High-spec Loadall does all for Louth farmers

Located between Ardee and Dunleer, Co Louth, Pat Callan runs a dairy and tillage farming enterprise alongside his three sons Aaron, Emmett and Cian.

Across two farms, the Callans milk a total of 500 cows and grow in the region of 200 acres of cereals, plus an additional 80 acres of maize annually.

With the land around the home farm being fragmented, the Callans operate a spring- and autumn-calving herd. During the grazing season, cows are buffer-fed a TMR ration after milking, before going out to grass daily.

Across the two enterprises, they rely heavily on the daily use of the farm telehandler. In a typical day, they clock up between four and five hours at tasks which include loading the diet feeder, scraping/brushing yards, handling/hauling straw, loading fertiliser or dung, etc.

Earlier this year, the Callans found themselves in the market for a new telehandler after making the decision to move the farm’s 2017 JCB 531-70 telehandler down to the second dairy enterprise and purchase a new loader for the home farm where the lion’s share of work tends to be.

Pat is a firm believer in the age-old saying “if it’s not broke then don’t fix it”. His loyalty to JCB is a prime example of this, as he recalls buying the farm’s first JCB Loadall 530-60 in 1998 to replace an old Massey Ferguson backhoe loader.

“We kept the first 530-60 on the farm until 2006. It was replaced for a JCB 531-70, the first machine to be fitted with JCB’s own EcoMax engine,” Pat explained. Up until that point, JCB had fitted its Loadalls with Perkins four-cylinder engines.

“It was replaced after two years and again upgraded in 2017 having clocked up 9,000 hours. We changed it for the same model, which now remains on the other farm full-time,” Pat added.

This time around, the lads felt a little more capacity for jobs such as handling dung and hauling straw would be worthwhile.

They opted for the 542-70 model, which offers a lift capacity of 4,200kg, with a 7m reach. Having an additional 1,200kg lift capacity, the 542-70 is a heavier built machine from front to back.

The Callans purchased the flagship Agri Xtra model. The Xtra now replaces the Pro as the flagship specification within the Series III Loadall range.

The Xtra comes with a number of extras, including the 150hp engine and DualTech VT transmission.

With the majority of all other machinery on the farm fitted with CVT transmissions, they felt that a hydrostatic box in a telehandler was worth a try.

Engine

Since the arrival of the loader in early March, the Callans have clocked up over 700 hours.

In terms of power and performance, they are impressed with the additional 40hp, up from 110hp in their other telehandler.

The 542-70 Agri Xtra is fitted with JCB’s own Eco Max Stage V engine. This four-pot power plant churns out a considerable 150hp (112kW) and produces 600Nm of torque at 1,500rpm.

Both Pat and Emmett commented on the telehandler’s liveliness and towing ability. A typical load entails a 28ft bale trailer loaded with straw bales.

The handler has the capacity to carry 160 litres of diesel on board and 20.8l of AdBlue. Roughly, three tanks of fuel are being burnt to one tank of AdBlue, which Emmett reckons is slightly better than what the 531-70 was averaging.

Accessibility to the engine is good and an auto-reversing fan is fitted as standard.

Transmission

The loader is fitted with JCB’s own 40km/h DualTech VT transmission, which comprises a hydrostatic and powershift element.

From 0-19km/h, the hydrostatic drive module is engaged (gear one), ideally suited for yard work.

After crossing 19km/h and up to 40km/h, the powershift element of the transmission takes over engaging gears two, three or four via electronically modulated clutch packs.

No torque convertor is needed, allowing direct drive in each gear. JCB says that this makes the best possible use of the engine’s torque for quick acceleration and towing ability.

Emmett and Pat noted how, at first, the transmission took some getting used to. But now, neither would revert back to a full powershift box. Although rated at 40km/h, Emmet says it reaches a top speed of 46km/h.

“Shuttling and working around the yard is much smoother. It’s not a case of finding the right gear - you can work at any speed up to 19km/h. The way in which the inching pedal cuts off drive works well,” Emmett added.

The transmission has three modes. First up is Flexi mode, which allows the operator to use the throttle pedal as a speed controller while setting a fixed engine speed to maintain a constant hydraulic flow for example. This is ideal for the yard sweeper, Pat noted.

Power mode provides both a power boost and more responsive direction control, as well as acceleration and deceleration. Finally, Auto 2/4WD will engage 2wd at speeds above 19km/h or vice versa below 19km/h.

Being the Agri Xtra model, the handler is fitted with a limited slip differential (LSD) in the front axle.

So far, the transmission has been a standout feature for the men, noting that the transition between hydrostatic and powershift is seamless.

Hydraulics and capacity

At the business end of things is the variable displacement hydraulic pump, which produces a flow rate of 140l/min. According to Emmett, this is plenty even while multitasking with the boom and third service on the go at once.

When buying the loader, they upgraded the 6ft sheargrab to an 8ft Tighe model and opted for a larger bucket.

The additional lift capacity has surprised the Callans in what it is capable of, even with the larger attachments which have resulted in time savings.

“You’d notice the entire machine was built stronger, the boom is chunkier and so too are the steel plates either side of the boom pivot,” Emmett said.

The rear pickup hitch on the Series III machines is stronger, with a greater payload. Pat confirmed this, noting how it can pick up the loaded bale trailer at ease compared with the old machine. The 542-70 has a rate towing capacity of 32t and features twin line hydraulic brakes and one double-acting rear spool.

Cab and controls

The cab is where things differ most from the old handler. In 2019, JCB introduced the new CommandPlus cab for its Series III Loadalls.

Both Pat and Emmett welcomed the updates, in particular the improved visibility of the curved windscreen and extra space, noting that the old cab was outdated.

JCB claims a 12% increase in cab volume, 14% greater front visibility, greater wiper coverage and much improved airflow over the older generation. The new cab is also notably quieter.

Another area of praise from the lads was the modern control layout which includes the familiar rubber membrane switchgear present on other recent JCB ranges.

The major controls are positioned alongside the armrest-mounted joystick. A rotary encoder allows navigation of the crisp 7in coloured display which homes all machine functions and setup information.

A new feature is the two-handed Q-fit headstock locking pin release system, a feature Pat feels is well worthwhile, as it’s practically impossible to release the headstock pins unintentionally.

Located inside and outside the cab is an auxiliary pressure release button, which the men noted makes coupling of hydraulic hoses effortless.

Being the Agri Xtra model, the exterior of the cab benefits from 11 LED work lights which they described as superb, providing 360° lighting.

The Callan family is impressed with the loader and are glad to have purchased the larger 542 model. “After getting used to the DualTech VT transmission, it’s much better suited for our work. The added capacity has never seen us beat at any job. Even tightening in stacks of square bales you’d be surprised with the power it has. The additional specification and new cab leaves it a lovely machine to operate.

“The only thing is, with it being a heavier machine working larger attachments, it seem to be wearing tyres faster than our previous loader. But that, I suppose, is a compromise to its increased ability.

“I think we’ve hit the sweet spot in terms of size and performance. If the transmission serves us well, then we’d see no reason not to opt for the same machine again,” Pat stated.