]

A manufacturer that admits to a wide spread problem with a machine they manufacture would have to be a very rare species indeed .At least these days with assistance from various internet sites it's getting harder for manufacturers to cover up or ignore problems and issues that arise through normal everyday use.......

[ianoz]

Back in about 1984 ,the council i worked for had 2 3CXs delivered .As it was a friday ,and the other operator was on his rostered day off ,i got to pick which machine was going to be mine .I drove both of them and picked the one that had light steering and a transmission that flew over hills .Two identical machines ,totaly different .
The list of things that went wrong with my 8080 ,was rediculasly long . Another one was sold 170 KMs south of me . the owner of that one had the same problems i did ..Yet ,i saw one in the UK for sale on Ebay . I messaged the guy ,who told me he had not had any problems with his machine . .Once again Identical machines ,but totaly different .. I have not really been back on the 8080 since i got the hitachi ,so i can't comment how good /bad the 8080 is compared to the Hitachi . But i can tell you ,Not a week went by that i did not have to open the toolbox to fix something on the 8080 ..At the moment it is sitting waiting for me to strip 1/2 of the machine to find the lastest oil leak .

[Wazza]

The list of things that went wrong with my 8080 ,was ridiculously long . Another one was sold 170 KMs south of me . the owner of that one had the same problems i did ..Yet ,i saw one in the UK for sale on Ebay . I messaged the guy ,who told me he had not had any problems with his machine . .Once again Identical machines ,but totally different .. .

Iain don't forget he was trying to sell his machine ,maybe he was telling the truth ,maybe not ,buy it and find out .....

[ianoz]

Basicly ,i was straight with him .Told him i was in OZ and was not interested in buying it,but just interested to see if he'd had problems . The questions stayed private so no one on ebay could see the Qs and As .

[Wazza]

Caveat emptor ..................

[Stock]

I mentioned earlier I was going to do a rant well here goes

Recently I had occasion to use a 1.2m roller .......a JCB Vibromax. Well after a while a light came on to say it required fuel..............that when the hunt began for the filler cap
We opened all the easy stuff lifted the seat (not So easy ) but no luck. So after some head scratching some revisiting of searched places and more head scratching and a few choice words at the !!!! that designed the bloody thing we opened some not so easy to open panels and we found it.


Now what langer thought a 8mm allen head was appropiate..........................

So we got the allen keys and found this




A big ball of wires a battery and a filler spout if you want to call it that............................
So a search began to fund a funnel to try and get the diesel into the spout from a five gal drum.
None of the funnels we had were suitable so a length of half inch Garden hose was used to siphon the diesel from the drum ................




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[Muz]

Yeah .. that looks pretty crap .. In fairness .. is it there own design ?, or did they buy some other company over that made them I wonder ?

I certainly remember looking at the old 803's on the production line years ago with some guys, and it just looked like someone had vomited all the electrics and hydraulics into the machine, it was an unwholly mess