Front end loaders have become the mainstay of on-farm material handling, probably since Quicke released the first drive-in/detachable machines in the early 1960s.
Since then, operators have always been looking to solve that familiar problem when working with front loaders – just a few more centimetres of reach – especially when units are fitted to the increasingly popular 4-cylinder medium class tractors.
German manufacturer Stoll seems to have addressed the problem with an interesting concept that has been awarded a silver medal at the recent Agritechnica event, with a loader equipped with a telescopic swing arm and an ‘extendible joint’.
Designed for use with the already noted 4-cylinder medium class tractors, the swing arm can be extended 700mm that, working in combination with the extendible joint, enables the horizontal reach to be increased by 1m and the overall lifting height by as much as 1.5m.
The manufacturer suggests that the format could prove to be particularly interesting for farms that handle round and large square bales, but do not have enough work to justify a telehandler.
The overall electro-hydraulic actuation of the front loader can be used to oversee safety functions, including, automatic shut-off of the master cylinders in the event of excessively loads when the swing arm is extended. In addition, the joint means that the front loader is movable, which can help to improve visibility while in operation.