Get a handle
CMME looks at the ever-evolving telehandler. Although it may come with a high ticket price it doesn’t mean that it should stay out of reach of inventories.
CMME looks at the ever-evolving telehandler. Although it may come with a high ticket price it doesn’t mean that it should stay out of reach of inventories.
A forklift on steroids, the telehandler could have a huge amount of uses in construction projects but they remain frustratingly too expensive for some companies. Fortunately a lot of manufacturers are now offering the machines in their rental fleets, making them a serious consideration for people who want to get up to those hard to reach places.
Telehandlers, or telescopic handler, as the name suggest have the same functions of forklifts but are much more versatile. This is because they have a single telescopic boom that can extend to altitudes that would make Tom Cruise giddy. It really is like a giant arm that comes with a variety of different hands at the end. Put a muck grab, a bucket, lift table or a giant fork on the end and you can quickly put the machine to work in a variety of tasks.
The main advantages of this type of machine are its multitude of uses or versatility and free movements and maneuverability. Telehandlers were able to exceed the popularity of cranes and forklifts by doing the jobs of both cranes and forklifts. This type of machine can easily reach the places which conventional forklifts cannot reach or cannot maneuver to. This type of machine is able to become more usable compared to forklifts without sacrificing its maneuverability; surprisingly this type of machine can be easily positioned and repositioned even if it has a solid and heavy chassis.
However, disadvantages come along these advantages. There are two main disadvantages that telehandlers: stability and the costliness of its improvements. It is in the nature of this machine to extend even up to the limits of gravity and calculated balance. However, the expertise that would limit the human error in machine related accidents takes a long time of practice and education.
The stability issues that revolve around telehandlers are usually related to the radius limit of the machine. The radius pertains to the distance of the front wheels and the centre of the load of the boom. To aid in solving this problem manufacturers, retailers and service providers of this machine use advance computer calculations to balance out factors such as angel, height of the boom extension, weight of the load and counterweights.
Unfortunately, the presence of these aiding mechanisms opens up more problems particularly in the cost of operation. Solutions available to compensate for the limitations of this type of machine can include costing software and even additional machine expenses such as the attachment of outriggers or mobile cranes to counterbalance the stability problems of this machine.
Many prefer to rent a telehandler rather than buy one. The advantages of renting is that the rental companies have expert operators who know the machine intimately.
Another advantage of renting a telehandler is that the rental can take care of its maintenance and storage. The equipment rental company will shoulder all of that including repairs in case of malfunction.
Over time, the value of the telehandler depreciates and take note however that as technology advances, the chances that your telehandler could soon be obsolete is high.
Telehandlers are also hard to transport. However if you are renting this machine, the equipment rental company can take charge transporting it. If you are planning to buy a telehandler, then you will need to buy the truck that can transport it to various locations.
Doosan entered the high capacity telehandler market with the launch of a new range of models for the EMEA market at the end of 2011.
The four new telehandlers form an important and innovative extension to the wide range of products offered by Doosan for civil engineering, mining and quarrying applications, which includes medium and large excavators, wheel loaders and articulated dump trucks.
Offering maximum lift heights of 10m and lifting capacities from 7 to 21 tonne, the new Doosan high capacity telehandlers combine the flexibility of telescopic handlers with the power of wheeled loaders, the efficiency of rough terrain forklifts and the reach of mobile cranes.
Using buckets up to 4.5m³ in volume, the Doosan high capacity telehandlers are well suited to loading applications.
Featuring levelling as standard, the new high capacity telehandlers offer compact dimensions, an off-road design, and high mobility thanks to travel speeds up to 36 km/h.
The smallest model in the range is the DT70 telehandler which has a maximum lift capacity of 7 tonne, a maximum lift height of 9.7m and a maximum forward reach of 5.4m. The DT70 is driven by the Iveco NEF-TA diesel engine providing 93 kW of power at 2200 rpm.
The next larger model, the DT120, offers a maximum lift capacity of 12 tonne, a maximum lift height of 9.4m and a maximum forward reach of 4.9m. Power is provided by the 106 kW Perkins 1104D-ETA diesel engine.
The two largest models – the DT160 and the DT210 – both have a maximum lift height of 10.2m and maximum forward reach of 5.2m, with maximum lift capacities being 16 and 21 tonne, respectively. Both the DT160 and DT210 are driven by the Perkins 1106D-ETA diesel engine providing 146 kW of power at 2200 rpm.
