Telehandlers are rapidly becoming one of the most popular and versatile designed pieces of material handling equipment on the market. The simple reason why is the wide range of telehandler attachments that are available to suit Telehandlers.
With the amount of manufactures now making Telehandlers with a wide range of sizes and capacities available, it can get to be a little confusing with the sheer range of telehandler attachments that can be bought to suit just about any application you might come across.
Telehandler Manufactures and Telehandler Attachments
Telehandler Manufacturers
• MST SANKO Company (Turkey)
• Bobcat (USA)
• Case IH (Italy)
• Caterpillar (USA) – See JLG.
• Xtreme Manufacturing (USA)
• Claas (Germany)
• Dieci (Italy)
• Deutz (Germany)
• Faresin Industries (Italy)
• Gehl (USA)
• Haulotte (France)
• Loadstar (India)
• MCE (Spain)
• JCB (England) under the ‘Loadall’ brand.
• JLG SkyTrak and Lull (USA) a global aerial access equipment company and market leader in the USA. JLG has announced that its Lull telescopic handlers will be discontinued for 2015.
• Kramer (Germany)
• Load Lifter Mfg (Canada)
• Mustang (USA)
• Manitou (France) under the ‘Maniscopic’ brand.
• Merlo (Italy)
• NC Engineering (Northern Ireland)
• New Holland (Italy)
• Pettibone Traverse Lift, LLC (USA)
• AUSA (Spain)
• Skyjack (Canada)
• Terex under the Genie brand.
• TOBROCO-GIANT under the TENDO brand (Netherlands)
• Weidemann (Germany)
Telehandler Attachments
• Grapple Bucket
• General Purpose Bucket
• Jib attachments
• 4 in 1 buckets
• Rotators
• Spreader bards
• Skid steer adapter
• Pallet forks
• Tow Hitchs
• Pipe Grabs
• Work platforms
• Trash hoppers
• Auger Drives
• Cement mixer bowls
• Chain Trencher
• Grapple Forks
• Hay Forks
• Self Loading mixer bucket
• Bulk bag Lifter
• Bale Grab
• Sweepers
When looking to purchase your first telehandler or even if you are upgrading your existing Telehandler. You will need to do some research on what attachments are available that suit your application.
What standards does a Telehandler comply to ?
Firstly, people get very confused in thinking that a telehandler is the same as a forklift. So they wrongly think that the licencing requirement is the same as a forklift being a high risk work ticket LF.
Telehandlers and Telehandler attachments come under the Australian Standard AS1418 and particularly AS1418.19
They are viewed as being very similar to a crane in design.
What licence do a I need ?
Well this is another area where lots of people get confused. There is a great resource available online at tsha.com.au – Telescopic Handler Association of Australia. Where you can find the most Up to date licencing information for your state or territory.
Click here to see training requirements for all types of telehandler
The one common requirement in all states is the minute you put a jib on a 3T Telehandler you need a non-mobile slewing crane ticket.
Buckets are all a duty of care requirements and if you are adding a EWP basket with boom over 11 mts then a High Risk Work platform ticket is required.
Choosing the right brand Telehandler for the right attachment.
Just like cars, Telehandler design and manufacturing have greatly improved as technology has progressed. Under current Australian law all Telehandlers need to have a Load Management System fitted to it.
The load management system allows the operator to work with the rated capacity of the attachment and the machine it self.
While most manufactures choose to use a 3rd party LMS system, Merlo Telehandlers have developed their own inhouse LMS.
The M CDC is Merlo’s Dynamic Load Control System. Merlo presents their patented rated capacity limiter. It’s an integrated computer safety system that manages the load chart according to the attachment in use. The parameters that it monitors include carried load, the boom angle, extension and speed.
The computer can only sense Merlo manufactured attachments and it’s the quality the market has been demanding. The Merlo CDC system is designed to deliver the highest level of safety for the operator, as well the most convenience for simple operation.
While the level of sophistication is amazing, the problem starts when you are looking for specific telehandler attachments.
Where a Merlo designed rotator to suit their ZM2 carriage can go for $18 000 RRP, a non genuine aftermarket rotator attachment to suit a Faresin Telehandler for a similar sized machine can set you back $12 000 RRP.
That is a big difference in attachment pricing when you are looking for multiple attachments that will suit your Telehandler and application.
Where can I buy Telehandler attachments ?
If you are interested in adding some versatility to your Telehandler you have several options for aftermarket attachments in Australia.
Just to give you a few examples, you obviously can also talk directly to your Telehandler provider.
Do I need to rate my Attachment on my Telehandler ?
Just like a forklift, every single time you add attachments to a Telehandler you need to ensure that you have a clear rating visible on the machine.
This is certainly a benefit to a Merlo Telehandler, once you connect a attachment to Merlo’s MCDC it will auto register and re-rate the telehandler with the attachment. If you are putting an aftermarket telehandler attachment on a telehandler you will need to talk directly to the manufacturer about the rating on the machine.
Does quality of attachment really matter ?
Of course, it does. The old saying you get what you pay for, is no difference in the telehandler attachments you can currently buy. Look for a reputable supplier and you will find quality products.
Will the attachment suit my Application ?
There is a wide range of attachments available for Telehandlers (see the above list). Talk to your Telehandler dealer to find out what range of attachments that they have available. You will undoubtedly find the right attachment to suit your application.
Can I put Any Attachment on my Telehandler ?
Unfortunately the carriage mounts can and will be different from Telehandler to Telehandler brand. Before you purchase your telehandler attachment uou need to make sure you are buying the right attachment that is designed to fit onto your brand of telehandler.
Talk to your attachment supplier or telehandler supplier to make sure that you get an attachment that is designed to fit your Telehandler, you don;t want to waste your money on buying something that won’t fit.
With the range of telehandler attachments available, and with such vastly different cost points. Take you time to do your research first before making your purchasing decision, you will find that you can save money and time with a bit of time.
