A telescopic handler for work all year

“Job story”
Bobcat
A telescopic handler for work all year
Nowadays, more and
more farms cannot do
without telescopic handlers.
By Mariusz Chrobot
Bobcat Company, known all over the
world for its skid-steer loaders, also offers a range of telescopic handlers with
lift heights from 5 up to 17 metres, including several telehandler models
which are ideal for agricultural applications. This should not be surprising, as
the company’s original sector of activity
is agriculture. Krzysztof Nowicki had
an opportunity to see and try a Bobcat machine for himself, as virtually all
material-handling and loading work on
his farm for the past one and a half years
has been performed by a Bobcat T3571
telescopic handler.
“To me, Bobcat is simply ‘the telescopic
handler.’There is nothing more to say, because this says it all,” comments Krzysztof Nowicki about the T3571. “Ever since
I bought
this machine, it has done all the material-handling and loading jobs on my
farm.”
Krzysztof Nowicki has a 180 ha farm in
Giecz, in the Wielkopolskie province
in Poland,
where
he
grows cereals, potatoes,
carrots and
onions. Potatoes and
other vegetables are
delivered
for cleaning
and sorting
to a storage hangar
built
four
years ago.
The Bobcat T3571 plays the main role
in these material-handling operations.
“25 tons,” he emphasizes, “are handled
every day by my Bobcat telehandler.”
The T3571 has been working for at least
1,300 hours and, according to its owner,
has already handled around 12,000 tons
of products.
The versatility of the machine can be
demonstrated by the fact that thanks
to having his own telescopic handler,
Krzystof Nowicki was able to save more
than ten thousand zloty (€2,500) during the construction of the new hangar,
where his crops are stored, washed and
sorted. “I used the Bobcat telehandler
to do everything connected with the
preparation and construction of the
foundations for the new building.” explains Krzysztof Nowicki. “Instead of
renting a telehandler, I simply made
full use of the lifting and carrying capabilities of my telehandler. I saved a good
deal of money that I can now invest in
my farm.” Before Krzysztof Nowicki purchased his Bobcat telescopic handler,
everything used to be handled by a
tractor with front loader. It was a good
solution, but it also had its drawbacks.
Bobcat job story
2
In tight, narrow spaces every centimetre counts. Bobcat telescopic handlers,
including the T3571 model, offer three
steering modes. When picking up loads
near walls or within irregularly shaped
spaces, it is best to use the “crab steering” mode. When loading in confined
spaces, the “all-wheel steer” mode enables the machine to turn within the
smallest radius.
The drawbacks turned out to be so significant that Krzysztof decided to buy a
Bobcat telehandler. “To load a semi-trailer, I had to order a low bed or struggle
with arranging access ramps,” says the
farmer. Thanks to the telehandler , all
lift and carry problems have simply disappeared. “A 4-metre high container?
– he stresses – “I don’t give it a thought.
Any trailer or semi-trailer is fine, the only
thing that matters is
the capacity. Loading is not an issue. especially because the
boom arm retracts
and extends fast, even
when loaded. Any trailer can be filled
evenly and piles of potatoes or carrots
can be transferred easily from one spot
to another,” he remarks.
To Krzysztof Nowicki, ease of operation is essential. On my farm,
the machine is
used by everyone
who works here.
As Krzysztof says,
“It needs to be
fool-proof
and
capable of forgiving the operator’s
mistakes. That is
the way my Bobcat telehandler is.”
At
Krzysztof’s
farm, the machine’s
agility matters a lot.
For user safety, all Bobcat telehandlers
also offer as standard a third steering
mode where just the front wheels steer.
Front-wheel steering is used to enable
the telescopic handler to tow trailers on
public roads at speeds up to 30 km/h.
Bobcat telescopic handlers are known
not only for their ease of operation and
low operating cost. The machine’s service life is ensured by the right service
and maintenance. Krzysztof Nowicki admits that he never performs the maintenance operations himself, even though
the warranty period has expired. “I leave
it to a professional service technician
from
a
nearby authorized
Bobcat telehandler
dealer.”
www.bobcat.eu