need advice on buying a telehandler

[rustylhurtt]

i bought a v723 bobcat telehandler 4 years ago . last week it was turned over in 6 ft of water the insurance co. totaled it the machine has the aux. hydrallics on the front to run my graple bucket im not very happy with the this machine
i am looking to buy a different brand does any one know who makes a telehandler that has the front aux. hydrallics so i can continue using my graple to load debris i am not wanting to spend over 40k for a used one thanks rusty

[ATCOEQUIP]

I'm not fond of Bobcat telehandlers myself. I'd say all brands have an aux circuit available, but as an option. You'd have to find one that has that option. Which brand to choose? Everyone has their preference. I'm partial to JLG or Gradall, Lull is right there also. One of my favorite tele handlers is the Gehl 663, built like an anvil, but that's an older model. The later design of that machine is the RS model Gehl. Very good machines, well built, and mechanic friendly. The only thing I kick about Gehl is they are proud of their parts. I know parts for all brands are spendy, but it seems Gehl likes their parts as much as Komatsu does. :eek: Even still, they do make a good telehandler. Just stay away from the DH model Gehl, I'm not a fan of them. ;)

[crane operator]

I'd agree with atcoequip, JLG 's are really bulletproof, tough machines. Very simple to work on also. How big of a machine are you looking for? The new jlg/cat 10k and 12k machines are really nice, but they are much larger and heavier than what you have now (I think- I don't know how big bobcat telehandlers are). It does make a difference in getting in tight quarters, and makes a big difference in hauling. I ran a older terex (10k cap?) a while back on the same site as a 8k jlg and the size was a big difference. The 8k jlg was way more nimble and easier to use, it was just a little shorter in reach and capacity, but for 90% of the work you jumped on the jlg before the terex (no one liked that terex). It was on a 3 story building and the jlg wouldn't quite reach the top, but for everything else it got used first. Brick layers love lulls with their travelling carriage, its nice for getting in and out of blocks set up high. A lot of telehandlers have aux hydraulics, I also see where some have remotes for a man platform. You set up the machine, then can step in the man platform and can run the boom up and down. I really also like the machines that have one control for all the functions (joystick and buttons), instead of this three different stick nonsense. I've run too many with hand, mid arm nudges, and elbows, or hooking you're left arm in the wheel and reaching across. Outriggers are a mixed blessing, they really help in stability and give you much more capacity when reaching way out. When reaching out on rubber, you can feel the machine getting light, with the outriggers set, you have no idea until you are really in trouble. I like to put the outriggers most of the way down (1-2" off the ground)on a far reach, that way if it starts to tip, the riggers will catch you, and you know you're most of the way to capacity. All in all I'd go for around a 8-9k capacity, with you're aux hyd. and only buy a bigger one if you have to have that extra capacity. The frame/ wheelbase on the 6k lifts are usually the same as the 8k ones, so the 8k is free extra capacity. Avoid anything with a low mounted boom (actually I think bobcats are?) I detest their visibility. With any load picked up you can't see anything to the right, until you get the boom way up. Hope this helps.

[Speedpup]

There are mega deals out there now new and used the market is in collapse. I like JLG, Gradall or Lull. Parts are not to bad $$$ wise and they have the parts at 10 am on your doorstep Even for my old Bettys (85-92). Not sure if your grappler will fit other machines as they all seem to have their own system unlike I see in skidsteers where many seem to me to interchangeable.

40 grand you can get a real good machine in the 8-10,000 lb range. I see machines that were 140-150 4 years ago new not pulling 35K

http://www.machinerytrader.com/listings/manufacturers.aspx?ETID=1&catid=1038&GUID=7DD7B1E9463D4772A1A459ADE4E552E7

Landing stuff up high like a mason on a scaffold Lull has no match. Gradall has best visability in reverse and JLG is close second. Lulls seem to hold their value the bast from what I have been seeing online. Some Ebay deals I have seen are just completely crazy give aways but you may not be able to look at them. Got the coin you could not find a better time for deals unless the entire country collapses. Check to see if they have auxillary hydraulics. I am shocked how many do not. Many rental company machines are bare bones no frills models.

I see you are AR so close to CA were the prices seem to be the lowest and tons of Gradalls out there. I almost bought a few but shipping to NY is 6-8K.

