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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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Driver's view: Manitou MLT 731 telehandler

Considering buying a used sub-£30,000 telehandler? James Andrews visits a seasoned punter to see if Manitou should make your shortlist. If you are shopping around for a used, mid-sized telehandler…

GRASSLAND AND MAIZE EQUIPMENT

Driver's view: Norfolk contractors' Claas Torion 1812 shovel

We get the lowdown on the Claas Torion 1812 loading shovel run by Norfolk contracting outfit Spring Farm Partnership. A pair of long-in-the-tooth loading shovels – a Volvo L110 and…

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: 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…

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

Telehandler test: 5 mid-sized loaders battle it out

This winter’s big machinery test is all about lifting and shifting as we thrash out the winners and losers in the rigid-framed telehandler market. Although a little thinner in participants…

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…

MACHINERY

Video: Pint-sized telehandler from New Holland

The LM5020 is a neat machine with impressive lift and reach, but low transport speeds mean it's best suited to yard-based duties. For those wanting to travel further or tow,…

TELEHANDLERS

On test: JCB's new TM420S pivot-steer telehandler

Launched a couple of years ago, JCB’s TM420 was the biggest pivot-steer telehandler the company had ever built, offering a 4t lift capacity and more than 5.4m vertical reach. But…

TELEHANDLERS

New developments to telehandlers offer improved efficiency

Telehandlers are one of the hardest-worked machines on arable farms and a host of new developments promise to streamline operations such as handling bags of fertiliser and seed. With their latest…

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…

Telehandler buying advice

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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

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…

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

Bobcat upgrades cab for new R-series telehandlers

Bobcat has tarted up its telehandler range, as it bids to double production by 2025. The new seven-model R-series includes three relatively compact models – the TL26.60 (the only one…

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

Merlo goes electric with full-size Turbofarmer telehandler

Buoyed by the success of its compact E-worker, Merlo has introduced a full-size electric agricultural telehandler that has a 7m boom and can lift 4.3t. The TFe 43.7 promises similar…

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

Tech start-up ManuRob debuts autonomous handler

In the pipeline for a little over three years, tech start-up ManuRob unveiled its Loadix autonomous handler for the first time after recently beginning farm trials.   Able to move…

TELEHANDLERS

Bobcat's TL25.60e electric telehandler to rival JCB

Bobcat is the latest telehandler maker to add a compact electric model to its fleet. The TL25.60e is still officially a concept and has yet to enter full production but,…

TELEHANDLERS

Compact 130hp 530-60 Agri Super joins JCB Loadall range

JCB’s vast Loadall range has grown again, this time with the addition of the new 530-60 Agri Super.  It offers a 3t lift capacity and 6m reach, but with relatively compact…

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…

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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…

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…

MACHINERY

Video: Pint-sized telehandler from New Holland

The LM5020 is a neat machine with impressive lift and reach, but low transport speeds mean it's best suited to yard-based duties. For those wanting to travel further or tow,…

TELEHANDLERS

Video: Massey 9305Xtra - the good, the bad and the ugly

Massey Ferguson has been working along side Sambron and Bobcat to produce telehandlers, for over twenty years but they still haven’t taken off in the UK. Its latest offering, the…