Which telehandler is the RIGHT one?

I am looking to buy a telehandler that weighs around 15,000 lbs., can reach around 36 ft. and lift around 5000 lbs.. My question is which brand and size is best suited for my situation? I am looking for a machine that is reliable. Im not looking for something with alot of bells and whissles. Which models to stay away from. The machine will be used for roofing and pole barn construction.

Hammer & Nails said:

I am looking to buy a telehandler that weighs around 15,000 lbs., can reach around 36 ft. and lift around 5000 lbs.. My question is which brand and size is best suited for my situation? I am looking for a machine that is reliable. Im not looking for something with alot of bells and whissles. Which models to stay away from. The machine will be used for roofing and pole barn construction.

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Skytrak 6036..... no question one of the best telehandlers ever made. Three position steer, great visibilty, rock solid reliable, easy on tires, reasonable price. There are also a ton of used parts out there so its very inexpensive to repair and most all auto parts stores have the basics in stock for tune ups.

Second would be a Lull 6044B37. The only reason its second is that there are more moving parts and typically masons owned these machines and they are very rough on equipment.

Good luck!

I would have to throw the older Gradall's in the mix as well. I still have a '98 534D6 that I bought new. It has moved a lot of material over the years and performed every time we needed it. Same as barklee said about the Skytrak's - easy to work on, rock solid and most parts can be found easily. You really can't kill 'em although I have tried.

I bought a Cat TH460B new in 2005 and was disappointed with the machine, I later traded it in on a 321CLCR track hoe because my work focus shifted. It was a strong machine but it was plagued with electrical issues and had the instrument cluster replaced twice under warranty - when I traded it the fuel gauge went out again but the dealer didn't say a thing due to the history of the repairs.

Ol' blue as I call her will always crank and rise to the task, pun intended.

CM1995 said:

I would have to throw the older Gradall's in the mix as well. I still have a '98 534D6 that I bought new. It has moved a lot of material over the years and performed every time we needed it. Same as barklee said about the Skytrak's - easy to work on, rock solid and most parts can be found easily. You really can't kill 'em although I have tried.

I bought a Cat TH460B new in 2005 and was disappointed with the machine, I later traded it in on a 321CLCR track hoe because my work focus shifted. It was a strong machine but it was plagued with electrical issues and had the instrument cluster replaced twice under warranty - when I traded it the fuel gauge went out again but the dealer didn't say a thing due to the history of the repairs.

Ol' blue as I call her will always crank and rise to the task, pun intended.

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Definitely should have added the Gradalls. They are the same caliber as the Skytraks for all the same reasons. Only one downfall is the lack of three position steering. However, its really only a downfall if you require it i guess.

Are there any years with the skytrack that a person should stay away from? Is there an hour limit I should stick to with this type of machine. I just dont want to get something with one foot in the grave.

Well thats so hard to say....... We have a 1988 Skytrak with 12,500 hours. If you were to look at it im am confident you would think it was only 5-6 years old and had 2500 hours. I personally think as a rule of thumb that around 5000 to 6000 hours is when it seems major problems start happening. That said, i dont usually buy anything with over 3000 hours. However for the right condition and price i would surely look at something with higher hours.

what are your thoughts on rental units? I am a little nervous about the previous usage (abuse) of the machine, but there are alot of them out there.

Hammer & Nails said:

what are your thoughts on rental units? I am a little nervous about the previous usage (abuse) of the machine, but there are alot of them out there.

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most used lifts out there, were previous rentals. and i dont think you'll find a lift that goes 36' and 5000lbs, and weighs only 15k pounds. most 36' lifts weigh 20k or more.

Gehl has the RS6-34 that weighs 15,100lbs., lifts 6000 lbs., and reach of 34' 3". I just dont hear much about them. They also have the 553, which has the same specs. I went to an auction to buy one but the price was through the roof (in my opinion). I just dont want one that is know to have boom problems, ect.. I already have a skidloader that is turning into a money pit, I may end up divorced if i buy another one.

Hammer & Nails said:

I already have a skidloader that is turning into a money pit, I may end up divorced if i buy another one.

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I feel your pain. My T250 is nickel and 1/2 dollar'ing me to death. Although my wife would divorce me if I brought home a new which I would like to do.

Hammer & Nails said:

Gehl has the RS6-34 that weighs 15,100lbs., lifts 6000 lbs., and reach of 34' 3". I just dont hear much about them. They also have the 553, which has the same specs. I went to an auction to buy one but the price was through the roof (in my opinion). I just dont want one that is know to have boom problems, ect.. I already have a skidloader that is turning into a money pit, I may end up divorced if i buy another one.

