JCB has launched a new product designed to fix pot holes, with a patch planer and digger offering an all-in-one solution. In the UK, pot holes are estimated to cost public authorities up to $335 million a year.
JCB’s Potholemaster, deployed on a traditional backhoe, has an attachment at the rear called a patch planer which is equipped with 45 steel teeth to grind away the surface of the pothole and surrounding road.
Once that job is complete, the digger slips into reverse and drives backwards and then forwards over the ground-out pothole, sweeping up the resulting dust, dirt and debris with a sweeper collector on the front of the machine. 
With these tasks completed quickly and efficiently, a sound base is created for a permanent repair of the pothole with asphalt.
The machine can travel at 40km/h.
“We’ve had a team of engineers working closely with the highways industry for the past six months to ensure we develop products the sector wants and needs,” said backhoe loader growth managing director Yvette Henshall-Bell.
“The beauty of the JCB Potholemaster is that it has two attachments on one self-deployable machine. Some competitive machines can only carry one attachment, so lots of time is wasted swapping the patch planer and the sweeper. And when the JCB backhoe loader is not mending potholes, it can be equipped with a bucket and an excavator to carry out digging and loading tasks, making it truly versatile.”
