JCB is celebrating a major milestone, the 40th anniversary of the Loadall telescopic loader.

This machine first rolled off the production line in 1977 and has been used in a huge range of tasks ever since. Seen as a big step up from a tractor-mounted loader or rough-terrain forklift, the JCB Loadall brought new levels of lifting capacity and reach to all farmers who purchased one of these versatile machines. So much so that it helped spark a materials handling revolution, with input commodities such as seed and fertiliser, and farm outputs such as hay, straw and silage, packaged and sold in larger quantities thanks to the increased lift capacity of the new machines.

Today, JCB produces 50 individual models and distinct variants for agriculture and horticulture alone, alongside many more for construction and industrial use. These range from the diminutive 50hp Loadall 516-40 with 1,600kg lift capacity and 4.05m lift height to the 145hp Loadall 560-80 capable of lifting 6,000kg off the ground for high-output repeat loading cycles, and the 9.5m lift 535-95.

The Loadall telescopic handler has become such a valuable tool on many farms that it invariably works longer hours than any tractor today. On dairy and livestock farms, regular jobs include filling a diet feeder, loading bales and cleaning out sheds. On tillage farms, they are commonly used for stacking or loading bales of straw.

A choice of performance, cab equipment and control features from the Agri, Agri Plus and Agri Super versions of the core Loadall range from the 525-60 to the high-lifting 535-95.

There is even a special PoultryMaster model available.

In line with development of the Loadall product itself, JCB has repeatedly invested in the Loadall manufacturing and assembly facilities at Rocester, notably in 2007 when an £8m project brought new machining centres, heavy-weight steel presses for boom manufacture and additional robot welding stations to produce the complex chassis structure.

The upgrades, which also saw all-new, higher capacity assembly lines installed, coincided with a significant milestone – production of 100,000 handlers since the first Loadall 520 came off the line in October 1977.

The accelerating pace of Loadall sales meant that in 2016 – less than 10 years later – the 200,000 milestone was reached as the advanced Agri Pro was launched and the efficient materials handling opportunities that the Loadall represents continued to increase its appeal to farmers around the world.