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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…

Telehandler reviews and tests

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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

Telehandlers on test: Kramer KT407

In an extension of our telehandler test in the 4t lift and 7m reach category, we have taken a look at the best-selling rigid-frame machines from Kramer, Claas, Cat and…

TELEHANDLERS

MF 9305 Xtra telehandler test - pulling power meets comfort

In the corporate world of farm machinery, there’s an expression that gets bandied about on a regular basis – “a full-line offering”. While this may sound like standard corporate guff,…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: JCB's debut battery-electric Loadall - the 525-60E

JCB has boarded the battery-electric bandwagon, with the first production models of its 525-60E telehandler now whizzing around inner-city building sites, industrial warehouses and posh equine units. But while those…

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: Volvo L45G loading shovel

Apart from enormous silage operations and vast grain storage units, pivoting, fixed-reach loading shovels have never made huge waves in the agricultural sector and the telehandler remains the machine of…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's View: Harry Whiteman's Claas Scorpion 741 Gen 2

As the name suggests, the Scorpion 741 Generation 2 is the second iteration of Claas’ Liebherr-built 7m/4t telehandler. The standout upgrade from the original is a power hike from 136hp…

TELEHANDLERS

Telehandler test: Dieci Agri Plus 40.7 VS Evo2

Dieci offers a massive range of agricultural telehandlers covering almost every combination of lift capacity and reach you can think of. At the bottom end there’s the diminutive Agrovector 25.5,…

TELEHANDLERS

Driver's View: John Walker's JCB Loadall 542-70 Agri Xtra 

As the second largest telehandler in JCB’s extensive agricultural range, the Loadall 542-70 is geared up for handling large grain buckets, bale grabs and bag lifters. Four versions are available…

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…

First Drive: Caterpillar TH336C handler

Power Farming Verdict The TH336C seems to be a good machine. Its power is impressive - even with the standard 124hp motor - and the transmission manages to put it…

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…

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Merlo telehandler lends a hand in Channel 4’s Scrapheap Challe...

Channel 4’s ever-popular TV engineering game show - Scrapheap Challenge - will hit UK screens in 2007 for its ninth series, this time with help from a Merlo telehandler.  The programme’s format…

MACHINERY

Tips for farmers buying a second-hand JCB telehandler

Love a pivot-steer but reluctant to splash the cash on a spanking new one? We get the lowdown on potential trouble spots on JCB’s bend-in-the-middle TM310S from Dai Thomas at…

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…

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…

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

Revolutionary steering slashes turning circle

In what must be one of the first loaders in the world to be steered by two separate methods, German maker Thaler has released its 3248T-5A loader, which has both…

TELEHANDLERS

Merlo unveils new range-topping telehandler

Merlo has added a new telehandler at the top of its current ag-spec Turbo Farmer line-up that replaces the P55.9 CS. The TF65.9 model boasts some hefty lifting statistics, with…

TELEHANDLERS

How to maintain a Merlo telehandler to get the best from it

Merlo might play third fiddle in the telehandler rankings to JCB and Manitou, but the Italian brand’s compact models take a bit of beating. Combining powerful hydraulics with some careful…

TELEHANDLERS

Ultimate guide to buying a telehandler 2025

Anyone intending to invest in a new telescopic materials handler this year will find a wider choice of makes and models than ever. Most manufacturers and importers have responded to…

TELEHANDLERS

Video: On test – JCB 541-70 v Dieci 40.7 telehandlers

Earlier this year, JCB launched a new hybrid transmission that promised to bridge the gap between the structured steps of a torque convertor gearbox and the seamless ratios offered by…

TELEHANDLERS

Ultimate guide to buying a telehandler 2021

The appearance of an electrically powered, full-size telescopic handler for the first time is one of the highlights of the 2021 Ultimate Guide to telehandlers. JCB’s 6m, 2.5t-lift Loadall 525-60E…

LAMMA

Lamma 2019: Tractors and telehandlers steal the show

This year marked the first of the Lamma show's new era at Birmingham's indoor National Exhibition Centre.  The event is showcasing not just large machinery manufacturers, but also smaller agricultural…

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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…

Video: Ropa cleaner loader gives customer benefits

Suffolk sugar beet contractor Ken Rush has cut labour, compaction and fuel use with a clever German-made self-loading and self-propelled beet cleaner-loader. Called the Ropa EuroMaus, it is one of…

MACHINERY

Telehandler test: JCB

Hydraulics Engine Joystick Cab Maintenance Gallery Video JCB fits the 572-58 with a Walterscheid pump sporting a maximum 122litres/min of oil throughput. Its 2.7t lift at our special measuring point…

Farm Handling Experience comes to the South West

After the success of the national Farm Handling Experience in April, Farmers Weekly is running another machinery handling event, this time in the South West. The new event is on…