Bobcat meets the telehandler challenge with ease

Earlier this year, Adare Machinery Ltd, based in Patrickswell, Co Limerick, was appointed as agent for Doosan Heavy and Bobcat products for a large part of Ireland. The company recently supplied the Irish Farmers Journal with its new Bobcat TL358+ Agri telehandler for a field test.

Bobcat builds a range of telescopic loaders for the construction industry and agriculture. These are built in France in a former Sambron factory acquired by Bobcat in 2000.

The Bobcat TL358 and TL358+ Agri telescopic handlers were launched this year and complement the existing TL360 and TL470. Both are compact machines featuring a narrow frame design with a width of 2.1m.

There are low and high cab options. When combined with the available tyre sizes (20in and 24in), cab height can range from 2.1m to 2.33m.

All machines are powered by Deutz TCD 3.6 L4 Stage IIIB diesel engines, which develop 100hp at 2,300rpm. The engine is matched to a two-speed hydrostatic transmission, driving Dana Spicer axles, front and rear.

Our test machine, the Bobcat TL358+ Agri, is a high-specification version. Bobcat lists 17 items that are standard on the TL358+ Agri that are optional on the base spec machine. Among these are a reversible fan, air seat, lockable fuel cap, trailer hitch and brake valve. Our test model featured the high cab and the taller 24in wheels. These give it a top speed of 40km/h, a welcome feature for farm users doing road work.

Our test machine had a quoted height of 2.33m and a weight of 5.3t. Combined with the narrow working width of 2.1m, an overall length of 4.5m and a turning radius of just 3.77m, we felt it should be pretty nifty around older, smaller farm buildings.

Lifting capacity and reach is good too. Bobcat quotes a maximum lift capacity of 3t for the TL358+ Agri. Maximum lift height on the 24-inch wheels is 5.883m. Lift capacity to this maximum height is 2.5t, while lift capacity at maximum forward reach of 3.015m is 1.25t. The hydraulic gear-type pump, with load-sensing valve, has a maximum capacity of 100 litres/min.

First impressions

Our first impressions of the test machine were that it was compact but not too small for its target market. In comparison to the farm’s 1998 Manitou MLT 629 with similar lift and reach capabilities, it was not quite as beefy.

The cab interior is not as pretty as some of the competition. However, what it lacks in aesthetics, it makes up for in practicality.

The hard plastic mouldings used throughout are the aesthetic offender. That said, these are tough and durable and offer in-cab storage. There are loads of storage pockets for phone, gloves and tools. There is even a charging socket close to the side pockets. There is no USB point here, but there is one in the radio above the driver’s head to the right.

A joystick on the right controls all of the boom functions as well as the machine’s direction. To the front of this there is a well-laid-out, robust control panel, with switches for many of the telehandler’s functions.

To the front of the switch control panel is the instrument cluster. This combines the essential analogue gauges of engine temperature and fuel level in a central digital display. There are also four warning lights and extra function buttons under this.

The cab is traditional in design, with a split door. Front top and rear wipers combined with heating and air conditioning should help to keep most of the cab glass clear during winter. There is an air seat and adjustable steering wheel also.

Safety legislation now requires manufacturers to install mirrors so all aspects of the machine can be seen. The TL358+ Agri was suitably equipped. There were two in the cab, one rear view and one in the rear righthand corner. We could not figure out what this was for.

To work

Bobcat has supplied a quick-reference flipchart in the cab so that you can familiarise yourself with the machine’s controls. The compact flipchart is retained by a long piece of cable so cannot be easily removed.

Once driving, the first thing you notice is how light the steering is. This should leave operators less tired at the end of a long day. The footbrake and handbrake are also light and easy to operate.

The loader’s first task was to clean out a cattle shed, which would thoroughly test its hydraulic system and transmission. Adare supplied a bucket with grab which worked really well when cleaning out the shed. You could grab a decent load and not have it fall out as it can do through the tines of a standard dung fork.

The TL358+ Agri struggled to rip out wads of strawy dung in the same way the farm’s Manitou would. The route required a few manoeuvres; it was a bit of a distance over rough ground.

