Known for their nimbleness and ability to get work done in enclosed spaces, skid steer loaders are becoming more common on Irish farms.

On farms where there is large amount of barrier feeding going on, they really come into their own. Gehl is one of the top manufacturers in the world of skid steer loaders and the Irish Farmers Journal got to go see two of its machines working on dairy farms in Ireland.

The first one was a Gehl V270 on Joe O’Reilly’s farm in Westmeath. He admits to not being a machinery man, but finds the skid steer a very useful piece of equipment. The V270 is at the larger end of the farmer spec machines. It has a 3.3 litre Yanmar engine producing 72hp and a very impressive 294nm of torque.

The V270 is powered by a Yanmar diesel with 73hp on tap.

The V270 is powered by a Yanmar diesel with 73hp on tap.

It is easy to see how the big skid steer adds to the productivity on the farm. It is mainly used to cut silage from the pit using a 6ft Tanco shear grab. This machine has Gehl’s vertical lift system which means the grab goes straight up and down instead of in a radial motion. This feature allows the machine to get a full grab of silage at its maximum working height of 3.3 metres.

This is more than high enough to take silage from the top of all but the tallest pits of silage. With the grab weighing 750kg on its own plus the weight of a full grab of silage, the stability of the V270 is impressive. This is helped by the addition of an extra 150kg of ballast to the rear of the machine.

Given that the maximum lift capacity of the V270 is 1,224kg according to the plate on the machine, this means about half a tonne of silage can be carried in the grab safely.

The V270 fits perfectly in this feeding passage where other machines could not work.

The V270 fits perfectly in this feeding passage where other machines could not work.

This machine also came with soft ride on the hydraulics, which makes getting around the yard when empty or loaded very comfortable.

There has been a skid steer on Joe’s farm for a number of years. The last machine was a Mustang 7462, which is a smaller version of the current Gehl. The Mustang had clocked 7,000 plus relatively trouble-free hours for Joe. He decided to change to the larger machine late last year. The main reasons for the change were more comfort and a bit more output.

The older machine was an open cab version so the addition of a closed cab has made his life a lot more comfortable over the winter months. Having received the new machine late last year, he has clocked well over 500 hours already.

Watching the machine at work, you can see why the manoeuvrability is such an advantage. The feeding areas seem to be designed exactly for the little machine to spin around drop its load of silage and leave in one slick movement.

In the hands of a good operator, this machine has the capability to get through some serious work.

The R190 is used to tidy up feed in passages on a Tipperary dairy farm.

The R190 is used to tidy up feed in passages on a Tipperary dairy farm.

The other machine we went to see was a smaller one, more commonly bought by farmers, a Gehl R190. This machine is owned by Joe McCarthy who farms at the foot of the Galtees in Co Tipperary. The main work undertaken was pushing up silage to barriers in sheds. The machine has done two full winters on the farm and has proved to be robust.

The Gehl replaced a telescopic loader on this farm. The reason for the change was how nimble the skid steer was and the fact that it would always be in the yard when it was needed. The R190 is a narrow machine

Joe found that the loader and/or any of his three tractor loaders could be out of the yard when they were needed but the skid steer was always there when it was needed.

The smaller machine also comes with a Yanmar diesel engine producing 69hp. The lift height of this machine is a still an impressive 3 metres.

This is not as important on this farm as it is mainly used on ground level to tidy up in passages after a diet feeder. The farm is currently milking 250 cows so the little Gehl is busy keeping those ladies and their followers fed.

After the animals are turned out to grass, the R190 comes into its own, nimbly clearing out the straw-bedded calf house. The smaller machine comes with an open front. As most of the work that this machine does is in shed it is not an issue and Joe says that it actually improves visibility in low light and tight areas.

These machines are a very useful tool in the right hands and both of the Joes wouldn’t be without their machines.

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