Kramer, a subsidiary of Wacker Neuson, manufactures an extensive range of compact wheel loaders, telescopic wheel loaders and telehandlers.

Until recently, the German firm was building the range of Scorpion machines under the Claas livery. Since parting ways with Claas, Kramer struck a deal with John Deere whereby the Kramer product range would be sold through its dealer network.

The firm’s telescopic wheel loader range is unique compared to most of its competitors in that all models are non-articulated but instead four-wheel steer.

Is this better or worse? It’s hard to know, but there certainly are a number of advantages along with a few disadvantages around the concept.

Launched at Agritechnica 2019, the KL55.8T is Kramer’s current flagship telescopic wheel loader, most comparable to the largest fixed boom KL70.8 which sees a PZ-kinematic system.

Aimed at the larger farmer or smaller contractor, we put the KL55.8T to work on a silage pit. Obviously not designed to compete with the larger capacity contractor machines, there is a niche market of operators fond of the smaller, more versatile machine. We married the machine to a 10ft fork to see if it could stand up to the test.

Engine

The KL55.8T we had out was fitted with the all familiar 156hp (609Nm) 4.1l four-cylinder Stage V Deutz engine. As standard the KL55.8T is fitted with a 3.6l Deutz engine which churns out 136hp. Having spent the day on the pit the extra 20hp is definitely worth having. Lack of engine power never proved an issue for us.

The KL55.8T is fitted with a large cooling pack. Over the course of the day, both engine and transmission temperatures remained steady. In addition, there is a reversible fan fitted as standard, which was well needed given the dusty conditions.

Everything inside the engine bay from a service point of view is accessible which we like to see. The right-hand side step over the diesel and AdBlue tank can be removed easily and used as a step to allow better access to the engine once slotted into the tracks on either side of the rear counterweight.

Diesel and AdBlue fill points are located to the right-hand side of the loader, while the hydraulic oil fill point and sight glass is mounted beside the left-hand side step.

Transmission

The loader comes equipped with a GKN continuously variable, hydrostatic transmission and had the optional ecospeedPRO drive system. This lively transmission has three ranges (snail 0-10km/h, tortoise 0-20km/h and hare 0-40km/h). The transmission was well capable of climbing up the speeds quickly and smoothly to reach its top speed of 40km/h. The only issue we had with the transmission was that the lowest range (snail) was a little on the fast side which was especially noticeable when bucking grass on the pit.

Kramer says that a creeper option is available, something we would be advising if intended for use on silage pits. That said, the combined brake-inch pedal helps slow down forward speed while maintaining hydraulic flow to the boom.

The transmission features Kramer’s Smart Driving engine rpm reduction. This adapts the engine speed to the driving requirements. Once the maximum speed is reached, the engine speed can be reduced to 1,550rpm, helping to reduce fuel consumption and noise.

The loader has an electric handbrake that automatically disengages once the loader is put into gear. The machine sits on the well-known Italian-built Cararro axles.

The loader as tested was shod on 540/70R24 Michelin XMCL Ag tyres, a nice size tyre for clamp duties. They offer a 480mm clearance from the belly plates to the ground. As standard, it comes with a slightly smaller 500/70R24 set of tyres.

Hydraulics and boom

The larger 156hp model is fitted as standard with the larger capacity hydraulic gear pump with 187l/min on tap. While it did not lack performance, we felt that this being a telescopic model, it needed all its hydraulic capacity.

The lower horsepower engine is coupled with the smaller 150l/min pump also. While climbing in low range with the 10ft fork loaded with grass, any boom movement at all had a noticeable effect on forward speed.

A full boom cycle (unloaded) from the ground to maximum height (5.4m) on idle took 30 seconds and 19 seconds at maximum engine rpm. The third service up front has a depressurisation button, making third service hoses easy to connect.

Along with oil flow adjustments, features such as automatic return-to bucket position and bucket shake functions can all be selected at the press of a button inside the cab.

