JCB Loadall with DualTech VT transmission: Best of both?

It’s rare that something truly groundbreaking comes along in the world of telehandlers, so when JCB unveiled its hybrid Dual Tech transmission in 2016 we were keen to follow its progress. Combining hydrostatic and powershift drives, it promised to provide precision at low speeds and a bit more oomph from a direct mechanical link between engine and axles at higher speeds.

The gearbox is clever in its simplicity. A heavily modified version of previous four-speed boxes used in Staffordshire-built handlers, gear one is replaced by an electronically controlled Bosch-Rexroth pump and motor set-up which provides hydrostatic drive up to 19km/hr. Above this, gears two, three and four are standard powershift ratios of the sort you might expect to find in a tractor gearbox – oil-activated multi-plate clutch-packs engage each gear as required. No torque-converter or planetary gearsets are used so when the Loadall is travelling at speeds above 19km/hr there is a direct mechanical link between the engine and axles, much as there was in top gear with JCB’s Torque-Lock set-up in previous transmissions.

The new driveline was part of a package offered on the British firm’s Loadalls. Slotting in above previous top-spec. machines and tagged 'AgriPro', as well as the new gearbox, it also included regenerative hydraulics, auto-engage boom suspension, high intensity LED work lights and an