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Know How / Telehandlers

Often the most-used machine on the farms – especially with pigs, sheep, beef or dairy cattle – so we cover new machines, first drives, user views and group tests of telescopic handlers (or telehandlers) for efficient materials handling, cleaning stock buildings, loading bales and shifting grain.

Latest telehandler articles

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's View: Chris Brettell's Merlo TF42.7 CS

The TF42.7 is the flagship in Merlo’s mid-sized telehandler range and comes in a handful of configurations to suit different applications. Most variants are fitted with the same two-speed hydrostatic…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's View: Harry Whiteman's Claas Scorpion 741 Gen 2

As the name suggests, the Scorpion 741 Generation 2 is the second iteration of Claas’ Liebherr-built 7m/4t telehandler. The standout upgrade from the original is a power hike from 136hp…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's view: Adam Symonds' Bobcat TL38.70 HF

Bobcat might be the first name in skid-steers, but it’s yet to find the same success on the telehandler scene. That’s gradually changing, with the Czech-based manufacturer focused on growing…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's view: Steve Miller's Manitou MLT 741-130 PS+

There’s no shortage of choice as far as Manitou’s telehandler range is concerned, with most shapes, sizes and specs accounted for in a line-up that runs from 35hp and 1.25t/4.3m…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's View: John Walker's JCB Loadall 542-70 Agri Xtra 

As the second largest telehandler in JCB’s extensive agricultural range, the Loadall 542-70 is geared up for handling large grain buckets, bale grabs and bag lifters. Four versions are available…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's View: John Cartledge's Kramer KT407 Ecospeed

Kramer’s handler range came to prominence following the conclusion of its manufacturing agreement with Claas in 2017, and its subsequent integration with John Deere’s dealer network. A year later, it…

Telehandler reviews and tests

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MACHINERY

Telehandler test: Claas Scorpion

Hydraulics Engine Joystick Cab Maintenance Gallery Video The Claas Scorpion is made by German loader specialist Kramer and its hydraulics (which come from Bosch Rexroth) push out 155 litres/minute. Working…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: Kramer’s KL60.8 loader

Kramer's KL60.8 offers the unusual combination of four-wheel steer and central cab layout, giving operators great views from a lofty perch and the manoeuvrability of equivalent telehandlers. That might make…

MACHINERY

Video: Telehandler test: Manitou MLT 625-75H

Hydraulics Engine Joystick Cab Maintenance Gallery Video Though the smallest loader in the test, the MLT 625-75H achieved very respectable lift results. Manitou uses a 90 litres/min Bosch Rexroth pump…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's view: Steve Miller's Manitou MLT 741-130 PS+

There’s no shortage of choice as far as Manitou’s telehandler range is concerned, with most shapes, sizes and specs accounted for in a line-up that runs from 35hp and 1.25t/4.3m…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: JCB Teleskid v Norcar a7545 mini pivot-steer

If you’re in the market for something that's small and agile around the yard, but still has plenty of capacity to shift decent lumps of material, then you basically have…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's view: Adam Symonds' Bobcat TL38.70 HF

Bobcat might be the first name in skid-steers, but it’s yet to find the same success on the telehandler scene. That’s gradually changing, with the Czech-based manufacturer focused on growing…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's View: Harry Whiteman's Claas Scorpion 741 Gen 2

As the name suggests, the Scorpion 741 Generation 2 is the second iteration of Claas’ Liebherr-built 7m/4t telehandler. The standout upgrade from the original is a power hike from 136hp…

First Drive: Dieci 40.7 telehandler

About the Dieci 40.7 Cab Engine Driving it Likes & Gripes Gallery Dieci isn’t a well-known name on British farms and many people might reasonably assume it was the name…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver’s view: JD 3200 telehandler still going strong

John Deere’s brief foray into the telehandler market lasted just six years and left a lot of customers scratching their heads, wondering why it pulled the plug on such a…

Driver's view: Manitou MLT 731 telehandler

Considering buying a used sub-£30,000 telehandler? James Andrews visits a seasoned punter to see if Manitou should make your shortlist. If you are shopping around for a used, mid-sized telehandler…

