Typically, heavy equipment owners and operators unhappy with a particular facet of a machine’s controls have to wait for the manufacturer to release a whole new version of that machine to see their frustrations addressed. But with the release of a new platform, UK-based manufacturer JCB is making control upgrades as easy as a software update.
Dubbed myCHOICE, the new control system first and foremost gives skid-steer and compact track loader operators more refined control over the way in which their machine is operating by expanding the current control system from three control modes to six: three for the transmission and three for the loader functions.
“We recognized that JCB needed skid steer software to satisfy a wide range of customer applications and demands,” said Kenneth Walton, Chief Engineer for JCB, in a statement. “When customers see electronic controls, they expect to be able to modify them to suit their needs.”
The actual operation of the machine remains the same, JCB says, but should feel more natural thanks to the level of customization myCHOICE allows for.
The software is available on all new JCB skid steers and compact track loaders and can be installed on legacy JCB machines with electronic control.
But equally as impressive is that JCB machines will be able to continue improving along with the development of the myCHOICE software.
The company says similar to how many smartphones continue getting better long after purchase thanks to upgrades to their operating systems, JCB compact loaders will keep improving as well thanks to the ability to upgrade myCHOICE through software updates performed by the dealer.
“Skid steers and compact track loaders will continue to get smarter and smarter,” Walton added. “We’ll see increasingly sophisticated electronic controls that will allow operators to do even more with their machines. In the end, myCHOICE controls are about making it easier for JCB customers to do their jobs.”