What didn't you like on the Bobcat?

[rustylhurtt]

thanks both of you for all your info. the downs to my bobcat it had a short reach ive had alot of wiring problems the machine would lock up while moving fixed it then lost power on part of my hydrallics got that fixed and other small things have happened thanks rusty

[Speedpup]

01 & 02 Gradall 544D-10's just went on ironplanet for 14 & 16K

that is crimminal for the seller :Banghead good for the buyer.


look at the prices http://www.ironplanet.com/jsp/s/item/212547/Telehandler/Gradall/544D/Used/Florida?h=400%2CbyAuctionResults%2F2%2CNewSearch

[StevenL]

I have a very nice 2007 Lull Model 644E-42 with enclosed cab and 1300hrs. FOB Massachusetts

[Aero Lift]

JLG would be the best in most applications. SkyTrak has many options and one of them would come with a aux hydraulics. Like previous mentioned there are many great deals out there, just beware of hidden dangers. Also, manufacturers sales are down, so parts are becoming the main source of income for equipment companies. We have many SkyTraks with aux hydraulics and good used parts for sale.
www.AeroLiftusa.com

Good luck

[Eqman]

I just watched 02 to 06 Gradall telehandlers go at the Ritchie brothers auction for $12,000. So check there website at RBAuction.com. It will list auctions close to you. I buy alot through them. They auction all over the world and are very easy to work with. You can also bid on the internet.

[Speedpup]

I saw a 2008 944E Lull on ebay with 413 hr for 43,000 that is like 1/2 price in a year. Things are bad.:Pointhead

[barklee]

we have several lifts Lulls, Skytraks, Terex. I am all for the JLG products! Lull in particular, just look at the frames and the size of the hydraulics of each machine and you will find Lulls are built like tanks! Parts are easy to come by and there are several rental companies that run them so service is a no brainer. I will say i have heard that the older Cats are good as well.
I am with eqman, go to rbauction.com or lyonauction.com telehandelers are in the toilet right now there are some mind boggling deals out there!

[Framer]

Buy a machine that has good parts availiabilty. I own one that is an awesome machine but parts so far are hard to come by. If you are putting a lot of pressure on the boom with the odd digging etc, then consider jcb because of it's boom strenght and a couple other things about it. If not, go north american because parts and service are easier to come by. I have a Manitou and I might just send it to auction and buy something north american even though it is safe, capable, fuel efficient, quiet, and easy to operate beyond most north american machines. Lots of people talk the Lull up but one thing is the length of the machine could make it harder to get in certain places, at least on the older ones. Also genie, terex are very long.

[bigblueox]

I demoed a Newholland ag model lm5080. In alot of ways it reminds me of a 723 but with better reach and more breakout. It is marketed more as an ag loader with telehandler capabilities and has the aux hyd. If you want more of a materials handler i really like the lull just for the fact that the carriage extends as well as the boot.

[Eqman]

Manitou and Gehl just merged. Your parts should get easier to locate.

[Speedpup]

Manitou and Gehl just merged. Your parts should get easier to locate.

Wow who took over who?

[Speedpup]

can't beat Lull / JLG for parts even my old 1985 844 Lulls parts the next day or they will make it for you. That can get pricey and it won't happen in a day but cheaper than having an outsider make it. Regular wear ithem you can get in a day. When you buy a machine like a Lull, Skytrak, Gradall their are thousands made and many to salavage from.

[Eqman]

Wow who took over who?

Manitou bought a majority of Gehl shares. They now own Gehl.

[Framer]

New holland telehandlers are made by Manitou. At least they used to be. Kind of like JLG now makes Cat. The colours, controlls and engine might be different but it's the same machine as far as I can tell.

[Framer]

Manitou makes a european machine in france/italy. It has a low boom mount, and no chains (full hydraulic booms). It is made by manitou. Manitou recenently aquired Gehl and now there machines look like Gehl's and more then likely are. The US dollar was in free fall against all other currencies, mainly the euro. That makes US machines cheaper as far as the labour portion on the deal. The steel and some other parts are still sold in U.S. dollars as with most everything else in the world. If you like the gehl buy it. I've had a bad experience with a rental gehl once. Perkins engines are probably the most fuel efficient and quietist of all of them.

