German handler specialist Kramer is the latest firm to target farmers who want a telehandler with decent power and reach but with more compact dimensions.

Although not a name that every UK farmer will be familiar with, the Bavarian company makes some 3000 machines a year, including full-size telehandlers for Claas since 2005. Part of the huge Wacker Neuson group, it was the first maker to have all-wheel steering in the form of the popular 312SL in 1987.

1245 (left)

Look around any farm machinery show and you’ll spot quite a number of ultra-compact handlers. But Kramer’s new 1245 model is the first centre-boom model to get quite this small.

With a width of just 1.56m and a height of less than 2m, it will appeal to pig and poultry farmers. And its 1.2t lift capacity and 4.3m lift height means it can still load into trucks.

Power comes from a three-cylinder 1.3 litre Yanmar unit mustering 32hp and it’s available in 20kph and four-wheel steer version only.

There’s the choice of basic roll-bar or proper cab, the latter with an internal width of 620mm which makes for a compact but comfortable working environment.

2506 (below)

This compact machine gives the firm a 5m lift height telehandler for the first time, slotting in below the company’s existing 7m lift height 3307 and 4507 models. With a width and height of less than 2m, it’s designed to get into cramped sheds and tight yards.

It has a maximum lift of 2.5t and a compact cab. The latter can be specified with steering column adjustment, air suspension seat and air-conditioning.

The standard machine comes with four-wheel steer only, which (as the company points out) is what most farmers use most of the time. However, front axle steering and crab-steer options are available too.

Inside the cab, there is a new joystick with illuminated controls (so you can see what you’re doing at night) and a button to control a third hydraulic function at the front of the stick.

Hydrostatic transmission is standard, as on all Kramer machines, and there’s the option of 20kph and 30kph top speeds. 100% diff lock on the front axle is standard.

The engine is a 2.3 litre unit from Deutz with 65hp and exhaust gas recirculation to meet the latest emissions regulations.

The transmission is a new electronically-controlled unit from Sauer Danfoss, which replaces the hydraulically-controlled Rexroth unit used in some of the company’s other machines.

Electronic control gives the maker the ability to tailor the power curve to the type of work the machine will have to do, says the firm’s product manager Andreas Breunig, as well as programme in safety features. It’s also not dependent for performance on the vagaries of oil temperature or viscosity.

Hydraulic power comes from an 85 litres/min high-pressure (400bar) open-centre system. There’s no load-sensing, says the company, but the high-pressure it works at makes it very efficient.

World loader markets

Wheeled loaders

• The world market for wheeled loaders is 15,000-17,000 a year, reckons Kramer. Of those, some 50% go to Europe, 29% go to the Far East and just 19% go to the USA.

• Last year that figure fell below 10,000 thanks to the global economic downturn.

• Wheel loader sales are rising, while skid steer loader sales are falling.

• Within Europe, Germany is the biggest buyer of this type of machine, accounting for 58% of sales. The UK accounted for just 3% of sales.

Telehandlers

• The world market for telehandlers is between 24,000 and 25,000 annually, but it can rise to 50,000 in a good year.

• About 50% of all telehandlers are bought by agricultural users.

• Western Europe is the biggest market, accounting for 62% of all sales. Within that, the UK and France are the two biggest markets.

• North America accounts for some 20% of telehandler sales and Eastern Europe 7%.