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30 Issue 3 2020 plant fanatic who used to write to the Chairman of JCB as a teenager now has his own successful quarrying business and has just added a new JCB Hydradig 110WWastemaster to his eet. It has been purchased by Land ll & Quarrying company Macwill Services, of Newtownabbey, near Belfast. Owner Christopher McLaughlin is a self-confessed JCB ‘superfan’, refurbishing more than 30 JCB machines during his career, and even having a spell working in the factory at JCB’s World HQ in Sta ordshire in his late teens. The new machine is the rst of the latest JCB Hydradig models to arrive in Northern Ireland and boasts an enhanced cab. Supplied by dealer Dennison JCB, it is being put to use on a range of applications on Macwill Services’ land ll site, quarry and farm estate which, as it is self-contained, has been able to continue operating during the Covid-19 crisis. Macwill Services Director, Christopher McLaughlin aged 46, said: “I’m a JCB nerd and proud of it. My rst JCB machine I bought because it was JCB, a second hand 3C Mark 2 which I refurbed and sold on. I’ve refurbished over 30 JCBs over the years. I’ve always been interested in and impressed by the Bamford family and the con dence they have in their products. I like that JCB is family-run, like us. I used to write to Lord Bamford when I was 12/13-years-old and was invited to the factory for a visit. I was also lucky enough to meet Mr JCB twice in my life and have his autograph on display in my o ce!” The new JCB Hydradig Wastemaster model joins an extensive eet of JCB machinery, including a 1970s JCB 3DMk 3 backhoe loader and classic JCB 805B Turbo excavator through to modern day Loadall telescopic handlers and backhoe loaders. The JCB Hydradig was rst introduced as a digging, lifting, loading and tool- carrying machine for urban construction, highway maintenance and municipal operations but has since found favour in other roles. Key features include: a low centre of gravity to allow stable lifting and excellent travel speeds up to 40km/h between job sites, all-wheel steer enabling maximum urban usability and ground level access to all maintenance points. The redesigned cab on the brand-new Hydradig o ers improved forward visibility, which is proving highly bene cial when powering the tiltrotator and wide range of attachments used across Macwill’s site including road sweeper, trailer forks, strimmer and a tilt rotator. Macwill Services has been established for 35 years and three generations of the McLaughlin family with a 300-acre site comprising of land ll, rock quarry and farm estate. Prominent in Belfast, Macwill Services operates a predominantly JCB eet boasting a range of JCB machinery from the 1970s through to the modern day. << NO GOING BACK FOR ‘SUPERFAN’ “I’m a JCB nerd and proud of it.”