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I had a Gehl 11,000 lb machine and i was not impressed at all. They arent real rugged, look one over real well and you can tell the difference. I have a 10,000 Lull and it would lift considerably more than the gehl any day of the week. I will say that they are set up pretty nice and are not bad to operate but i dont think that offsets the usability factor. I dont think buying one would be a bad thing and im not saying they arent a decent machine, but i do think there are better options out there. Pull up a load chart and see what the maximum capacity is at full reach. I would guess the Gehl is rather light out toward the end.

Well I did what u said and you were right Skytrack has twice the load rating at max reach with 1799 lbs. and the gehl has 900 lbs. Things like this are what i was wanting to know. Using equipment the way that i do to the max, but not abused. I am willing to adjust my requirements to get the durability that is needed to stand up to my construction site needs.

CM1995 said:

I bought a Cat TH460B new in 2005 and was disappointed with the machine, I later traded it in on a 321CLCR track hoe because my work focus shifted. It was a strong machine but it was plagued with electrical issues and had the instrument cluster replaced twice under warranty - when I traded it the fuel gauge went out again but the dealer didn't say a thing due to the history of the repairs.

Ol' blue as I call her will always crank and rise to the task, pun intended.

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We have one at work with similar issues, half the gauges work, sometimes. A lot if electronics in an open cab, doesn't seem like a good mix. Ours also moves at a snails pace. And the way it takes itself in and out of gear automatically when you brake makes it really hard to be smooth. Was yours the same way? I've ran some older forklifts that weren't as "nice" but they were way faster and smoother.

The square shooter (and those with the Terex name) is built beefy...gets the job done. After it was grouped with Genie, the beef appeared to be shaved but it was rated for a couple more feet of reach....

The Skytrack (which I believe was under Ominquip) had a unique axle pivot control with a three stage valving: free, metered, and lock....but the hydraulic valving were under the floorboard, looked hard to work on and the manual had a great amount of steps just for the operator to verify the operation. The square shooter had a simple system, lock or not locked, and it has a pair of rams (one at each corner) as opposed to only one for each axle...direct drivetrain (not hydraulic) is beefy....the boom has a chain in lieu of cables like one certain blue machine had.

But if yard work is needed, those Gradalls in my opinion are the best for yard work cause they move around like a warehouse forklift, but the ops at height aren't set up the same as the other control scheme although you could two hand it, whereas the mode control of the square shooter makes a certain two functions together quite impossible. We certainly did a lot of jobs with those Gradalls but when we went to buy one, we could see the old school machine was going away.... the tires they do wear fast.

And yes, crab and four wheel steering seems to be the desired feature these days.

Please note: all the above is my experience with 8k machines with about 40 feet reach which many times we wish we had a little more reach, mostly outward, not directly overhead.

tylermckee said:

We have one at work with similar issues, half the gauges work, sometimes. A lot if electronics in an open cab, doesn't seem like a good mix. Ours also moves at a snails pace. And the way it takes itself in and out of gear automatically when you brake makes it really hard to be smooth. Was yours the same way? I've ran some older forklifts that weren't as "nice" but they were way faster and smoother.

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Tyler I don't recall if mine did that but it's been a while and to be honest I didn't run it that much.
I think Cat tried to be too complicated on the THxxxB's and they created a problematic machine.

There are many good brands of telehandler like Caterpillar, JCB, Matbo etc. You can choose according to your need and specification.

I Have telescopic handler ,it need to add the three segment telescopic boom .if you need,you could see my homepage.

Depends on what your going to use it for. Gradall would be my choice. We've had them all gradall's seem like they're just better overall. They don't have the four wheel steering but rear wheels turn much sharper then other models. I think their turning radius is is actually shorter then the others.

The biggest difference is that a gradall is hydrostatic where lull, skytrak, and terex have actual gears. In deep sloppy mud gradall is the worst. I've sank a skytrak and a terex to the frame in mud and drove right on through. In all other situations my pick would be gradall.

I know this is an older thread, but it still applies. I'm also considering a telehandler, I have questions in the design of them, I've been told there are telehandlers designed to lift only then others are designed to dig and lift, can anyone shed light on this for me, I'd like to have the height and the durability to dig as well, how many do both? I'd be happy with that almost 30 foot of lift height, and that 5-6 lift is enough. I want to load trucks with gravel, sand, logs, firewood, and also use it for a work platform and forks on it, to moving lumber and things. I've also been told they make an adjustable basket, that you can maneuver from up on the lift, as an add on, anyone have any experience with those as well, they run off the auxilary hydraulics I'm told, but I've never seen one in person either. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

I wouldn't do much digging with one unless it is a european design or targeted towards farmers (like Manitou, NH, JD and some CAT and Gehls). In north america they are primarily designed as lifting machine, but in Europe they are mainly designed for farm and light contruction use. The cooling systems, axles and structures are not designed for heavy digging. Think backfilling or moving gravel. If you still want to dig stay away from ZF axes.

Not quite the same, but when I worked for Lull we had a guy bend a gooseneck plowing snow when he snagged a curb.

ISZ