It is evident from looking around the boom it is strongly constructed to handle a 5,500kg tipping load. The only downside to the beefy boom construction was visibility to the centre of the silage fork. Boom suspension can be set to engage and disengage at any speed from 0-40km/h. The loader, like most telescopic machines, is fitted with a boom overload system to prevent tipping if fully loaded on full extension.

Capacities

Weighing in at 11,170kg, this beefy piece of kit has a maximum lifting height of 5.4m with the boom fully extended. Meanwhile, the loader has a payload capacity of 3,900kg and tipping load of 5,500kg.

Coming from being used to driving articulated wheel loaders on silage pits, the KL55.8T with its rigid body and four-wheel steering was a big change. In saying that, once we got a feel for the concept, it became second nature and proved to be very nimble, especially when working along walls.

The loader burnt on average 11.2l/hr of diesel which we were satisfied with given the work it was doing. Its diesel tank has a capacity of 140l which was just shy of seeing the day out. For those intending to work long days with the machine, perhaps a larger fuel tank would be required.

The loader as tested came with three steering options: all-wheel steering, front wheel steering or crab steering. Both the front and rear axles offered a steering angle of 40 degrees, which equated to a small turning radius of 3.86m.

In the cab

Cab access is good, with access from both sides possible. Although the doors don’t latch back against the rear bonnet like some of the other machines on the market, they both have sliding windows. Visibility all-round is very good. This is largely helped by the curved front windscreen and the glass roof.

The fact the machine is non-articulated leaves the main boom pivot low. Visibility of the fork directly in front of the boom is somewhat hindered by its beefy build. Visibility to the sides of the fork where it’s needed most is good. Seating position in the KL55.8T is nice and high compared to its nearest rivals.

All controls are well laid out and fall to hand nicely with little clutter. As expected, all additional functions including diff-lock, third hydraulic service, forward-reverse shuttle and the return-to function are carried out through the joystick.

A 7” LCD terminal is located at the top of the right corner post. It features a built-in reversing camera which initiates as soon as reverse is engaged. Although the terminal is up out of the way, we found it to be easily forgotten about at times until gotten used to.

A rotary dial instrument is used to navigate through the various functions within the terminal, located to the right of the joystick. Three buttons – F1, F2 and F3 – control the selection of presets and this can be displayed at the top of the terminal home screen.

The loader as tested was equipped with a full LED lighting package which offered super all-round lighting. Overall, the cab is a nice roomy environment to work in, with few faults.

On the pit

While working on the pit, the machine was well balanced. Its one-piece chassis design probably contributed to its stability. The high rate of oil flow meant that the operator didn’t have to push the machine overly hard to get good performance from its hydraulics. In saying that, the operator could easily bite off a bit more than he could chew as regards placing too much of a load in front of the machine.

Albeit a little on the sensitive side, we found the transmission responded best to little revs when shuttling. The machine was lively on the pit and was well able to push.

The only real issue we could pick out was its forward speed. Its lowest range allowed a forward speed of up to 10km/h, far too fast when trying to push and distribute a load of grass. If buying one for pit work, we would certainly suggest the creeper option.

Overall, the KL55.8T worked well on the pit, offering good ground clearance of 480mm, and is well plated up with little nooks or crannies for grass to build up. The different steering modes worked well in different circumstances.

Crab steer worked well for rolling the pit, while the four-wheel steer was best for everything else, leaving the 11.8t machine nimble, with a very impressive turning circle.

Verdict

The KL55.8T is a very capable machine on a silage pit and in some ways could be classed as unique, therefore filling a gap in the market for some. It is ideally suited to the customer who wants something bigger and heavier than a common articulated telescopic machine but cannot justify a large frame wheel loader. For someone not overly used to driving a loader, the rigid, all-wheel steering concept is probably easier to grasp than an articulated machine. If pit work was the main purpose of the machine, the KL70.8 PZ kinematics’ boom loader may be better suited as we found the telescopic boom not really necessary on the pit. But where the loader is used for general farm duties, the telescopic boom would allow for greater versatility. Overall, we found the KL55.8T to be a capable, agile and user-friendly piece of kit.

Machine spec as tested