Which Telehandler?

[Magik22]

I’m looking to purchase a telehandler but after some advice before I start seriously looking. Budget is £20k so it’s going to be a used machine, will be used to general livestock farm work but not towing much, although that would be a bonus if it can. Will also be used for access with a man basket quite a lot, so the longer the reach the better. So a machine that’s somewhere in between a farm and builders would be ideal, if such a thing exists! I’ve had a merlo on hire which seemed a good machine apart from it beeping at everything! Open to any suggestions. Thanks in advance

 

[Farmer_Joe]

i have a 526 jcb 2006, main reason is its a light machine for going on the fields, that said its still dont travel like a tractor on land.

Problem is its only its not the longest boom but i would not wanna go in a man basket any higher than it can reach!!

the longer the boom the heavier it will get, a friend has a manitou 12.5m reach is a great machine for doing that task but its numb and extremely heavy, i would not even consider using it for any farm tasks and its rubbish on soft ground, but for lifting roof joists on its great, anything else 526 is way better.

 

[deleted user 837354]

By the sounds of it you want one of those naughty 9m machines with no legs?

 

[Adam@Rumen]

On JCBs, I think it'll be hard to find anything above a 7 metre boom and a pickup hitch. Not impossible, but pretty rare.

 

[quattro]

On JCBs, I think it'll be hard to find anything above a 7 metre boom and a pickup hitch. Not impossible, but pretty rare.

535/95 would do the job

 

[Magik22]

In all fairness, I’ve currently got a loader tractor with a Chillton Mx75 loader on so any telehandler is going to be a massive improvement! Reliability and simplicity is also a priority for me, as with any machine I think the less electronics the better!

 

[David.]

I’m looking to purchase a telehandler but after some advice before I start seriously looking. Budget is £20k so it’s going to be a used machine, will be used to general livestock farm work but not towing much, although that would be a bonus if it can. Will also be used for access with a man basket quite a lot, so the longer the reach the better. So a machine that’s somewhere in between a farm and builders would be ideal, if such a thing exists! I’ve had a merlo on hire which seemed a good machine apart from it beeping at everything! Open to any suggestions. Thanks in advance

If you are using the man basket to hoist humans quite a lot, your £20k loader needs to be capable of passing 6 monthly tests if you are to be legal. I'd venture that will thin out your choices a bit.

 

[Chuckie]

Some very cheap looking industrial spec JCB's in Richie brothers auction today

 

[Magik22]

It’s not going to be hoisting humans that often so a loler cert shouldn’t be necessary.
Are all the manufacturers fairly similar? Most around me seem to have Merlo, probably because that’s what the closest dealer supplies! Manitou and JCB not as popular

 

[ACEngineering]

It’s not going to be hoisting humans that often so a loler cert shouldn’t be necessary.
Are all the manufacturers fairly similar? Most around me seem to have Merlo, probably because that’s what the closest dealer supplies! Manitou and JCB not as popular

All telehandlers by law need to have a loler test every 12months, if you own a man cage then both the cage and the handler need a test every 6months.

You also said it will be using a man basket quite a lot in your first post

 

[Magik22]

So I did...Maybe I should stick to a ladder...

 

[vantage]

So I did...Maybe I should stick to a ladder...

Hope the handbrake was good!

 

[Grass And Grain]

All telehandlers by law need to have a loler test every 12months, if you own a man cage then both the cage and the handler need a test every 6months.

You also said it will be using a man basket quite a lot in your first post

Thorough examination
Thorough examination is to protect both operators and other people in the vicinity of lifting operations who may be at risk if the lifting equipment suddenly fails.

Equipment which lifts loads over, or in close proximity to people, should be thoroughly examined.

Lifting equipment such as:

• Fork-lift trucks and foreloaders on tractors without adequate operator protection or where other people are working in the close vicinity will need thorough examination; and
• Foreloaders on tractors with safety cabs, telehandlers, and fork-lift trucks with operator protection and where no other people work in the vicinity will not normally need thorough examination.

As above, HSE say that telehandlers DO NOT require a thorough examination if operated in the circumstances as in the last paragraph. So if, for example, you are loading grain, then no inspection required.

