Compact farmhands

Lifting 2.5t to a height of 6.0m with a tractor front loader is a challenge, more so if you expect the combination to fit through a 2.0m x 2.0m barn door. It is here where the following compact telehandlers come into their own:

• Faresin 6.26 Classic 52

• JCB 525-60

• Kramer KT276

• Manitou MLT625-75H Elite

• Merlo P27.6 Top

There was plenty of work waiting for them. Filling diet feeders, mucking out, mounding, and moving assorted muck and soil, stacking bales, handling pallets and more. Our experience of working with the machines will appear in Part 2 of the test in the January issue of profi.

For Part 1, we look at the handlers overall performance and key stats to see how they compare but with a brief caveat. Due to a range of different tyre sizes fitted to the test machines, some of the key dimensions will be subject to change but these models are otherwise comparable. Size and key specifications are listed in the table ‘Measurements and technical data’.

Lift power

One of the core criteria when selecting a telehandler is its lift power. Here, the test machines delivered maximum lifts of between 3,393daN and 5,590daN, the Manitou MLT625-75H topping the table. All five machines develop maximum lift above 3.00m due to the position of the rams. In terms of continuous lift, the Manitou again lead, recording 3,413daN, both the Merlo and Faresin bringing up the rear at 2,706daN.

Breakout force on