[EdB]

Speedpup, Can you tell me the main differences between the Lull 1044C-54 and the 1044C-54 series II?
Thanks

[Speedpup]

Speedpup, Can you tell me the main differences between the Lull 1044C-54 and the 1044C-54 series II?
Thanks

Exact same machine with one exception the axles. The Series II has German company ZF axles and the previous model has Spicer / Dana axles. There may be a few tiny tweaks but not many. You can go to JLG web site and look in the free on-line parts catalog and it will give you any revisions, One 97 just went for 18,000 on ebay I think it had 5,000+ hrs. Looked good and looked like someone actually greased it. I see many machines and they look dry!

I didn't like the 1044 on ebay because it didn't have a rotating carriage and a big PITA to plumb it for that.

scroll down and you will see it and a video.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180423363519&ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT

what are you looking for?

[EdB]

Thank you sir. Good info on the manuals at the link.
I did indeed notice that Lull on ebay.
I really don't know if I need a telehandler but a few years ago, I bought a stand-up electric Schaeff 5,000 pounder for use in my shop. Didn't really know how much I'd use the thing but after having it around, both of the mechanics around here seem to agree that a fork is close to the most important of our tools. It doesn't work hardly at all, off the concrete so I've been thinking of getting something that works on the dirt. As many have noticed, telehandlers are ridiculous cheap, will work as a 10K forklift, and also have the advantage of extended reach that I can use for working on buildings and grain storage facilities around here.
So I can keep my head mechanic happy, he insists on shop manuals for the equipment and I'm shopping for a manual so I can keep him content. I see a set of parts and repair manuals on eBay for a Series II but it might be better to find a set for the pre II type. Sooner or later, everything seems to come up for sale on eBay and if you miss it, another comes along. Hope the same holds true for series I manuals.
EdB

[Speedpup]

http://csapps.jlg.com/OnlineManuals/Manuals/Lull/Lull%20Telehandlers/644B_6K_844C_8K_1044C_10K/Service_10709790_02-18-05_ANSI_English.pdf


per series II above is that any good?

[EdB]

Boy! that's just right. Not only is it good -- it's great. I owe you one.
Thanks a bunch. Now I have some reading to do.
EdB

[Speedpup]

Boy! that's just right. Not only is it good -- it's great. I owe you one.
Thanks a bunch. Now I have some reading to do.
EdB

they are selling the same thing on ebay for near 200 :eek: Just download on CD and have local store print up a few copies and put it in a book. Interney is great for knowledge.

[EdB]

Manuals are very expensive -- not as much so if they save a service call though. This set was somewhere around $800 if I remember right. All ready paid for though.
Your link was a great find. I have computers in both my workshops so likely won't bother printing all of the manual. Can just look up the pertinant pages and print those as needed.
Have a good one.
EdB

[albertozordan]

New Holland telehandlers are not made by Manitou at all. They're made in Italy in the CNH manufacture plants.

[Speedpup]

Manuals are very expensive -- not as much so if they save a service call though. This set was somewhere around $800 if I remember right. All ready paid for though.
Your link was a great find. I have computers in both my workshops so likely won't bother printing all of the manual. Can just look up the pertinant pages and print those as needed.
Have a good one.
EdB

///////

[Speedpup]

Manuals are very expensive -- not as much so if they save a service call though. This set was somewhere around $800 if I remember right. All ready paid for though.
Your link was a great find. I have computers in both my workshops so likely won't bother printing all of the manual. Can just look up the pertinant pages and print those as needed.
Have a good one.
EdB

800 OUCH!

My luck when I need it the site is down:eek: I just downloaded them to my computer and can print from there if needed. Sad part is they don't have my machines online to old:( The good part is there were no payments for years.:D

[Framer]

I think they used to make them, Manitou also manufactures in Italy from what I know. I've seen older new hollands and part for part they look like manitou's.

[EdB]

Hey Speedpup. Thanks for your help. Read the manuals that you linked to and when the lift showed up today, I had my trial by fire as the trucker didn't know how to drive a Lull and all I knew about it was what I'd read in the manuals. Anyways, I drove it down my makeshift ramp and got it on the ground in one piece.

