JCB telehandlers do the heavy lifting

When you're a small business owner it is absolutely essential to have machinery that ticks along and causes as little downtime as possible.

So it was no surprise that DSATCO Mulch owner David Baljeu, Wongan Hills, gave the thumbs up to his two new JCB 541.70 telehandlers he bought from local dealer Boekeman Machinery.

He employs one at the factory, along with a JCB 531.70, and one at the family farm for loading lupin stubble onto trucks to cart to the Wongan Hills factory for processing.

David was a former manager for Glenvar Mulch and in 2007 took up an option to buy the business from the Shields family.

With the supply of quality mulches to the nurseries and landscapers throughout WA, David employs seven full-time staff and three casuals in the business that sees chaff piles collected after harvest and stock-piled on a 20ha property 10km east of the town.

Essentially the finished product is sold as a mulch for gardens with packaged bags supplied to nurseries and direct to customers.

The mulching process occurs on the family property with further processing at the factory to turn out a product that is pasteurised, weed seed-free and contains nitrogen, iron, manganese, boron and other essential trace elements.

With three receival bays at the factory there is plenty of work for the JCBs in handling the mulch, not only employing a grab bucket but in general forward-reverse work to re-form mulch piles and fork work.

The imperative for David is that the machines must be stable and maintain a solid footprint, ie, no wheelslip.

"With a telehandler there's always something going on that requires good braking, good hydraulic flow, good stability and traction," he said.

"We got the new models to give us a bit more horsepower to increase capacity and we're achieving what we want to do.

"There is a noticeable increase in horsepower and they are more fuel efficient along with a lot of small things which makes operation easier."

The last point is a big factor because training new staff to drive the telehandlers is easier.

David also is impressed with the 541.70's reach.

"You're basically lifting weight away from the machine when you're feeding in so you need a solid loader," he said.

Lifting height of the 541.70 is seven metres (23ft) with a maximum lift capacity of four tonnes.

Lift capacity at full height is 2.5t and at full reach 1.5t.

The new models are equipped with JCB EcoMax T4i/Stage IIIB engines, which develop 103kW (145hp), a sizeable power boost from the 531.70 which is rated at 75kW (100hp).

JCB also says the new engine provides fuel savings of up to 15 per cent.

The company says it also provides a smoother ride from enhanced transmission and hydraulics configurations.

A new level of efficiency is achieved partially from the T4i engine, but also from an improved regenerative hydraulics system that reduces the boom retraction and lowering time as well as fuel consumption.

The gear selector is now on the joystick and the Smooth Ride System is also easier to use as it can be engaged with the boom in any position, automatically engaging when travelling above 7km/h.

Hydraulic damping is now standard on the boom extension and lift functions and assists with load retention while also improving operator comfort.

And a seven-speed fan on the air-conditioner makes for comfy work on hot days.

JCB also offer a 2000 hour/two year full warranty and David has taken the option of fixed service costs with Boekeman Machinery.