At the Ploughing Championships this year in Co. Laois, Merlo introduced a new ‘compact’ member to its Turbofarmer family. Although it might be small of stature, the TF30.7 doesn’t pull any punches, lifting and shifting loads of up to 3000kg and capable of reaching just shy of 7m skywards.
Booted with a choice of either 24in or 20in tyres and rims, the new model can squeeze through 2m wide gateways and, when fitted with the smallest wheels and optional LC cab, will limbo under doorways of less than 2m in height.
When it comes to the cabin there are three different options – the low-profile LC version, standard and the top-spec suspended version. Using hydro-pneumatic springs and dampers this option raises the top of the cab frame to over 2.2m but for those without height restrictions it’s going to make repetitive trips across bumpy yards a much more bearable experience.
The cab itself is a much more modern-feeling space than previous incarnations. Being low to the ground, it’s only a slight sideways step into what we’re told – at 1010mm – is now the widest telehandler cockpit on the market.
It certainly feels spacious thanks in part to the ability to push the seat right back but also due to the low boom pivot and 4.3sq.m of glass that surrounds the operator.
The controls are logically laid out with a sweeping arc of rocker switches to deal with day-to-day functions and a colourful digital dash that gives a read-out of everything you’d expect and more. Alongside speed, revs, temperature and levels, you also get a spot-rate fuel monitor and mystery ‘EPD’ indicator.
This ‘Eco Power Drive’ acronym is Merlo’s clever fuel-sipping engine-transmission control system. Working away in the background it will alter the output of the transmission’s variable displacement pump to match load, speed and engine rpm, effectively functioning to limit fuel usage. Working in combination with the system’s cruise control feature, once the desired speed is reached the on-board computer adjusts transmission ratios to allow engine revs to be reduced by up to 25%.
There are two modes – ‘Eco’ and ‘Heavy Load’, the latter allowing the engine to rev higher for longer. The cruise control function is activated by holding the shuttle lever forward. This sets the desired forward pace – a potentiometer dial can then be used to independently vary engine revs and therefore oil-flow when working with attachments such as bedding dispensers or road brushes.
The new lime-green loader has another bit of clever tech. on-board that makes the operator’s life a whole lot more relaxed. Dubbed by its Italian makers as the ‘auto accelerating joystick’, with the appropriate switch flicked, the system will sense a demand for oil as the boom functions are used and rev the engine up accordingly. The amount it will power up is set using the same dial used to set cruise control speeds. The function considerably boosts oil-flow in what is already quite a capable package, making the TF30.7 an incredibly punchy performer.
The auto-revving function also does away with one of the issues typically associated with hydrostatically driven loaders. Generally, to get the hydraulics up to speed a generous dose of right boot is required which necessitates the use of the inching/transmission dump pedal. By handling engine revs independently of forward speed, the clever electronics eliminate the need for fancy footwork and offer the potential to significantly slash cycle times. By upping oil-flow automatically, the load-sensing, flow-sharing hydraulic package can send fluid to various different services all at once. This enables the operator to simultaneously use all the boom functions at once without seeing a slow-down in work rates.
Power is provided by a 2.9-litre Deutz four-cylinder engine equipped with the inevitable AdBlue, particulate filters and exhaust catalysts that are required to get modern power-plants through emissions regulations. Despite this apparent strangulation it’s able to pump out 101hp and has impressive reserves of torque. Fitted with a hydrostatic transmission, it’s never going your first choice a heavy haulage prime-mover but equipped with a hydraulic pick-up hitch, its performance suggests it’ll do alright as an occasional trailer tug.
It's heavy-hitting hydraulic performance and perky powertrain go a long way in giving this newest Turbofarmer the ability to punch well above its weight. Despite its diminutive dimensions it still has the potential as a front-line load shifter. Although it might be tagged as a ‘compact’ machine it won’t just be limited to working on the smallest of farms.