I am looking for a bit more reach. Last we bought a new 16 row planter with center fill hoppers. They hold about 50, 50lb bags of seed or 2500 lbs. Last year we used bags of seed lifted up to the planter and removed the bags by hand to fill the hopper. Do this about 10-12 times with pallets of seed and it gets to be a chore. This year we want to use 2500 lb boxes of seed. The box needs to centered over the planter to dump. The skid steer with box on pallet forks, does not have the reach to dump over the center. I only need lift height of about 7-8' but 4-5' reach.
The other issue with most skid steers, is we often work alone. This requires getting out of the cab with the lift in the air. Never liked walking under anything lifted. (If the skid had failed the load would have landed on the planter but there are times when I have no choice.)
The increased height is always a plus to use with manlift to work on buildings, trim trees, work on irrigation pivots etc. I have an 8' tall manlift I use with forks now on the Toolcat and skid steer and it gives me good height but I could have more with the additional 16-18' lifts of a compact telehandler.
My dealer says the bobcat compact telehandler v417, is designed to push/dig. He says it will out dig my large frame skid steer. He said I can dig a basement if I wanted to. Some telehandler booms are designed with chains or cables in the boom combined with hydraulic cylinder to get the higher lifts. Usually seen with 3 stage booms. This model is designed only with a cylinder and 2 stage boom. I found a used one with 450 hours but BC has $4500 rebates at this time on new units.
It seems compact telehandlers have been much more common in Europe but have caught on in the US the past several years. Supposedly they are the fastest growing segment in the telehandler industry the past several years. The cost of the compacts are much less than the big boys. Weight of compacts are usually 9-11,000 lbs vs over 20,000 lbs for the big boys. Easier to haul the small ones.
I love the power of the bigger skid steers and the visibility up front is great. Can a compact telehandler replace my skid? Could I place a wireless backup camera on the boom with monitor in the cab to see the front better?
:thumbsup:
