The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Telehandlers shuffle names in heavyweight battle for harvest
Big-hitters are back with plenty of innovations and technical improvements – though manufacturers have been trading roles
There’s change and no change among telehandlers for the forthcoming harvest thanks to new manufacturer alliances.
Claas still names its machines Scorpion but they are now built in partnership with construction machinery giant Liebherr, while former partner Kramer now distributes the machines that used to carry the stinging arachnid’s moniker itself.
And thanks to a new partnership, many Kramer handlers are now being channelled through the John Deere dealer network.
The new Claas Scorpion range comprises seven models with lift capacities from 3.2 tonnes to 5.6 tonnes and lift heights of 6.1m, just under and just over 7m, and a high-lifting 9.75m for those who want to assemble bales into big stacks.
Cooling for the Deutz engines has been upgraded with variable fan speed control to minimise power losses and Dynamic Power on the 746 and 756 models regulates engine speed, according to hydraulic power demand as deter- mined by joystick movement. Meanwhile, the former Scorpion machines are now all turned out in Kramer’s agricultural green as the KT series with lift capacities from 3.0 to 5.5 tonnes and lift heights of 6.15m, 7.0m and 8.75m.
That means they neatly complement the manufacturer’s smaller offset cab telehandlers and the mid-cab fourwheel steer machines.
Lesser models in the ‘new’ KT series have conventional hydrostatic drive but all the others have the intelligent Ecospeed transmission that can manage itself according to load and speed demands, with the larger capacity Ecospeed Pro version adding engine speed management to its capabilities.
Hydrostatic drive also features in JCB’s Agri Pro models but in the novel Dual Tech VT transmission, which combines hydrostatic and mechanical powershift for what JCB describes as “the best of both worlds” performance characteristics.
In other words, it brings the low-speed manoeuvring control of hydro drive – just press the accelerator to move off and regulate speed, ease off the accelerator pedal to slow down and stop – with the power efficiency at higher speeds of direct mechanical drive.
The two transmission elements automatically switch between each other at 19kph, and the three-speed powershift can operate in auto for road journeys, travelling either singly or towing.
Operators can even select different strategies to get the characteristics best suited to different jobs, to either make life easier, maximise digging power or minimise noise and fuel consumption.
Among these is the facility to fix engine revs to extract the hydraulics performance needed to drive the hydraulic motors on a feed dispenser or straw spreader and then vary ground speed independently using the accelerator pedal.
The same strategy can be used when loading or re-handling to avoid repeatedly having the engine rev away before idling again; simply set the revs needed for good boom performance and operate the hydro transmission through the pedal.
Just press the accelerator to move off and regulate speed, ease off the accelerator pedal to slow down and stop