In 2015, German machinery giants Claas and Liebherr announced plans to collaborate in a deal where Liebherr would supply telescopic handlers to Claas.

At the time, Claas also announced it would be winding down its agreement with Kramer, which had been supplying telescopic handlers to Claas since the mid-noughties.

The first Claas-branded, Liebherr-built telescopic machines appeared in early 2018, and continued under the Scorpion product name.

As a key part of this new relationship, Claas also had one eye on the loading shovel market; unsurprising, seeing as the company is one of the biggest players in the forage harvester game.

Today, the Torion range is offered from 5t up to 18.5t, across 11 models.

We caught up with brothers Wesley and Adam Cooke, who took delivery of a Torion Sinus 956-wheel loader last November, the first of this particular model sold throughout Ireland and the UK.

Why Claas?

Milking 150 cows near Grange halfway between Thurles and Kilkenny, the brothers decided to upgrade their existing farm loader last year.

This was a 1999 Liebherr L514 with over 14,000 hours on the clock.

“We’ve always been fond of a well-built hydrostatic industrial loader around the farm. This started when we bought a 1989 Cat 910 back in 1997.

“It served us well and was upgraded to the 1999 Liebherr in 2011. Dad came across the L514 Stereo version in Belgium in 2011 and bought it.

“We clocked about 5,000 hours on it, and had running costs of just €2,500 during that period. We paid around €22,000 or €23,000 for it, and got as much for it on the trade in 10 years later.

“We were actually looking out for another used Liebherr loader, but four-year old examples with 4,000 hours were fetching as high as €90,000 plus VAT. The figures didn’t make sense to buy a used machine, so we began looking at new machines. We initially contacted Liebherr direct, but we were looking at a five-month waiting time.

“We looked at a JCB 413S, and demoed a Kramer KL60.8. The Kramer was a lovely machine, but the horsepower was too high for general yard duties, and the next size down in a four-wheel steer was too small for us.

“We also contacted Breens about a Claas-branded machine. Claas had an ex-demo machine sitting at its factory with just 30 hours on the clock.

“A little over two weeks later we took delivery without even seeing it,” explained the brothers.

Torion Sinus 956

The unique selling point of the Sinus 956 is the steering setup. This isn’t new, and was present in the Cookes’ previous 1999 Liebherr L514 (patented at the time).

Known as the stereo steering feature, it combines central articulated steering and a steerable rear axle.

The articulated pendulum joint pivots 30° either side, and the rear axle allows up to 25° either side, contributing to an inside turning radius of 1.53m.

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How does it work? Well, the front chassis is connected to the rear stub axles via two steering rods. Once you articulate the loader via the steering wheel, the rear axle is steered in sync.

This was one of the deciding factors that led the Cookes down the Claas route. They work in some restricted areas, and wanted a machine that was nimble enough to suit their yard, but built to an industrial spec.

They said they can turn off a 15ft centre passageway, and in through a 15ft bay at their ease with the machine.

Engine

The Torion range features Yanmar and Liebherr engines, but mainly source power from DPS (Deere Power Systems) engines. The 956 Sinus featured is powered from a four-pot DPS engine, which delivers 106hp.

Instead of opting for the €5,000 auto greaser, the brothers decided to pipe the nine grease nipples to a central block themselves which cost them €200 in materials.

This particular loader is Stage IV, but the latest loaders are Stage V compliant.

The 956 model meets the latest standards through a diesel particulate filter (DPF) with integrated diesel oxidation catalytic converter (DOC) and SCR technology.

The AdBlue tank has a capacity of 18l, with Wesley noting typical consumption is at three tanks of fuel (155l tank) to one tank of AdBlue.

Another feature retained over the past two decades is the reversible fan, which Wesley noted was ahead of its time in their previous 1990s-built unit.

Both brothers pointed out how easy it was to access all components in and around the engine bay, and said it was a big step forward in comparison to their previous machine.

Transmission

The Torion features a hydrostatic drive system combined with a two-gear transmission.

It works by selecting the driving range with a switch and then having infinitely variable control of the speed via the drive pedal. The first speed range (F1) is 0-18km/h, while the second range (F2) is 0-40km/h.

The top speed of 40km/h was warmly welcomed by the Cookes, who previously had a 30km/h machine.

They also felt that the new loader transferred more power from the engine to the wheels than the previous machine, explaining that it holds almost twice the speed on their village’s hilly roads, which stand 1,000ft above sea level.

Traction control offers four settings of transmission aggressiveness, which is appreciated by Wesley who is keen to avoid wheel slip on the farm’s shale roads, important when it comes to avoiding cutting tyres.

Hydraulics

The 956 features a flow rate of 115l/min. The flow rate can be adjusted via an in-cab switch. The Cookes noted that hydraulic flow was satisfactory, but boom lifting time was a little on the slow side.

They were also fans of the cast headstock design and the two double-acting auxiliaries, but felt it would be better if the corresponding hydraulic connections were both on the same side, rather than positioned on opposite sides.

“The loader has a pressure relief button inside the cab, but you have to turn off the machine for it to de-pressurise.

“We would have preferred if this function was on a button beside the actual headstock, and that the loader didn’t have to be switched off,” added the brothers.

The standard 956 has a maximum 3.72m reach height to bucket pivot point. Known as smart loading, the loader features an automatic bucket return and lifting and lowering height limiters to speed up loading operations.

“An auto greaser was priced at €5,000 plus the VAT. This would only cover the front Z-bar linkage, while the rear grease nipples are piped to a central block.

“We decided to go without the auto greaser, and piped the nine grease nipples to a central block ourselves which cost us €200 for materials.”

Cab

The Cookes agreed that the cab is spacious, and well thought out ergonomically. Despite the fact it’s only possible to gain entry via the left-hand door, they didn’t flag this as an issue.

Visibility was described as top notch, with the brothers noting that operator comfort was one of their top machine likes.

Features such as the heated air suspension seat helped contribute, while so too did the damping elements at the oscillation point and the set of layer springs in the articulated pendulum joint to dampen shocks.

The brothers complimented the loader’s control layout, mentioning ease of use.

The only fault they have inside the cab is the length it takes for the screen to load up once the ignition has been switched on. The machine can’t be started until the screen has loaded, which they explained could take up to a minute.

Verdict

“We have just clocked 500 hours on the machine and in general, are very happy with its performance.

“Around 90% of its use has been yard work, largely feeding silage using a 6ft 6in shear grab, to clean out sheds, while it also runs a road sweeper and has pushed up grass on the pit.

“The pit work was where it was really tested, and it stood up well to the task. The ability to adjust forward speed and hydraulic flow from the cab, coupled with the hydrostatic transmission meant it could be configured to suit the operator”.

“At over 9t, it’s a weighty machine but the 106hp engine is well able for it.

“It’s also a good grippy machine, better than our previous Liebherr, although that was on industrial tyres which would have an effect.

“The only two real issues we have with it are the time the screen takes to load up and the slightly slow speed of raising the z-linkage.

“Aside from that, it’s very manoeuvrable, while the major service components are all very accessible and operator comfort and visibility is first class. It’s an expensive machine but it’s seriously well built. We would buy one again,” said the two brothers.

The spec

Engine: 106hp, four-cylinder DPS.

Transmission: hydrostatic drive system.

Hydraulics: 115l/min.

Weight: 9,070kg.

Tipping load: 6,095kg.

Tyres: 540/70 R24.

Fuel and AdBlue tank capacity: 155l & 18l.

Price: €120,000 plus VAT.