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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: 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…

MACHINERY MAINTENANCE

20-year-old John Deere telehandler gets perfect £20k refurb

It’s boom time for noughties farm machinery, with demand surging for mechanically sound workhorses devoid of the electronic and emissions-related aggravations of their successors. While John Deere, Case IH and…

Telehandler reviews and tests

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TELEHANDLERS

Telehandler test: JCB 541-70 AgriPro

JCB unveiled the new-look hybrid transmission back in spring 2016 to sit alongside its cheaper powershifting versions. There is a growing list of models equipped with the fancy gearbox and…

TELEHANDLERS

Telehandler test: Manitou MLT 741-140 V+ Elite

Manitou had a big shake-up of its telehandler ranges last year, adding a new cab and a handful of different transmission options. There’s a four-speed Powershuttle torque converter set-up, six-speed…

MACHINERY

On test: JCB's 419S loading shovel brings extra muscle

Officially launched at Paris’ Sima show in February, JCB’s 419S loading shovel is now rolling down the firm’s Staffordshire production lines. As the main middleweight model in the company’s ag-spec…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: JCB's debut battery-electric Loadall - the 525-60E

JCB has boarded the battery-electric bandwagon, with the first production models of its 525-60E telehandler now whizzing around inner-city building sites, industrial warehouses and posh equine units. But while those…

First drive: Manitou MLT 960 farm telehandler

For many years telehandlers with 3-4t lift capacity had more than enough muscle for the average farm task, but huge on-floor grain stores and AD plants are demanding a new…

GRASSLAND AND MAIZE EQUIPMENT

Driver's view: Norfolk contractors' Claas Torion 1812 shovel

We get the lowdown on the Claas Torion 1812 loading shovel run by Norfolk contracting outfit Spring Farm Partnership. A pair of long-in-the-tooth loading shovels – a Volvo L110 and…

TELEHANDLERS

Telehandlers on test: Claas Scorpion 741

In an extension of our telehandler test in the 4t lift and 7m reach category, we have taken a look at the best-selling rigid-frame machines from Kramer, Claas, Cat and Bobcat.…

TELEHANDLERS

Telehandler test: 5 mid-sized loaders battle it out

This winter’s big machinery test is all about lifting and shifting as we thrash out the winners and losers in the rigid-framed telehandler market. Although a little thinner in participants…

TELEHANDLERS

Lightweight JCB 403 proves a hit for Pembrokeshire farm

Harold, David and Berwyn Warlow run a brace of compact JCB 403 wheel loaders on their 300-cow dairy farm and beef unit near Narberth, Pembrokeshire. Duties for the pint-sized machines…

MACHINERY

Telehandler test: Deutz-Fahr Agrovector 29.6

Hydraulics Engine Joystick Cab Maintenance Gallery Video Loader specialist JLG makes the Deutz-Fahr Agrovector loader. Powering the hydraulics is a Bosch Rexroth pump with a maximum flow of 102 litres/minute…

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

Telehandler test: Bobcat TL 38.70 HF Agri

Our test machine was the biggest in Bobcat’s line-up of ag-spec TL telehandlers, offering a lift capacity of 3.8t and a 7m reach. Those looking for a more compact machine…

Telehandler buying advice

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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

Ultimate guide to buying a telehandler 2024

The 2024 edition of Farmers Weekly’s Ultimate Guide to telehandlers and telescopic wheeled loaders of all shapes and sizes features a number of new and updated models – as well…

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…

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

Revolutionary steering slashes turning circle

In what must be one of the first loaders in the world to be steered by two separate methods, German maker Thaler has released its 3248T-5A loader, which has both…

TELEHANDLERS

The ultimate guide to buying a telehandler in 2018

The Farmers Weekly ultimate guide to telescopic farm handling and loading machines has been published online for 2018, with many changes from last year’s edition. The guide provides a quick-reference summary…

Telehandler and pivot-steer price guide 2016

We have been busy gathering together specs and prices for telehandlers and pivot-steer loaders that will be on sale next year. Our guide covers everything from the smallest Avant cabless…

TELEHANDLERS

JCB ups Loadall power and expands transmission options

JCB has updated its series 3 Loadalls to meet the all-important Stage 5 emissions targets and, at the same time, added the Dualtech VT gearbox to more models. The firm…

TELEHANDLERS

Bobcat cuts fuel use on new S630 and S650 skid-steers

Upgrades to make the four-cylinder engine in Bobcat’s S630 and S650 skid-steer loaders cleaner and greener have yielded improved fuel consumption. A particulate filter is part of the Stage 5…

TELEHANDLERS

Telehandler test: JCB 541-70 AgriPro

JCB unveiled the new-look hybrid transmission back in spring 2016 to sit alongside its cheaper powershifting versions. There is a growing list of models equipped with the fancy gearbox and…

Test drive telehandlers at the Farm Handling Experience

Looking to try out a new telehandler, front loader, pickup or ATV? A new hands-on driving event from Farmers Weekly will allow you to try different makes at the same…

TELEHANDLERS

How to maintain a Merlo telehandler to get the best from it

Merlo might play third fiddle in the telehandler rankings to JCB and Manitou, but the Italian brand’s compact models take a bit of beating. Combining powerful hydraulics with some careful…

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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…

MACHINERY

Telehandler test: Deutz-Fahr Agrovector 29.6

Hydraulics Engine Joystick Cab Maintenance Gallery Video Loader specialist JLG makes the Deutz-Fahr Agrovector loader. Powering the hydraulics is a Bosch Rexroth pump with a maximum flow of 102 litres/minute…

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…

TELEHANDLERS

Video: On test – Kramer's KT357 telehandler

Since Claas introduced its Kramer-built telehandlers in 2005, the Scorpion range has established itself as a genuine contender to the might of JCB and Manitou. However, back in 2015 both…