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Know How / Telehandlers

Often the most-used machine on the farms – especially with pigs, sheep, beef or dairy cattle – so we cover new machines, first drives, user views and group tests of telescopic handlers (or telehandlers) for efficient materials handling, cleaning stock buildings, loading bales and shifting grain.

Latest telehandler articles

TELEHANDLERS

Lamma 2026: Kubota brings big SVL 75-3 skid-steer to the UK

National plans to increase solar capacity was a major motivator behind Kubota’s decision to bring its SVL 75-3 skid-steer handler to the UK. Its 1.7m width allows contractors to slink…

TELEHANDLERS

Lamma 2026: Compact JCB 526-60 gets swankier cab

JCB has lavished its compact Loadall telehandlers with some attention, fitting higher-spec cabs, improved brakes and twin-line trailer braking. The 526-60 is the smaller of the two models, benefiting from…

TELEHANDLERS

Lamma 2026: Stronger boom for Stoll TracLift loader

Farmers torn between Stoll’s budget Solid front loader and top-spec ProfiLine FZ need agonise no more, following the introduction of three mid-range TracLift models. Smallest of the trio is the…

TELEHANDLERS

Agritechnica 2025: Hybrid drive for prototype NH telehandler

Wacky styling isn’t the only novelty to be found on New Holland’s latest prototype 7m/4.2t telehandler. Rather than a traditional diesel engine, the TH Hybrid Power harnesses both electricity and…

TELEHANDLERS

Agritechnica 2025: More lift capacity for JCB’s 7m Loadalls

A brace of 7m machines has been added to JCB’s telehandler line-up, offering up to 24% more lift capacity than the current 542-70. The 546-70 is the lesser of the…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: Merlo TF30.7 - small frame, pokey hydraulics

A surge of farmers pining for more lifting and loading capacity without compromising on size has spawned a slew of pint-sized telehandlers. Merlo’s TF30.7 is one of the latest to…

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MACHINERY

Telehandler tyres get more versatile

Cross-ply tyres may have long been ditched on all but the most utilitarian tractor models, there is still an argument for employing them on a telehandler. “Our standard fitment across…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's View: Chris Brettell's Merlo TF42.7 CS

The TF42.7 is the flagship in Merlo’s mid-sized telehandler range and comes in a handful of configurations to suit different applications. Most variants are fitted with the same two-speed hydrostatic…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's view: Adam Symonds' Bobcat TL38.70 HF

Bobcat might be the first name in skid-steers, but it’s yet to find the same success on the telehandler scene. That’s gradually changing, with the Czech-based manufacturer focused on growing…

MACHINERY

Driven: JCB v Claas compact telehandlers

While the JCB beats the Claas on engine power, it suffers on hydraulic output and performance, lifts 400kg less and has a reach that extends 400mm less high. Watch the…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: Fendt broadens Cargo range with T740 telehandler

The world is littered with gizmos that no one ever asked for, yet somehow became integral to our lives. Lightbulbs, vaccines, airplanes and personal computers were all dismissed before they…

Pivot steers on test: Dieci and NC go head to head

Little artic-steer loaders are still the number-one choice for thousands of livestock farmers up and down the country, but with some big names dropping out of the market over the…

TELEHANDLERS

Telehandler test: Manitou MLT 741-140 V+ Elite

Manitou had a big shake-up of its telehandler ranges last year, adding a new cab and a handful of different transmission options. There’s a four-speed Powershuttle torque converter set-up, six-speed…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: Bobcat’s revamped TL43.80HF telehandler

While JCB may continue to occupy the long-coveted throne in the competitive telehandler market, Bobcat is becoming an increasingly viable challenger thanks to a drastic interior upgrade for its new…

On test: Merlo's new heavy-duty 50.8 telehandler

Merlo has added another model to its line-up of heavy-lifting farm-spec telehandlers in a bid to satisfy the insatiable demands for more capacity from Europe’s biggest arable farmers and biogas…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's View: John Cartledge's Kramer KT407 Ecospeed

Kramer’s handler range came to prominence following the conclusion of its manufacturing agreement with Claas in 2017, and its subsequent integration with John Deere’s dealer network. A year later, it…

