The UK’s first new Bobcat TL38.70HF Agri telehandler is acting out an unusual double role, working both in a quarry processing plant and on a farm at the foot of the Black Mountains in the county of Herefordshire in England.
The new telehandler is owned by Black Mountain Quarries Ltd, based at Howton Court in Pontrilas in Herefordshire, and was supplied by Kellands (Plant Sales) Ltd, an Authorised Dealer for the Bobcat and Doosan ranges.
The business was founded by owner, Adrian Phillips, in 2005 on the family farm in Tybubach in Herefordshire. In 2006, the company opened Llandraw Quarry a mile along the valley.
In 2007, Adrian Phillips took on Callow Hill Quarry in Monmouthshire, which allowed the business to offer a different type and colour of building stone and blockstone. Finally, in 2011 when the De Lank Quarry came up for sale in Cornwall, Black Mountain Quarries jumped at the chance to include its beautiful Cornish granite in its portfolio.
Adrian Phillips commented: “Though we bought it through our Cornwall quarry, the new Bobcat TL38.70HF AGRI telehandler is now working at the central processing plant at Howton Court for the stone from the quarries in Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. It has taken over from a Bobcat TL360 telehandler, which we have been very pleased with. We have switched the two machines so the TL360 is now working in the Cornwall quarry, where it continues to do good work.
“I bought the new Bobcat TL38.70HF telehandler to provide more lifting capacity and a greater lifting height. At the processing plant, it carries out a range of material handling duties from loading stone into conveyors and lifting pallets to unloading the trucks that come in with stone from the three quarries.
“The new telehandler also meets our requirement for having a relatively small footprint, being able to work and move within the confined spaces at the processing plant. As well as the extra boom extension, I have also been impressed by the same high build quality we saw on the TL360 and the power and the speed of response coming from the new Bobcat D34 engine.”
The Bobcat D34 Stage IV engine offers electronic fuel injection; High Pressure Common Rail technology; turbo-charged air management and Cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation for lower emissions and does not require the use of Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) technology. It has been developed and manufactured internally specifically for use in the company’s new generation Stage IV telescopic loaders for highly regulated markets in Europe and elsewhere.
The D34 97 kW (130 HP)/500 Nm engine in the TL38.70HF AGRI model utilises DOC and SCR with DEF injection after-treatment technologies, for tough applications requiring more power. The compactness of the D34 engine and a new styled low profile engine hood have also enhanced visibility on the engine side of the TL38.70HF AGRI.
The HF/High Flow Technology in the TL38.70HF AGRI offers outstanding hydraulic capabilities and performance with a class-leading 190 l/min load sensing pump (150 l/min at the auxiliary line) and flow sharing distributor.
This allows the operator to work at significantly lower speeds, consume less fuel and benefit from remarkably shorter working cycles. To prevent unnecessary oil heating and power loss, the load sensing pump supplies oil only when hydraulic power is required. If required, the full oil volume is available immediately, thanks to the Quick start system.
An automatic fan inverter, a 40 km/h transmission and 24 inch tyres are among the many additional features incorporated in AGRI versions of Bobcat telehandlers. Other special features include a Sears high comfort air suspension seat and premium cab finish (deluxe steering wheel, armrest, aluminium panels); boom wiring harness and electric connectors; a lockable fuel cap; a trailer brake valve; a cyclonic air prefilter; a drawbar coupler tow hitch and rear electric socket; a support for the vehicle registration plate; back-up alarm; work light on the boom; rear mirror; a loudspeaker and radio ready configuration; a roof window wiper; sun visor and a rotating beacon.
