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 to 142hp, but several tweaks have also been made to controls and components to make it function better and improve reliability.

Like its predecessor, propulsion is provided by a four-cylinder, 3.6-litre Deutz engine teamed with a three-speed hydrostatic transmission.

See also: Driver’s View: Norfolk contractor’s Claas Torion 1812 shovel

Our guide to this machine is Harry Whiteman, who runs a 385ha mixed farm near Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, in partnership with his parents, Sam and Jo.

Their ex-demonstrator Scorpion 741 was delivered in November 2023 and has since clocked more than 1,200 hours loading grain, shifting bales and shovelling muck.

Harry Whiteman © James Andrews

Why a Claas Scorpion 741?

We’ve tried almost all brands of telehandler over the years, but none have been good enough to persuade us to move away from Claas.

Our first Kramer-built Scorpion arrived in 2009 – we had two of those – and we’re now on our third Liebherr version.

Part of the attraction is the machine itself, but a bigger reason is that our local dealer, Morris Corfield, is so good.

Nothing is ever too much trouble and, when we’ve had breakdowns, they’ve always got us going again quickly, either by fixing ours or lending us another.

For us, a telehandler is our frontline machine and we clock about 1,250 hours annually. As a result, we typically change them every four to five years, before they get too worn.

What extras did you opt for?

This Gen 2 741 came to us as a demonstrator on 50 hours and it never left. So we basically got the spec that Corfield had chosen.

However, we did send it back to have a few upgrades fitted. These included LED work lights and protection plates for electrical connectors on the boom end and headstock.

They also fitted an RDS weigher (£4,000), which is something we had on the previous model. It’s really handy as we load a lot of grain and do some selling farm-to-farm.

It gets calibrated regularly against a local weighbridge and it’s never far off.

How has it performed?

This one has given us very few problems, but our first two Liebherr handlers were a bit temperamental – I guess that’s the risk when buying early examples of a brand-new machine.  

That said, Corfield and Claas stood by them and were quick to carry out repairs and updates. They’re also good at listening to customer feedback and making changes.

There are several upgrades on the Gen 2 model that we pointed out, as a lot of other customers probably did, and there are more again on the 742 that they’ve just released.

On our model, these include better air conditioning – although there’s still room for improvement – and a clearer dashboard.

But the 742 has an armrest-mounted joystick, solid rather than fragile glass lower door, and an indicator stalk mounted higher on the steering column so you can clearly see it.

The rest of the machine is solid and the pushing power is seriously impressive – it’ll just keep shoving its way into a heap of grain when pushing up.

And, because there’s so much hydraulic flow, there’s no need to add any revs to get the boom to move faster.

It’s good at pulling trailers too but, because we have to do some long stints on the road, we do most of this with the tractors.

As it’s hydrostatic, we rarely need to use the brakes. But, when we do, we have to remember that they’re seriously powerful – only a light touch is required, otherwise you’ll be kissing the windscreen.

If I’m being picky, it would be nice to have a larger fuel tank, and it needs a stronger height sensor on the pick-up hitch as this isn’t very reliable.

The Scorpion 741 has recently been superseded by the 742, early examples of which are now making their way onto farms. Updates include a slightly higher lift capacity, a move to a Liebherr-branded FPT engine and a reworked cab with armrest-mounted joystick.

© James Andrews