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 to 156hp and 4t/9m.

For brothers Steve and Paul Miller, it was the French firm’s MLT 741 and, in particular, the 130 PS+ derivative (129hp, six-speed powershift), that fitted the bill.

See also: First drive: Manitou MLA-T 516 pivot-steer

It replaced the 485ha dairy farm’s 5,000-hour, 22-plate model two months ago, and is primarily charged with feeding 1,200 head of stock. An equally new MLT 850 takes care of the heavy lifting.

Steve Miller © Oliver Mark

Why a Manitou MLT 741-130 PS+?

We’ve been running Manitou MLT 635s and 741s for a decade.

As each machine clocks 2,000 hours a year, reliability and dealer backup are the key factors in our buying decisions, and TH White at Toddington has been brilliant in that regard.

Our previous 741 stayed for six years but we plan to halve that cycle, as years five and six tend to be more troublesome given they handle so much bedding sand.

Front axle UJs suffer most, and a £12,000 bill for the MLT 850’s predecessor, a 635, was an unpleasant reminder of the risks you take in terms of cost and downtime.

Plus, dealers are keen for younger second-hand kit, we will be protected by warranty, and the higher residual value reduces our cost to change.

As it was, we got £50,000 for the old model – about £11/hour depreciation – and the new one was £97,000.

We looked at other brands but, in our view, they couldn’t match the Manitou for build quality.

About the same time, we bought a big MLT 850 to replace our six-year-old 635, purely to handle the 9t of daily solids from the slurry separator, and the 58t of weekly bedding sand.

What extras did you opt for?

We went for the six-speed powershift version as weren’t overly impressed with the hydrostatic model we demoed a few years ago – it was a bit whiny and the ride too sea-sicky for us.

That said, our new 850 is a hydrostatic and far smoother and more responsive than we’d previously experienced, so we might consider it next time around.

Ours has block-tread tyres – something we’ve specified on our last few handlers, as we can get double the service life out of them compared with a traction tread on our concrete yard.

We also had to spend £1,000 to swap the headstock. It’s mainly for historical reasons – we started with a Matbro and have eight attachments on pin-and-cone – but we happen to think it’s the strongest headstock on the market.

The other “extras” are side and rear cameras that feed into the main in-cab display.

The latter automatically switches on when reverse is selected, so there’s no excuse for bashing stanchions.

© MAG/Oliver Mark

How has it performed?

One of the biggest improvements over the old model is the “eco” mode, which shuts down the engine after a period of inactivity that we have set at two minutes.

We’ve been clocking too many hours, and wasting fuel, with the engine idling, so it should pay dividends when we come to trade in.

Even better than that is the auto stop-start system on the MLT 850. Like a car, it cuts the engine whenever the machine comes to a stop, then fires it up again when you push the throttle or operate the boom.

But the thing we like most is the cab. Just one step makes it easy to get in and out of, which is essential when you’re feeding, it’s spacious, and the single-piece door is far less likely to get smashed than a split setup.

The joystick is good too. It sits in a natural position and is more comfortable to use than anything else on the market.

Our only gripes are that there’s an irritating five-second delay between turning the key and being able to start the engine, and the fact that you can’t open the bonnet without the key. The automatic park brake also takes some getting used to.

As for maintenance, there’s a central grease bank at the back for most of the boom and underbelly nipples.

The 850 goes one better with an automatic greasing system – something we’d like to have on our next 741.

We’ve also got telematics, so any faults are sent direct to the dealer. Often they know what the problem is before I call.