Archive, Features

Cover story: Dieci telehandlers cater to farm needs

No matter your on-farm needs, Dieci Australia has a telehandler designed to suit

Customising its telehandlers for different agricultural uses is what sets Dieci machines apart, according to the company’s national dealer manager Tony Lockwood.

Rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach, Dieci Australia offers telehandlers purpose-built for specific industries, with three examples being its Poultry Pro, Piggery Pro and Cotton Pro units.

Lockwood believes the secret to Dieci’s success has stemmed from creating quality Italian-made machines that meet specific needs and are backed up by reliable support.

“The quality of the product is solid, they are easy to maintain, easy to get parts for and have good serviceability,” he says.

“We have a great dealer network out in the rural areas, so it’s easy to get service and tech support if any issues do arise.

“We specialise in more of a custom-type telehandler than a generic, off the shelf machine. We customise our machines for the actual market.

“If you look specifically at the Cotton Pro and the Poultry Pro, these are specifically built to their markets and have been developed over the years to improve them. I think that’s probably where we do things a little bit different from others – we work towards building a solution product.”


Dieci Cotton Pro

Far from being an afterthought or the result of minor additions to the range, the Poultry Pro is one of the company’s biggest sellers in Australia.

“The hay sector and poultry sector are our two biggest in terms of farming,” Lockwood says.

“The Poultry Pro is well accepted across the industry and tried and tested.”

Capable of handling up to three tonnes, the Poultry Pro has features designed for the unique requirements of the industry. It has smaller wheels and a low cabin height to help operators navigate more efficiently. Its compact design enables it to fit into sheds and under gantries, which are typically used for feeding.

The Poultry Pro also has a custom-designed air filter system, Kubota diesel engine, double reversing fan, rollover boomhead for efficient bucket emptying and LED lights designed to avoid startling poultry.

A maximum lifting height of 6.35m adds versatility to the Poultry Pro, which can produce up to 98 horsepower (73.4kW) and can reach speeds of 35km/h.


The Poultry Pro is among Dieci’s best sellers

Dieci’s other biggest seller is the versatile Agri Plus 40.7 – an all-round telehandler that is especially popular for hay handling.

“It’s got all the bits and pieces that farmers need to fill their day-to-day requirements and it’s extremely reliable,” Lockwood says.

“One of the challenges in the ag sector, especially in Australia, is machines overheating.

“Obviously we work and live in one of the harshest environments in the world so they come with a solid conditioning system. They also have a cooling pack that’s actually removed from the engine and placed at the back of the machine.

“By removing the cooling pack and putting it at the back to the machine, it lessens the chance of it getting full of junk materials. It stops it from overheating and gives its maximum ability to cool.”

Sitting in the middle of Dieci’s range, the fourtonne Agri Plus 40.7 model is powered by a 125hp (92kW), Tier 3 FPT engine and has a maximum travel speed of 40km/h.

It can be equipped with two types of transmission: the PS Power Shift transmission, with six-speed manual or automatic gearbox, or the innovative VS Vario System hydrostatic transmission.

Fitted with bigger tyres, boom suspension and a suspension seat designed to make operation more comfortable, the Agri Plus 40.7 also allows for 146-degree movement of the bucket that allows for it to be fully emptied with ease.

Beyond these models, Dieci Australia also offers variations in the Agri range, with the Mini Agri, Agri Farmer and Agri Plus catering to different size requirements.


Dieci’s Agri Plus telehandler is a popular model

Dieci’s Haymaster is also designed to work with a wide variety of attachments to make hay handling a breeze.

With such a wide variety of popular models catering to a large agricultural market, Dieci is in a strong position.

That does not mean the company is resting on its laurels, with upgraded models part of continuous improvement.

“We are upgrading machines as evolution happens with machinery, it’s always happening consistently,” Lockwood says.

“There are new machines coming through with different technologies and different safety features, just to keep up with market demand.

“We are bringing in new Giugiaro Design cab machines, which are upgraded machines with higher horsepower that have more creature comforts and more technology based in the cab.

“I think with all the challenges and the emission changes that are happening, the legislative requirements keep us trying to adapt to the new markets, so that’s going to drive some of our changes as well.

“We’ve got a number of machines on order now. We’ve had a few of them come into the country that have been delivered and are being tested in the market, which is going well and customers are reaping the rewards.”

The full Dieci range can be viewed at the manufacturer’s website.

Send this to a friend