There is a main switch on the side panel which selects one pump or two and the loader arm switch reverses this choice for as long as it is held down.Powershift transmission will be available some time next year says JCB, but for the meantime drivers will have to cope with a gear change that is best suited to those with long and energetic right arms.The 3CX handles more like the former model than the 4CX, whose tight steering it lacks, but the improved weight distribution does make for a more stable ride. Syncro Shuttle transmission and X controls for the backhoe are the same as ever, but on top of the loader arm there is a new button for what JCB dubs 'Hydraulic Speed Control' (HSC).The driver now has the option of dumping one hydraulic pump back to the tank when a boost of extra tractive effort is needed. In-cab noise levels are down from 84 dBA to 82 dBA.The same Perkins 1000 hums away under the bonnet knocking out 56.5 kW in standard form and 67 kW when turbocharged so there is no reduction of external noise.The control layout inside the cab will be familiar to every Sitemaster veteran. The fuel and hydraulic tanks have been taken out of the chassis and they are now mounted pannier fashion just below the cab.The loader linkage has been redesigned to bring the front bucket closer to the cab, but it retains the same 2.65 m dump height.The new model has the same rear digging arm that is found on the old machine and the 4CX, although some of the hydraulic hoses have been re-routed for a tidier finish.The rounded cab which is also used on the 4CX offers better noise insulation and weather protection because of its one piece fabrication. Although the 3CX has the same four-wheel drive, two-wheel steer format as before, there is a new chassis which allows the engine to be slung lower for greater stability. By Peter Dorey.JCB has replaced its highly successful 3CX with a model which boasts a new chassis, a redesigned cab and improved hydraulics.The new machine keeps the 3CX Sitemaster name, but the dramatic re-styling means that the newcomer bears a strong likeness to its stablemate, the 4CX.The old machine's square bonnet and boxy cab have been dumped in favour of a rounded, sloping bonnet and curved glass cab for better visibility.A polyethylene roof and fenders replace the old metal fittings, giving the machine a coordinated yellow and grey colour scheme.But the changes are far more than skin deep.

Jcb 3cx turbo