Thorneycroft Dairy Farm has seen reduced maintenance costs, coupled with increased production efficiency, since replacing three tractors with a Manitou MLT 735 120 LSU, rough terrain telescopic handler.

“We were using three tractors as loaders, primarily to handle silage, wet grains and bales of feed,” recalls Thorneycroft’s Richard Newcombe. “However, we were using up clutches at an unacceptable rate, since tractors are not really designed for this type of work. This negatively impacted on production, as a tractor could be out of commission for a week every time the clutch burnt out. They were also very restricted in reach and speed of operation, plus they were nowhere near as fuel efficient as the Manitou. Our farms are getting bigger and we are handling higher volumes of materials, as well as more varieties of materials. This prompted us to call Manitou for a demonstration, and we have not looked back since that day.

“With the Manitou, we can stack more bales of hay or silage higher and faster than we ever could with tractors,” Newcombe continues. “It is such an efficient machine that it has reduced the amount of movements needed to load the feeder from up to 30 to 4. It can load double the fertilizer in one go, and we are using much less storage space, as a result of being able to stack bales six-high in the warehouse or yard, sealing the inside bales from the elements and thus maintaining feed quality.”

“On top of all these benefits comes the machines versatility,” he enthuses. “You can hook it up to a trailer and perform tasks normally left up to the tractors. It takes less than a minute to change attachments, and there are close to 40 available. The Manitou has improved our overall productivity and reduced operating costs – we offload trucks quicker, and there is no more undue downtime on our tractors, which are now used just for groundwork, harvesting and maintaining pastures. We have 4 operators trained by Manitou, which means we get more out of the machine, it lasts longer and operator safety is taken care of.”

The Manitou MLT incorporates a unique Manitou designed joystick with Switch-and-Move technology. The joystick enables operators to control functions such as direction, boom movement, gears, and steering, ensuring greater safety and efficiency. Efficiency is further enhanced with standard air-conditioning and a clean-fix system that cleans out the radiator every three minutes for a duration of 15 seconds. This is especially useful in a farming environment as it prevents the cooling system from becoming clogged. A built-in LSU (Load Sensing Ultra) system allows three simultaneous movements in less than 11 seconds – picking up, pushing up and pushing out of the boom.

South African farmers are increasingly seeing the benefits of mechanisation and following the example of their European and American counterparts by investing in multi-purpose equipment that can perform a host of farming activities despite rough terrain and climatic conditions. Manitou, established distributor of high-end telehandlers and rough terrain equipment, sets the standards in terms of quality, versatility, economical operation, ease of use and cab comfort.

Ranging from telescopic forklifts to rough terrain loaders, a Manitou machine clearly outperforms the average loader. It is more fuel efficient, more manoeuvrable, much more versatile in-doors and outside and does less damage to the ground surface. As the machine is significantly quieter to operate, there is also less stress on the animals.

Manitou not only offers on-site demonstrations, but services their machines on site or at one of several service facilities countrywide, while also offering operator training and licensing.