The reliability of Merlo telehandlers has proven a huge asset to Hay Australia and its around-the-clock operation
Agricultural machinery cannot be treated with a ‘one size fits all’ approach, as every customer’s reason for purchasing a particular machine and their most important priorities can be vastly different.
For Hay Australia’s Victorian processing site – a large-scale, non-stop operation – its reasons for a positive experience with Merlo telehandlers extend much beyond the machine’s technical specifications.
Instead, it is the machine reliability, availability of spare parts and ongoing service from its nearest dealership that have made the recent switch to Merlo products pay off instantly.
Hay Australia’s Victorian location at Bridgewater, near Bendigo, runs around the clock and this factor heavily influences the decision making when it comes to machinery investments.
The first machine acquired was a Turbofarmer 35.7, which Hay Australia has been leasing since the start of 2025, before doubling its Merlo fleet with a larger model from the Turbofarmer range – the 50.8.
Hay Australia has been dealing with Farm and Diesel, which joined the Merlo dealer network last year, but this particular dealer-customer relationship dates back much longer.
Big needs
Hay Australia describes itself as “an established fodder exporter, operating four processing sites located across Australia’s broadacre cropping regions”.
Its locations allow hay and straw to be sourced from local growers, which is then exported and also supplied to the domestic livestock industry.
The Bridgewater site opened in 2013 and now presses an estimated 100,000 tonnes per year.
This volume provides an insight into the scale of Hay Australia’s Victorian operations, while also highlighting the need for reliable and robust machinery which can handle a 24 hour a day operation.
Site manager Scott Cannon admits their Merlo machines are worked harder than most, with the ability to handle virtually non-stop use being crucial.
“In the past, there has never been a machine that is robust enough for what we need,” he says.
“For me, it’s also about availability of spare parts because no matter what, you’re going to need them if you run the machines the way we do.
“We’re getting the machine serviced basically once a week because we hit 250 hours very quickly, so you need the backup support, and parts availability is key to what you buy because with another brand we couldn’t get parts in for two or three weeks.
“Merlo carry a fair amount of spare parts in Australia and Farm and Diesel have also gone above and beyond, where they’ve pulled parts off new machines just to keep us going until the particular parts become available.”
Nitty gritty
The larger of Hay Australia’s two Merlo telehandlers in the TF50.8.
Part of the manufacturer’s high capacity range, it is powered by a 170hp engine and offers a 5,000kg load capacity along with an 8m lift height and 4.2m maximum reach.
The smaller Merlo unit – the TF35.7 – is part of the medium capacity range and offers a 3,500kg load capacity, 6.5m lift height, 3.5m maximum reach and is powered by a 140hp engine.
The four key pillars around which Merlo designs all its telehandlers are comfort, efficiency, performance and safety.
The comfort has been highlighted by Cannon as a major benefit for the staff who have driven them.
“We’ve had the smaller one for a bit longer and that has been brilliant for all the staff that use it,” he says.
“We’re running it 24/7 and it has obviously been hot over summer, so the air conditioning has been really good.
“The more experienced guys in the yard were all very happy with it – it’s comfortable when they’re spending 12 hour shifts in the machine.
“It’s pretty much a mobile office and they’re a big fan of it.”
Merlo’s air conditioning system which Cannon mentions has been developed to cut the warm-up and cool-down times in half compared to conventional systems, while the inlet vent has been placed on the side of the fully enclosed cabin to be away from potential dust and dirt sources.
“The environment we’re working in is hot and dusty, so blowing out filters and access to all of that is crucial to what we do, because we do it twice in the 12-hour shift,” Cannon says.
Features across Merlo’s Turbofarmer range include 180-degree opening of the door, along with a handrail to ensure easy access, plus axles designed in-house that can be fitted with diff lock to ensure traction on any terrain.
There is also excellent braking capacity when the accelerator pedal is released, which Merlo says guarantees high torque to the wheels during material handling and transfers, along with precision when positioning the load.
Active boom suspension keeps the load protected in all conditions, while the ASCS safety system adjusts the speed and maximum extent of the movements based on the attachments in use, the load being handled and its position, eliminating the risk of the telehandler overturning.
Merlo also has a patented EPD system which electronically controls engine and transmission. It manages engine speed, hydrostatic pump flow rate, and hydrostatic drive displacement, maximising efficiency and reducing RPM, which the manufacturer says can save up to 18 per cent in fuel consumption.
Another technical aspect which is praised by Cannon is Merlo’s willingness to make customised adjustments which Hay Australia have suggested when they purchase the machine they are currently leasing.
“That was a big point from the buying point of view that they’re willing to adjust to suit – it will obviously cost us, but at the end of the day we want a machine built to suit what we do,” he says.
Overall operation
Hay Australia’s desire to have a machine “built to suit what we do” comes from the unique challenges their telehandlers are faced with compared to everyday farming.
When about 100,000 tonnes of hay goes through the Bridgewater site every year, the machinery powering the operations needs to be able to keep up.
“The Merlo telehandlers are purely to keep up productions,” Cannon says.
“We’ve got storage sheds that are a distance away. The furthest one is probably 400 metres away from our production shed, so they are continuously bringing in stock to keep the plant running.”
They are also used to unload trucks, which Cannon describes as also being a constant operation.
“Trucks come over the weighbridge, we weigh them in, and they go to a shed where they unload into stacks for storage,” Cannon says.
“During peak season, we could have 30 trucks a day coming in, so we’ll have two or three loaders non-stop unloading trucks.”
Dealing with such volumes can pose challenges around storage, which means Hay Australia sometimes needs to call on its farmer network.
This provides another example of why reliable machinery for unloading trucks is crucial to the overall operations.
“We want to have that stock on hand preferably, but we can’t always store that much hay, so farmers store it for us and we pay for them to do that,” Cannon says.
“When we need it, they bring it in and we unload.
“They key is to not hold them up and get it unloaded as quickly as possible and get them on their way, so you need reliable machines to do that as well.”
The bales are stacked six high in Hay Australia’s sheds, which the TF35.7 handles comfortably, while the larger TF50.8 is used in the yards where bales are stacked nine high.
Cannon says the longer-term plan is to put a trailer on the back with a Euro hitch, which will enable additional bales to be loaded onto the trailer, along with those carried by the telehandler, to further maximise speed of operation.
Established relationships
The dealership which Hay Australia deals with for its Merlo telehandlers is Farm and Diesel, which has branches in Epsom and Swan Hill.
It is owned by Sam Walker, whose family were formerly part-owners of Hay Australia’s Victorian operation, giving the dealership a strong connection with the hay exporter.
Hay Australia has worked with the dealership for many years, acquiring forklifts and its company vehicles through Farm and Diesel along with entrusting them for the ongoing service and maintenance.
“Farm and Diesel has been with us for the full journey,” Cannon says.
“They have grown a lot over the years and have been a good supplier.
“It could be two in the morning and if we’ve got an issue I can make a phone call and get advice over the phone or they come out.
“Obviously there are callout fees but in this industry downtime is about $10,000 an hour and we cannot afford that – so they definitely go above and beyond.”
Farm and Diesel is only a relatively recent addition to Merlo’s national dealer network, but Walker describes the experience as being “unreal” so far, praising Merlo Australia’s commitment to its dealers through ongoing backing, service and parts access..
Merlo’s Turbofarmer models, along with the full telehandler range, can be viewed at www.merlo.com/aus