Archive, Features

Equipment focus: Manitou MLT 625 telehandler

Narrow passageways, steep meadow paths and a yard that is still under construction are all challenges that a Manitou MLT 625 telehandler is overcoming on Bernd Hackl’s farm in Germany.

Just a few months ago, the horse trainer relocated to his new farm in the eastern Bavarian area of Michelsneukirchen. There are currently 25-30 horses training and boarding there.

When the 7P Ranch project began, it was clear that both the redesign of the yard and the ongoing operation would require the purchase of a telehandler.

Hackl says the Manitou is used daily for loading hay and pushing and loading manure, but is also involved in work on new paddocks, the riding arena, the riding hall and the round pen, and creating trails.

With a lifting height of around 6m and a lifting capacity of up to 2.5 tonnes, he says the MLT 625 is proving to be a true all-rounder – not least because of attachments such as a bucket, pallet fork and bale spreader. The bucket is primarily used for transporting and distributing sand and gravel.

Carting hay is a daily task on the Bavarian property

Hackl says he was especially interested in a machine that was compact and simple to operate.

“We still had a telescopic loader from another manufacturer for on-site testing,” he says, “but it could not keep up with the Manitou MLT 625.

“We would probably have had to find a second, smaller solution as our paths here are sometimes very narrow and require agility. At only 1.81m wide and 2m high MLT 625 scores with its dimensions.”

Hackl also highly rates the 75hp Kubota engine and hydrostatic transmission, saying they provide comfort and high performance with low fuel consumption.

Simple operation was also an important factor in favour of the Manitou MLT 625, he says. After all he, his employees and his interns drive the Manitou daily.

Sufficient ground clearance and manoeuvrability, all-wheel steering and four-wheel drive have paid off when the telescopic handler goes off-road.

It has helped to build what Hackl calls the ‘Extreme Trail’ at the 7P Ranch. Built on a steep slope in the woods, it features steps, wooden bridges and other obstacles created to train the horses.

The next project for Hackl, in which the Manitou will play an active part, is the creation of species-appropriate stables with paddocks and space to move for the four-legged guests.

 

Send this to a friend