That said, and to be practical, if you are lifting something such as a silage bale and someone is working in close proximity, then inspection is required.

That's how I would understand it anyway.

 

[Farmer_Joe]

old jcb site machine cheap and cheerful should be reliable too.

just get std get box and levers for controls rather than joystick

 

[ACEngineering]

Thorough examination
Thorough examination is to protect both operators and other people in the vicinity of lifting operations who may be at risk if the lifting equipment suddenly fails.

Equipment which lifts loads over, or in close proximity to people, should be thoroughly examined.

Lifting equipment such as:

• Fork-lift trucks and foreloaders on tractors without adequate operator protection or where other people are working in the close vicinity will need thorough examination; and
• Foreloaders on tractors with safety cabs, telehandlers, and fork-lift trucks with operator protection and where no other people work in the vicinity will not normally need thorough examination.

As above, HSE say that telehandlers DO NOT require a thorough examination if operated in the circumstances as in the last paragraph. So if, for example, you are loading grain, then no inspection required.

That said, and to be practical, if you are lifting something such as a silage bale and someone is working in close proximity, then inspection is required.

That's how I would understand it anyway.

so farmers never use there handler to load or unload lorry's etc? never have random public members in the yard? contractors? the list goes on and on. Plus some insurance firms wont insure you with out it.

 

[Magik22]

It seems that this has taken a turn toward a health and safety debate. I will endeavour to make sure the machine I purchase has a current loler certificate...as I’m sure all of the other machines working in agriculture also have. However important H&S is, it would be great if I could drag this back to the current decision I need to make, which brand/model of machine would be suitable?
There’s a jcb 535-95 2004 I’ve found which sounds promising...? Thanks for the replies so far

 

[ewald]

How much space do you have? How much use will you make of the long reach?

I use a 6m machine - really handy, if I need a bigger machine now and then it can be borrowed - nothing wrong with a 535-95, but it is a beast if you are using it in confined spaces
(On the H&S side, you shouldn’t use a man platform if the machine is over 6m anyway)

 

[wuddy]

It seems that this has taken a turn toward a health and safety debate. I will endeavour to make sure the machine I purchase has a current loler certificate...as I’m sure all of the other machines working in agriculture also have. However important H&S is, it would be great if I could drag this back to the current decision I need to make, which brand/model of machine would be suitable?
There’s a jcb 535-95 2004 I’ve found which sounds promising...? Thanks for the replies so far

We have two 535-95s not had any problems with them (one is 15 years old the other 4) both came here s/h ex construction machines but had been specced with joystick/pickup hitch and the larger (125hp???) engines other than that they are pretty basic! The newer one replaced a 1998 530/70 which was a great little forklift just lacking in reach for us!

 

[Magik22]

My older buildings are a little tight but my loader tractor manages fine navigating its way around, new building have plenty of space but I can only use just over half of the height because lack of lifting height on the loader.

There’s a merlo 28.9 which could be a possibility, looks like a slightly smaller machine and with slightly more lifting capacity at full boom, although I’m not sure how stable it would be at full boom with any weight on it and weighing a ton less than the jcb

 

[Planttech]

Thorough examination
Thorough examination is to protect both operators and other people in the vicinity of lifting operations who may be at risk if the lifting equipment suddenly fails.

Equipment which lifts loads over, or in close proximity to people, should be thoroughly examined.

Lifting equipment such as:

• Fork-lift trucks and foreloaders on tractors without adequate operator protection or where other people are working in the close vicinity will need thorough examination; and
• Foreloaders on tractors with safety cabs, telehandlers, and fork-lift trucks with operator protection and where no other people work in the vicinity will not normally need thorough examination.

As above, HSE say that telehandlers DO NOT require a thorough examination if operated in the circumstances as in the last paragraph. So if, for example, you are loading grain, then no inspection required.

That said, and to be practical, if you are lifting something such as a silage bale and someone is working in close proximity, then inspection is required.

That's how I would understand it anyway.

If you are loading a lorry with grain there will be a person in the vicinity, the driver. I think if there was an accident involving a farmer lifting a round bale and hse got involved, they would say it should of had one.