Farm Progress

JCB capitalizes on their one-armed skid-steer tech to bring out a machine with a lot more reach - the Teleskid

Willie Vogt

March 7, 2017

2 Min Read
Willie Vogt

The skid-steer loader has become a kind of hydraulic toolbox on the farm. This portable power unit is also a great hauler for a number of projects, a forklift, a snow mover, and it takes on more material handling chores every day. Trouble is, the compact size can also bring a reach limit to its work. For farmers that like the size of a skid-steer but want more reach there's a new alternative - the JCB Teleskid.

As Ray Bingley, general manager of ag sales, explains, this new machine fills a gap between the skid-steer and the telehandler. "A skid-steer is limited to what it can reach," he says. "This is a machine that can reach up to 13-feet, but it offers the same capacities as a skid-steer."

JCB has long had a single-arm design for its skid-steer loaders. This makes getting in and out easy, and yet the machines have similar capacities to their two-arm competition. The company is also a pioneer in the telescopic handler business with the first Loadall introduced nearly 40 years ago; the company claims it is the biggest selling telescopic handler in the world. And it was 25 years ago that the company launched the Powerboom one-armed skid-steer loader.

The JCB Teleskid is just that a kind of compact hybrid skid-steer, telehandler that offers a forward reach of 8-feet and a lift height of 13 feet. The lift height is 8% higher than any other skid-steer loader offered.

That added upward, and forward, reach means the machine can stack bales higher, fill bigger mixers and take on a number of extended-reach tasks. Yet the machine has the footprint of a smaller skid-steer popular on a lot of farms. Power comes from a 74 hp JCB Ecomax engine that also meets Tier 4 final standards.

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In this view it's easy to see the single arm, telescoping design of the Teleskid system - available both as a compact track loader and a wheeled skid-steer.

In track configuration, the Teleskid canlift 3,600 pounds; with wheels it can lift 3,100 pounds. At full extension, the trach loader version can lift 1,600 pounds while the wheeled loader has 1,300 pounds of capacity. "This is a very efficient machine," Bingley observes.

Other specs include 24 gpm standard hydraulic flow for operating attachments when fully extended; an SAE/ISO standard quick hitch for using any skid-steer or compact track loader attachment; and a singe point-quick hitch lock and unlock flag for increased visibility.

"The cab on the machine is also more roomy than a standard skid steer," Bingley adds.

The new machine is now available through the JCB dealer network. Learn more at jcb.com.

About the Author(s)

Willie Vogt

Willie Vogt has been covering agricultural technology for more than 40 years, with most of that time as editorial director for Farm Progress. He is passionate about helping farmers better understand how technology can help them succeed, when appropriately applied.

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