Merlo Turbo Farmer has plenty of get up and go

Merlo’s P40.7 telehandler offers significant clout. There’s a four-tonne lift capacity, generous reach capability with a 7m lift height and the ability to turn on a sixpence thanks to its three-mode steering system. And now it benefits from a 140hp Deutz engine too.

“I wouldn’t go back to a 110hp Perkins-powered model after having the 140hp version,” says dairy farmer James Lowe of Blackhouse Farm near Newent, Gloucestershire. “The difference in power is noticeable. It’s no longer a lazy machine as it now has plenty of get-up and go.

“The hydraulics never creep and the boom speed is fast enough too - you’re never left waiting,” he says. “Though it’s suffering with a bit of hydraulic fluttering when the boom is raised - just like the other models - though dealers Pallisers reckon it can be easily rectified with a valve change.”

Mr Lowe’s current model is little more than six weeks old, and is the fourth Merlo handler to arrive at Blackhouse Farm in the last eight years. And in that time, the local dealership has change three times.

“The other dealers still try and sell me other makes of handler, but I really do like the simplicity and visibility with the Turbo Farmer model,” he explains. “We were fairly dissatisfied with the first Merlo we had, but the second generation models were vastly improved. And the joystick - with proportional control for the boom - is now way better than the push-button of the early models.

“I really like the way you can just turn the key and go - no computers to wake up or systems to self-check - it’s instant performance,” he says.

With 420 cows plus followers and an extensive arable operation, the Merlo needs to give full and immediate availability. It is used daily by the farm’s three employees, so it also has to be user-friendly and easy to maintain. A key aspect is the trap-door arrangement for letting trash and debris out from in front of the radiator.

“It is in use every single day, with all of us on and off the handler at some point depending on farm duties,” he says. “So it needs to be easy to use, controllable and uncomplicated.”

The cab door though, is the first item to be removed from the handler on its arrival at Blackhouse Farm. And it follows past experience of accidentally ripping doors off in tight buildings, as they protrude beyond the machine’s width, when pinned open.

“We usually remove the door and the mirrors too, so we don’t damage them working in and around our sheds,” he says. “Fortunately, the lights are all well protected.

“Every day we move big bales for bedding and mix 22-25 tonnes of feed materials with the feeder wagon - and we have a host of attachments to help with other tasks, including pallet forks, grabs, different buckets, bale spikes, bale squeezer and the like,” he explains.

“Though the attachment frame looks flimsy, it isn’t - and you can see perfectly well when swapping attachments too,” he adds.

Mr Lowe comments that the rearward visibility from having such a low boom pivot point is perhaps better than any other on the market for such a compact yet powerful machine. And it’s essential when manoeuvring in and out of sheds.

“Considering it can lift four tonnes, it’s not a big or clumsy machine,” he says. “In fact, it looks a bit weedy compared to others - but the weight must be in the right places for it to lift and reach the way it does. It’s a very elementary machine with a basic but roomy cab, but a very high capacity that does all that we ask of it.

“And with a 40kph transmission, it’s really useful when pulling bale trailers too,” he says.

The telehandler also does more hours than any other tractor or machine on the farm.

“It has to be 100 per cent reliable, and after two years and 3,000 hours, we usually look to move on to another new one,” he says. “With a lot of cows to look after, we depend on it totally.

“We even have a spare wheel and tyre, just in case we suffer a puncture,” he says. “We really don’t want to be stopped.”

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