JCB's 3CX compact backhoe is just 6'3" wide and 9-feet high and has a turning radius of just over 19 feet. It's capable of travelling at 25 mph.

A compact version of the backhoe loader that made JCB famous around the world was launched at the company's headquarters.

The backhoe loader was invented by JCB founder Joseph Cyril Bamford in 1953. Since that time, more than 600,000 have been produced. But modern construction sites are becoming increasingly compact and congested, and customers are demanding smaller equipment.

Following a multi-million dollar investment, JCB has pioneered the hi-tech 3CX Compact Backhoe Loader, which is 35 percent smaller than the standard model 3CX – yet retains all the power and speed of its bigger brother.

The first of the new machines are rolling off the production lines at JCB's World Headquarters in Rocester, Staffordshire, UK. "It was the backhoe loader that built JCB into the company that it is today and made us famous around the world," said JCB chairman Lord Bamford. "As a company, you can never stand still"?uyou need to innovate to grow."

"More and more of our customers have been telling us that they need a smaller backhoe loader to operate in congested towns and cities and on narrow streets," said Bamford. "We have answered their call by engineering the 3CX compact from the ground up. As the company approaches its 70th anniversary next month, I'm confident that this innovative new machine will accommodate additional customers around the world." For more information go to www.jcbna.com.