More diminutive machines, small and light enough to be trailered behind a 4×4 SUV or pickup, feature in this year’s Ultimate Guide to telehandlers and telescopic wheeled loaders, among a selection of larger new and improved models.

Read details below and download the telehandler’s buyer’s guide 2023 (PDF).

Download the full 2023 telehandler listings

Avant

Finnish manufacturer Avant has added upper mid-range models and a new flagship machine to its line-up of ultra-compact articulated loaders.

The 645i and 650i slot in with 2.83m of lift height and 1t lift capacity, which is matched by existing models.

But the newcomers have the advantage a lot more power – 44hp versus 26hp from a Kubota diesel – and more hydraulic muscle at 75-litre/min against 44- or 50-litres/min, enabling them to handle most of Avant’s powered attachments.

See also: Loaders: Where are they made?

Both come in open platform guise or with the manufacturer’s GT cab, and the 650i provides two-speed hydrostatic drive via the wheel motors, which takes its top speed from 13kph to 23kph.

Avant’s 735, meanwhile, makes do with 26hp and single-speed 15kph drive but its tele-boom lifts higher – to 3.08m – and with a bigger capacity of 1.4t, while the new 860i range topper is Avant’s most muscular machine to date thanks to its 1.9t lift and 3.5m upwards reach.

Bobcat

The construction version of Bobcat’s new TL25.60 2.5t lift compact telehandler has been revealed and an agricultural version is on its way with appropriate tyres and equipment.

Lift capacity is 1.8t to the full height of 5.91m and power for the single-speed hydrostatic transmission comes from a 75hp iteration of the Bobcat-badged Doosan diesel engine.

Cast

Italian manufacturer Cast is listed for the first time, its ultra-compact machines being imported by Spectrum Plant under the Cast Loaders UK name alongside the stand-on WorkyQuads loaders.

The telescopic handlers have a familiar articulated layout with the engine at the rear and the operator seated on the front half of the chassis.

An open-plan platform with a four-post frame for roll-over and falling objects protection can be replaced by a cab for greater comfort when working outdoors.

The current range comprises six models plus variations, ranging from lift capacities of just under 1t to 2.1t and heights of 2.94m to 3.3m.

Power comes from a selection of Kubota, Yanmar and Kohler diesels, the one exception being the electrically-powered 800 Eco.

Claas

Updates for the Claas Scorpion telehandlers includes an increase in power and torque outputs from 136hp to 142hp from the 3.6-litre Deutz engine, and a revamped braking system with automatic parking brake application and disengage to help with uphill and downhill stops and starts.

The 746 to 960 models now have regenerative hydraulics for the boom, which decouples lowering from engine speed for faster loading cycles with greater fuel economy potential.

Increased air volume from a new air conditioning system should help operators keep cool when working on hot summer days.

Dieci

Additional versions of Dieci’s Agri Max telescopic handlers are the first to feature a new power split continuously variable transmission developed in partnership with drivetrain specialist Dana.

It gives the Power X2 versions a top speed of 50kph and the potential for fuel savings through improved powertrain efficiency, and high tractive effort, while a 172hp version of FPT’s 4.5-litre NEF engine sits in the side pod.

Dana’s Spicer HVT1 is a power split hydro-mechanical transmission, purpose-designed for telescopic handlers, that combines varying proportions of hydrostatic and mechanical power and torque with an epicyclic gear assembly, bringing the two flows together at a single output shaft.

Four drive modes can be selected to suit different working situations, including settings to prioritise fuel economy, loading or rehandling performance, or road travel.

Dieci’s Agri Max line-up comprises the 50.8 with 5t lift capacity to about 6m and 3t to the 7.7m full height lift; the 60.9 with 6t lift to 5.5m and 3.5t to 8.6m; and the 65.8 with a 7.7m boom and lift capacities of 6.5t to 5.5m and 4.2t to the full height.

Faresin

A new generation of Faresin telescopic handlers is illustrated by three newcomers to the UK line-up featuring a refreshed cab and controls, and restyled bodywork designed to improve all-round visibility but especially to the right of the machine.

The 7.32 Compact delivers 2.5t to the full height of 7.1m and a maximum lift of 3.2t, while the larger 7.45 with the same lift height achieves 3t and 4.5t, respectively.

Both have a 115hp Deutz engine and two-range hydrostatic drive, which the third new model – the 8.40 Excellence Vario 1100 – sports a 136hp motor and a twin-motor drive system for continuously variable speed adjustment.

The 8.40 is an 8m lift machine taking 3.5t to that height and 4t from ground level.

JCB

With a maximum lift capacity of 1.4t, and 1.3t to the full height of 4m, JCB’s new 514-40 Agri is a new addition to the range that is light enough and small enough to be towed on a plant trailer behind a pickup.

Powered by a 25hp Perkins diesel driving through a two-range hydrostatic transmission, the newcomer is reckoned to sport one of the largest cabs of a machine of this size.

At the opposite end of the power and performance scale, the Loadall 542-70 Agri Pro makes its Ultimate Guide debut with revised gearing in its DualTech VT hydrostatic/powershift transmission that delivers 50kph top speed potential.

And at 173hp from a JCB diesel and 160-litre/min hydraulics, it is among the most powerful telehandlers too, with a little extra full-height lift capacity available over other versions of the 542-70 adding to its increased productivity potential.

Manitou

Quick transfers from one site to another is a key attraction of Manitou’s smallest telehandler newcomers, the ULM 412 H and ULM 415 H.

Weighing 2.55t to 2.75t and 2.7t to 2.9t, respectively, the ULM handlers can be transported comfortably on a 3.6×1.8m or similarly-sized trailer for rapid deployment to different locations.

Both provide a lift height of 4.3m but a larger boom cylinder on the 415 gives it 1.5t capacity throughout its lift envelope compared with 1.25t for the 412.

By contrast, the MLT 850-145 V+ is an altogether bulkier machine, similar to the 7.6m/4.1t MLT 841-145 PS+ but with 5t max lift capacity and 2.5t to full height.

It sports the same 141hp Yanmar engine as its cousin but drive is provided by Manitou’s single range CVT instead of a five-speed powershift and torque converter set-up.

Merlo

The Handler 400 is surely one of the most unusual telescopic machines listed in the guide, being a “body swap” for the high-tip dumper more commonly fitted to Merlo’s Cingo stand-on tracked vehicle.

Powered by a 21hp Kubota diesel, the telehandler version is reckoned to be a versatile performer in tight locations with the familiar forward reach and lift height attributes of a telescopic boom.

MultiOne

Italian compact loader maker MultiOne has topped out the models available in Britain through Compact Loaders UK with the new 11 Series machines.

With a familiar articulated chassis layout of front-mounted seating position and rear-mounted engine, the MultiOne 11.6K sports a 57hp Kohler diesel and 84-litre/min hydraulics to lift 2.54t from ground level.

The 11.9K, meanwhile, delivers greater performance thanks to a 75hp motor, 95-litre/min hydraulics and 2.62t of max lift, with both models taking loads to 3.7m with the telescopic boom extended.

Their two-range all-hydrostatic drive system includes traction control, torque distribution and cruise control speed regulation separate from engine revs.