Initially, we would have felt the loader needed a third speed between high and low to cover the distance a bit faster. But once you get used to the transmission, it proved very responsive, and provided lots of power.

Grapple buckets full of wet, heavy dung test a loader’s lifting capabilities. Pushing it beyond its specified limit will cut out the boom hydraulics; you can boom back in or use the over-ride facility to release the load. You soon learn what the loader is capable of and don’t end up getting locked out, or at least not as often.

The speeds of the TL358+ Agri’s hydraulic functions, raising/lowering, extending/retracting the boom, were all good. While a load-sensing axial piston pump would provide more performance at lower engine speeds than the gear pump, the performance was more than satisfactory.

Forward and reverse are operated by a button on the centre of the joystick. This is convenient, except when you need to operate more boom or grapple functions while selecting a direction change. It would be better positioned on the rear of the joystick where there is a spare finger to operate it while your thumb is occupied with boom or grapple functions.

An additional forward/reverse shuttle lever in the conventional position under the left side of the steering wheel is available as an optional extra. This is in addition to the forward/reverse button on the joystick, which I think would make for faster cycle times while performing complicated operations.

Driver visibility is excellent for this type of tele-handler. While the boom obscures some visibility to the right when raised, 360° visibility is really good when lowered.

Comfort was also very good; controls were correctly positioned and minimal effort was required to operate the steering and brakes.

On the road, boom suspension took the edge off some of Co Wexford’s potholes; an air-suspended seat helped also.

We did some heavy shoving in a pile of clay to see how the loader and its transmission would react. It easily dismantled a mound of clay that had been standing in a spot for over a year.

Some night driving and a few wet days put the Bobcat’s lighting and heating system to the test. Boom lights, which are standard on the test machine, are a help in a dark shed, particularly at height.

Function

There are some clever features in the Bobcat TL358+ Agri. These include Auxiliary Flow Control, Smart Handling System and creep mode.

Auxiliary Flow Control controls the amount of oil available at the loader’s third service. A maximum flow of 90 litres/min is available for running a front-mounted hydraulic kit such as a sweeper or mixing bucket. The hydraulic output can be set using a button under the digital display in combination with the + and – buttons on the joystick.

Bobcat’s Smart Handling System allows the speed of the boom functions to be set in a similar way to Auxiliary Flow Control. The operator can set the speed of all boom movements as a percentage of maximum flow. This is useful for delicate operations.

Creep mode allows the operator to set the maximum forward speed, which can be set as a percentage of the loader’s maximum speed. This is a useful feature when working at low forward speeds while needing a high hydraulic flow to power a feeding bucket or sweeper.

The hydraulically driven engine fan is also worth a mention. Farm work often sees radiator grills and engine hoods gather loose material, reducing the cooling performance of the fan. A switch on the Bobcat TL358+ Agri’s dash reverses the fan for 80 seconds to blow out any blockages.

Another switch on the control panel operates the Bobcat Quicktach implement carrier. This features a lock-out function to prevent it from being accidentally operated. The operator holds this switch pressed to keep the hydraulically operated locking pins retracted. When the operator releases the switch, the implement locking pins extend to lock the implement to the loader’s carriage. This is one of the better locking systems out there.

The implement carriage resembles the Manitou system. However, the distance between the crossbar and locking pins is greater. So for those with existing implements, some changing of brackets will be required or an adapter made to suit.

From a service perspective, access to filters and greasing points is straightforward. The machine has a lockable fuel cap in addition to the lockable engine hood and driver’s door.

Bobcat’s TL358+ Agri is a very well-thought-out telehandler. It is compact, user-friendly and practical. It has the lifting and reach needed by farms today, particularly dairy and livestock units with diet feeder wagons.

The manufacturer declined to provide a price, but did confirm that the Bobcat TL358+ Agri was competitively priced. If thinking of buying one, we would definitely specify the lefthand forward-reverse shuttle lever, in addition to the joystick shuttle.

Likes

Dislikes

Standard equipment on the Bobcat TL358+ Agri