Bobcat recently launched its biggest ag-spec telehandler to date, taking the firm’s farm-focused machines to the dizzying heights of an 8m reach and 4.3t capacity.

The moves sees the TL 43.80 HF slot in neatly ahead of the previous top dog – the 38.70 – and should help bolster what Bobcat says is an already growing market share in the UK.

In fact, Bobcat has only recently turned its hand to selling telehandlers in its own glossy white livery for the farming market – a job it previously left to Massey Ferguson through a rebranding exercise arrangement that still continues.

The seven telehandler models ranging from 2.6t to 4.3t are built in north-west France, while Bobcat’s other factory in the Czech Republic caters for the skidsteers.

See also: Telehandler test: Bobcat TL 38.70 HF Agri

Engine

All of the telehandlers run a Doosan engine – an arrangement that formed after the South Korean giant bought Bobcat from Ingersoll Rand back in 2007.

Packing a fairly modest 130hp and 3.4 litres, the powerplant is fairly small compared with most rivals – the likes of JCB offers closer to 150hp and carries roughly 35% more cylinder space. However, in our previous experience with the Doosan engine we’ve never found it wanting.

It uses a combination of exhaust gas recirculation, a catalyst and AdBlue to deal with emissions, so there’s no particulate filter to deal with, either.

Features of note include an eco-mode to lower engine rpm, noise and fuel consumption where all-out power isn’t required and a fan reverser that can be programmed to run intermittently (though it’s a bit of a faff to set up).

Transmission

Both the engine and transmission remain unchanged from the smaller TL 38.70, so in the driveline department there’s the same twin-range hydro-mechanical gearbox (albeit sitting inside a heavier-duty chassis).

This comes with an auto-shift function, but forward speed can also be set independently of engine rpm where it’s necessary to have high revs at a steady pace, such as on straw blowers or feeder buckets.

Forward and reverse are selected on either the joystick or left-hand shuttle, though the latter is too easily confused for the indicator stalk.

Small but useful luxuries extend to an automatically engaging parking brake that disengages once the throttle is dabbed. There’s also some tank-grade underbelly protection that should protect moving parts from damage.

Cab and hydraulics

Bobcat has stuck with its no-frills but perfectly functional five-post cab, which uses a piece of curved glass in the rear right corner to improve the view backwards.

The basics are pretty good, with hard-wearing materials, plenty of storage space and simple controls. However, if you’re looking for fancy extras such as auto bucket shake or a return-to-position system then you’ll have to shop elsewhere.

The firm’s top-end machines come with a high-flow hydraulic system with 190-litres/min load-sensing pump that delivers better cycle times, as well as boom cushioning, flow adjustment for the auxiliary valves and an automatic pressure release system for attaching hydraulic pipes to the third service.

There’s also a new Z-bar boom linkage that has extended the working angle to 152deg after complaints on previous models that it didn’t tilt enough to fully empty a bucketload of muck. That linkage has also bolstered breakout force, which Bobcat reckons is close to 7t.

The added capacity – largely achieved by increasing the counterweight at the back – means it should handle a 3.5cu m bucket fairly comfortably, too.

However, the company is unlikely to build anything bigger for the agricultural market in the near future – it says that there’s no demand for higher lift capacities and taking reach to 9m will need a completely redesigned three-stage boom.