Black beauty

GBSS Civils and Plant Hire Black Backhoe Loader

A Scottish civil engineering and plant hire firm is making the boldest of statements with its unique JCB backhoe loader decked in black, red and gold.

JCB backhoes have been turning heads on construction sites for 75 years. Yet few have made quite the impact of a brand new 3CX PRO model digging up a storm across Scotland.

Paint it black

GBSS Civils & Plant Hire has relied on JCB equipment for nearly three decades. Established in 1994 as George Burns Plant Hire, the independent family business is run by husband-and-wife team George and Fiona Burns. Now operating separate plant hire and civil engineering divisions, the company runs a fleet of 75 machines and offers a full range of services including plant hire, groundworks, pre-construction advice, construction, commissioning and maintenance works across the private and public sectors.

Its latest purchase is a genuine showstopper – a new JCB 3CX Pro backhoe loader, finished in bold black with striking red and gold accents. It is not just its striking livery that turns heads, it’s the exceptional performance it delivers too. 

Replacing a limited edition JCB 70th Anniversary backhoe loader, the new 3CX Pro has been fully utilised since delivery, working on a large-scale school building and housing development project in East Calder. The versatile backhoe supplied by dealer Scot JCB is carrying out stockpiling, loading, excavating and cleaning duties on site with interchangeable bucket, pallet fork and sweeper attachments.

GBSS Civils and Plant Hire Black Backhoe Loader

Operator Challenge

The machine's operator is Sandy Morgan. It would always have taken something special to prize him from the controls of his previous machine - a JCB 70th anniversary limited edition backhoe loader in which he amassed nearly 10,000 hours at the controls. 

Sandy said: "The JCB 3CX Eco 70th anniversary model was a nice machine to operate, and looked great with the iconic red wheels, buckets and white cab. It was very reliable, had great all-round performance and has proven to be hugely versatile around this large jobsite.

“And while I was more than happy with that model, this new JCB 3CX Pro is even better equipped, has more performance, particularly with its top speed and stability on the road, which can reach 50kph.

 
This JCB 3CX has plenty of digging power, in fact I'd go as far as to say there isn't another backhoe in the market that would out dig a 3CX, overall I simply can't fault it as it's great to drive and looks stunning in this bespoke black, red and gold livery.

Backhoe to the future

The 3CX PRO backhoe loader is powered by the 4.8 litre JCB 448 engine with 81kW output and 516Nm of torque, delivering leading roading and loading performance. 

The 3CX PRO benefits from a range of advanced automation features, designed to boost productivity and ease of use, while the ECOROAD six-speed Autoshift transmission that can cut travel time and fuel use by up to 25%, for operators that spend a lot of time on the road.

With this combination of high specification machine at the hands of a skilled and experienced operator already proving its worth, the decision by GBSS to bet on black already looks a safe one.