Our quickfire test of the Dieci Cotton Pro 70.10 telehandler
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Meet the Cotton Pro 70.10 telehandler by Dieci. While the Italian-made telehandler is an underdog in a highly competitive market that features the likes of JCB and Manitou, the big yellow Cotton Pro comes with some impressive credentials.
Based in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, Dieci developed Europe’s first-ever telescopic forklift in 1983 and since then has been selling its first-class telehandlers across the globe, with 85 per cent of its machines sold abroad.
The model tested here, the Cotton Pro 70.10, is a no-fuss machine that was being used at a cotton gin in rural New South Wales. As the name suggests, the 70.10 has a seven-tonne lift capacity and a 10-metre maximum reach (9.5m really).
Under the bonnet it boasts a four-cylinder Tier 3 FPT engine. It’s actually the machine’s best feature – a bullet-proof engine that is quite common and found in plenty of agricultural machinery, so therefore easy to get parts for.
Other key features of the Cotton Pro 70.10 include its cabin, which aside from making the driver feel like a star wars pilot, is super spacious and fitted with a comfortable air suspension seat and a booming air con system, which is a must for imports into Australia.
The cabin visibility is very good also, due to its 360-degree cabin and one-piece-glass windshield.
One gripe I have with machinery is with cabin layouts. Many manufacturers – especially in the tractor space – claim they have the superior cabin ergonomics, when in fact they don’t. The Dieci on the other hand is actually well laid out.
It is a simple interior, but when you’re flogging it around rural Australia in dirt and dust – or a cotton gin – you certainly don’t want anything crazy in terms of electronics. Dials, the radio and gauges are located in the right corner of the cabin, so you can see them without the steering wheel getting in the way, all in arm’s reach next to the boom hand controller.
A couple of features added to the machine for the Oz conditions include the “tropical cooling system”, an altered cooling system designed to suck up cotton, debris and dust instead it getting into the inter cooler.
Another necessary addition is the heat shields around the exhaust pipes, obviously to reduce fire hazards when dealing with cotton.
First experiences of a Dieci telehandler were really positive. You can certainly see why they sell 3,000-plus telehandlers a year, making Dieci one of the largest telehandler companies in the world.
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Photography: Steve Gonsalves