Choosing a telehandler
Robin Hall
Farmer Maya test driving a new Manitou Telehandler
Our Merlo Telehandler is due for replacement. It is 10 years old and has done nearly 6 thousand hours of work on this farm. These machines have become common on many large farms as they are an agile and versatile alternative to the tractor-mounted front loader. With a lifting capacity of around 3.5 tonnes and reaching up to 7 metres, the Telehandler is an extremely useful tool on the farm.
To help us make the decision about which brand and model to buy next, we have had three demonstrator machines supplied for us to try out on the farm. First a new Merlo arrived, then a JCB and lastly an example from Manitou. All these machines are fitted with the optional features that are available and so are fully loaded with fancy tech.
As with most new vehicles, they increasingly resemble a computer on wheels. We have considered new features like load-weighing, remote fault-diagnosis, auto engine switch-off, rear cameras, roof and side window wipers……and more!
Clearly these are expensive machines but they prove their worth by daily use on the farm. I look forward to a lively discussion when we finally decide which one to buy!
