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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 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…

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

First drive: Manitou MLA-T 516 pivot-steer

Manitou has owned the Gehl and Mustang compact loader brands for more than a decade, but has only recently made the decision to start selling these machines in its own…

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…

MACHINERY

On test: JCB's 419S loading shovel brings extra muscle

Officially launched at Paris’ Sima show in February, JCB’s 419S loading shovel is now rolling down the firm’s Staffordshire production lines. As the main middleweight model in the company’s ag-spec…

Farmer tested: Five telehandlers on trial

Earlier this year a Dorset dairy farmer in the market for a new loader undertook a thorough evaluation of five telehandlers before settling on a surprising choice. Nick Fone got…

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…

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: 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…

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: 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

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…

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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…

TELEHANDLERS

JCB breaks new ground with its first electric telehandler

JCB has added to its electric machinery portfolio with a first zero-emissions telescopic Loadall. The unveiling of the new telehandler was timed to coincide with the government’s announcement in mid-November…

TELEHANDLERS

New Holland targets telehandler top five with new TH model

New Holland’s telehandler range has been given a fresh livery, a new name and a handful of internal tweaks that the company hopes will help it climb into the UK…

TELEHANDLERS

Video: Fendt's debut Cargo T955 telehandler on test

Not since the launch of JCB’s mid-engined, four-wheel steering Loadalls over 30 years ago has a telehandler defied convention quite like Fendt’s debut Cargo T955. Its hulking frame, high boom…

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

Ultimate guide to buying a telehandler 2023

More diminutive machines, small and light enough to be trailered behind a 4x4 SUV or pickup, feature in this year’s Ultimate Guide to telehandlers and telescopic wheeled loaders, among a…

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…

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

Ultimate guide to buying a telehandler 2019

Expanded ranges and a focus on operator well-being through new cabs and control layouts characterise the Farmers Weekly Ultimate Guide to telescopic handlers for 2019. For example, despite losing the…

TELEHANDLERS

Exvo enters skid-steer market with battery-electric handler

Farmers who like the nippiness of a skid-steer loader and the near-silence of electric drive can enjoy those characteristics in the same machine thanks to Exvo Electric, a new Irish…

TELEHANDLERS

Cat launches new M-series handler range

American giant Cat has launched three new handlers, designed specifically for the agricultural sector. The new M-series models feature a Cat 3.4-litre engine which develops 68hp and runs through a…

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TELEHANDLERS

Video: Fendt's debut Cargo T955 telehandler on test

Not since the launch of JCB’s mid-engined, four-wheel steering Loadalls over 30 years ago has a telehandler defied convention quite like Fendt’s debut Cargo T955. Its hulking frame, high boom…

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…

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…

MACHINERY

Video: Farmers in the driving seat at the Farm Handling event

Last week's Farm Handling Experience was the place to be for anyone looking to try out the latest telehandlers, tractors and loading shovels from some of Europe's biggest farm machinery…