The eBay listing did say the lift had Aux hydraulics to the boom and even though they didn't show up in any of the pics, there are indeed two hoses that are capped with plugs way out at the end of the boom. Should make it a lot easier to have a tilt carriage if I ever decide it's something I can't live without.

[Speedpup]

Looks good any more pic's? Rotating carriage is good . How did it run?

[EdB]

Engine sounds really good. Being a hi-tech junkie, this thing seems like a throw-back to the old times though. Naturally aspirated 6 cylinder diesel, not many electronics and a lot of hydraulics and mechanical stuff. That's all right though. I can do the old stuff too.
All the cylinders on the machine are dry, as are the hoses. Plenty of fresh grease on all the working parts and joints and the chains are nice and oily too. I'm pretty well convinced I got a bargain here. Tires are nearly new and foam filled to boot. For being a rental machine, I'm fairly impressed with the service that Coast Crane gives their machines. The engine has what looks to be a recently installed rebuild fuel pump. Looks like a clone of the venerable Roosa-Master. They don't like the dry ULSD fuel and there is also a big fiber washer on the inside of them that disintegrates, plugs up the fuel return, and causes the engine to go to low idle. Not a big deal to fix, but if a guy didn't know what was happening, he might just get a rebuilt pump and install it. One or the other or possibly a combination of both may have gotten this one.
Here are a couple more pics of my machine.

[Speedpup]

I here Coast Crane is decent stuff. Their machines look like they have been serviced. I look at other stuff and see rusted pins, bound up chains and new paint.:eek: I would rather have a machine with the OEM paint to really see how it was treated. Good luck it looks great. I don't want a computer machine either.

[EdB]

I'm with you on the new paint. Makes me nervous too.
Noticed what looks to be an update of some sort. Looks like they may have added or reinforced a cross-member inside the frame behind the front tire. I'll have to take a couple pics and see what your opinion of it is.
If you don't like electronics, you'd really hate my tracked Challenger MT tractor. That thing is completely 'fly-by-wire'. Put auto-steer on it last spring and that was easy. No hydraulic valves or extra wiring needed. Plug the auto-steer into the 4 wire Can-Bus connector and away we went.

[Impact]

I've got a Gehl 663, Gehl 883, Lull 944, and just about to buy a Pettibone 8044. I don't generally buy new, but this machine is priced at 66% of new. Although older machines, I LOVE the Gehls. Compared to the heavier Lull, they seem to tiptoe across the job site like a ballerina dancer. I'm hoping the Pettibone is like that.

[quihultwi]

I accept with information:I also see where some have remotes for a man platform. You set up the machine, then can step in the man platform and can run the boom up and down. I really also like the machines that have one control for all the functions (joystick and buttons), instead of this three different stick nonsense. I've run too many with hand, mid arm nudges, and elbows, or hooking you're left arm in the wheel and reaching across. Outriggers are a mixed blessing, they really help in stability and give you much more capacity when reaching way out. When reaching out on rubber, you can feel the machine getting light, with the outriggers set, you have no idea until you are really in trouble

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[Speedpup]

With the reach of some of these machines and with outriggers better use your load charts as the booms can fail when extended to far before tipping.:eek:

[EdB]

I accept with information:I also see where some have remotes for a man platform. You set up the machine, then can step in the man platform and can run the boom up and down. I really also like the machines that have one control for all the functions (joystick and buttons), instead of this three different stick nonsense. I've run too many with hand, mid arm nudges, and elbows, or hooking you're left arm in the wheel and reaching across.

When I was looking and researching what I'd like in a telehandler, I talked with a bunch of used dealer/salesmen. When I mentioned SkyTrak or Gradall, most would point out the positives of the non-electric controls. The buttons and joysticks didn't get a great deal of positive responses. Most of the guys would point out that when electrical gremlins showed up, the usual response from guys that didn't enjoy electrical troubleshooting would be to buy a new wiring harness at $650+, replace that, and repeat the procedure when the gremlin re-appeared. Really wouldn't have been a big problem for me, because I have a fair understanding of electronics and electrical logic circuitry. Watching the travails of fellow farmers and their battles with electronics laden machines, I've come to the conclusion that even among the dealership techs, the solution is not to troubleshoot, as much as it is to replace until the problem goes away -- for a while.
Aggravation and expense that no one really needs.