MACHINERY

Video: Pint-sized telehandler from New Holland

The LM5020 is a neat machine with impressive lift and reach, but low transport speeds mean it's best suited to yard-based duties. For those wanting to travel further or tow,…

TELEHANDLERS

Telehandler test: Dieci Agri Plus 40.7 VS Evo2

Dieci offers a massive range of agricultural telehandlers covering almost every combination of lift capacity and reach you can think of. At the bottom end there’s the diminutive Agrovector 25.5,…

Telehandler buying advice

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New products at Grassland and Muck 2008

There's nothing like a tour of the Grassland & Muck 2008 stands and working areas to get up to date with the latest in forage and waste machinery. Here Peter…

TELEHANDLERS

Farmers Weekly's complete guide to battery-powered loaders

With performance figures to match their diesel-fuelled stablemates, the growing number of battery-electric loaders now available to farmers provides a quieter, more economical and potentially more environmentally friendly alternative, whatever…

Contractors have a tough time on the road

Moving tractors, trailers and implements around the countryside can be fraught with difficulties. Andy Collings visited a Kent contractor who has the unenviable task of keeping five combines on the…

TELEHANDLERS

New Holland targets telehandler top five with new TH model

New Holland’s telehandler range has been given a fresh livery, a new name and a handful of internal tweaks that the company hopes will help it climb into the UK…

TELEHANDLERS

Ultimate guide to buying a telehandler 2021

The appearance of an electrically powered, full-size telescopic handler for the first time is one of the highlights of the 2021 Ultimate Guide to telehandlers. JCB’s 6m, 2.5t-lift Loadall 525-60E…

MACHINERY

2017 tractor and telehandler prices updated

Farmers Weekly has updated its buyer’s guides for tractors and telehandlers in the UK. The guides have been refreshed on the back of some cheering statistics from the Agricultural Engineers Association…

TELEHANDLERS

New Holland adds compact TH6.26 model to telehandler range

A new compact model now props up New Holland’s 11-strong telehandler range, following the withdrawal of the dinky TH5.26. Its replacement, the TH6.26, offers an identical 2.6t lift capacity, but…

MACHINERY

Tips for farmers buying a second-hand JCB telehandler

Love a pivot-steer but reluctant to splash the cash on a spanking new one? We get the lowdown on potential trouble spots on JCB’s bend-in-the-middle TM310S from Dai Thomas at…

LAMMA

Lamma 2019: Tractors and telehandlers steal the show

This year marked the first of the Lamma show's new era at Birmingham's indoor National Exhibition Centre.  The event is showcasing not just large machinery manufacturers, but also smaller agricultural…

TELEHANDLERS

Merlo adds compact 27.6 to Turbofarmer telehandler range

Merlo’s entry-level 27.6 telehandler can now be had in ag-spec Turbofarmer guise, as an alternative to the slightly simpler “P” variant. The two compact models are largely identical but for…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: JCB's new TM420S pivot-steer telehandler

Launched a couple of years ago, JCB’s TM420 was the biggest pivot-steer telehandler the company had ever built, offering a 4t lift capacity and more than 5.4m vertical reach. But…

TELEHANDLERS

Bobcat upgrades cab for new R-series telehandlers

Bobcat has tarted up its telehandler range, as it bids to double production by 2025. The new seven-model R-series includes three relatively compact models – the TL26.60 (the only one…

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Farm Handling Experience comes to the South West

After the success of the national Farm Handling Experience in April, Farmers Weekly is running another machinery handling event, this time in the South West. The new event is on…

MACHINERY

Telehandler test: Deici Agrifarmer

Hydraulics Engine Joystick Cab Maintenance Gallery Video Italian loader specialist Dieci produces around 1,800 machines per year and its Agri Farmer 26.6 model uses a 110 litres/min Bosch Rexroth pump.…

TELEHANDLERS

Video: Massey 9305Xtra - the good, the bad and the ugly

Massey Ferguson has been working along side Sambron and Bobcat to produce telehandlers, for over twenty years but they still haven’t taken off in the UK. Its latest offering, the…

Video: Ropa cleaner loader gives customer benefits

Suffolk sugar beet contractor Ken Rush has cut labour, compaction and fuel use with a clever German-made self-loading and self-propelled beet cleaner-loader. Called the Ropa EuroMaus, it is one of…