MACHINERY

Telehandler test: Deici Agrifarmer

Hydraulics Engine Joystick Cab Maintenance Gallery Video Italian loader specialist Dieci produces around 1,800 machines per year and its Agri Farmer 26.6 model uses a 110 litres/min Bosch Rexroth pump.…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: Manitou returns to pivot market with its MLA-T

It might have a chequered past in the world of pivot-steer loaders, but Manitou has returned for another crack at a market monopolised by its old enemy, JCB. The French…

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Telehandler buyers guide

The exhaust emissions rules that have brought so many changes to tractors over the past 12-18 months are now affecting telescopic handlers too. Peter Hill reports Intro Centre cab Offset…

TELEHANDLERS

Telehandler test: JCB 541-70 AgriPro

JCB unveiled the new-look hybrid transmission back in spring 2016 to sit alongside its cheaper powershifting versions. There is a growing list of models equipped with the fancy gearbox and…

New products at Grassland and Muck 2008

There's nothing like a tour of the Grassland & Muck 2008 stands and working areas to get up to date with the latest in forage and waste machinery. Here Peter…

TELEHANDLERS

Tips for buying a used Matbro telehandler

JCB might be top dog in the telehandler world these days, but in the 1990s it couldn’t get a look in. Back then rival UK firm Matbro was king, and…

TELEHANDLERS

Lightweight JCB 403 proves a hit for Pembrokeshire farm

Harold, David and Berwyn Warlow run a brace of compact JCB 403 wheel loaders on their 300-cow dairy farm and beef unit near Narberth, Pembrokeshire. Duties for the pint-sized machines…

Contractors have a tough time on the road

Moving tractors, trailers and implements around the countryside can be fraught with difficulties. Andy Collings visited a Kent contractor who has the unenviable task of keeping five combines on the…

TELEHANDLERS

Merlo launches TF30.7 loader as successor to popular P32.6

Punters heading to the Royal Highland Show later this month will get an early look at Merlo’s new TurboFarmer 30.7 telehandler. This succeeds the firm’s popular P32.6 model (retired in…

Maids of all work

For sheer versatility the farm tele-handler is hard to beat. Interest in acquiring these day-to-day workhorses that can multi-task has steadily increased and the market is awash with options to…

TELEHANDLERS

Bobcat cuts fuel use on new S630 and S650 skid-steers

Upgrades to make the four-cylinder engine in Bobcat’s S630 and S650 skid-steer loaders cleaner and greener have yielded improved fuel consumption. A particulate filter is part of the Stage 5…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: Stacks of power in diddy JCB 530-60

JCB’s engineers have successfully completed telehandler themed Tetris by cramming almost all the components from the largest Loadalls into a package condensed in all dimensions. That makes the diminutive 530-60…

MACHINERY

Sima 2019: Tractors and telehandlers

New tractors and telehandlers stole the limelight at Sima, with Case, New Holland and a couple of lesser-known brands launching new models. Case Versum/New Holland T5 Sister brands Case-IH and…

TELEHANDLERS

Compact Merlo P30.7L loader fits into poultry sheds

By shrinking the dimensions of its compact agricultural telehandler, Merlo has created a 3t/7m machine that is able to work in pokey poultry sheds. Thanks to a redesigned chassis and…

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MACHINERY

Video: Loader test: Schaeffer v Weidemann

Power Farming Verdict Two well-built and closely matched rivals. If shed space is a tad tight then the Weidemann is the obvious choice. If you value your cab space then…

MACHINERY

Telehandler test: Claas Scorpion

Hydraulics Engine Joystick Cab Maintenance Gallery Video The Claas Scorpion is made by German loader specialist Kramer and its hydraulics (which come from Bosch Rexroth) push out 155 litres/minute. Working…

MACHINERY

Telehandler test: Deutz-Fahr Agrovector 29.6

Hydraulics Engine Joystick Cab Maintenance Gallery Video Loader specialist JLG makes the Deutz-Fahr Agrovector loader. Powering the hydraulics is a Bosch Rexroth pump with a maximum flow of 102 litres/minute…

MACHINERY

Driven: JCB v Claas compact telehandlers

While the JCB beats the Claas on engine power, it suffers on hydraulic output and performance, lifts 400kg less and has a reach that extends 400mm less high. Watch the…