A new version of JCB’s 403E ultra-compact electric loader has been designed to eliminate at-source emissions and reduces a farm’s carbon footprint.
The new machine is equipped with a fully glazed, heated cab. Despite having heated front and rear windscreens, a heated seat and three-speed blower and auto control features, the cab has been built without reducing the machine’s power reserves and minimising its draw on battery power.
The 403E was introduced in 2023 with a fixed or folding open canopy as part of JCB’s E-Tech range of battery-electric farming and light construction machines that, according to the OEM, offer minimal running costs, exceptionally low operator and bystander noise levels, and an opportunity for businesses to lower their carbon footprint.
“Providing a fully enclosed, warm and weather-proof working environment involved a lot more than just taking the cab from the 403 diesel and installing it on the all-electric version,” says John Smith, JCB’s agriculture managing director. “A key requirement of any electrically-driven machine is a decent amount of work-time between charges; by designing special control functions for the 403E Full Cab, we meet that demand while keeping the operator warm and comfortable.”
The 403E – JCB’s first fully electric ultra-compact wheeled loader – has a 20kWh lithium-ion battery pack, among the largest in the sector, providing four to five hours of continuous use in a mixed operating cycle.
This is sufficient for a full-day’s work on a typical pig, poultry or dairy farm, or in commercial horticulture, especially if top-up charges are taken during breaks.
A tipping load of 972kg or 1,090kg (with the heavy-duty counter-weight) and a choice of 2.9 metre or 3.1 metre lift heights with parallel-lift loader arms makes the 403E a practical and highly manoeuvrable proposition for handling chores in and around farm and horticultural buildings.
And given an all-up weight of around 2.6 tonnes, the canopy and full cab versions of the machine can be transported quickly and easily between sites on a 3.5 tonne road trailer behind a 4×4 SUV or pick-up, or a light commercial vehicle.
For the new 403E Full Cab loader, JCB installs a 2.2kW heater with three temperature settings and a “blower boost” function to rapidly increase the interior temperature for 10 minutes before switching off to conserve energy.
The heater is automatically disabled to preserve battery power if the cab doors are open, but in warmer months, the blower can be used to circulate air regardless of whether the doors are open or closed.
During cold periods, a timer function can be used to warm up the cab for 30 minutes while the battery and charger are connected so that the machine remains primed ready to work with a full charge.
A heated seat is an added comfort that will also conserve energy and run time by reducing the operator’s reliance on the cab heater, and heating elements rapidly defrost or clear condensation from the front and rear windscreen for clear visibility as work gets under way.
