What is it you need to move from one place to another in your operation? Maybe you don’t have to move mountains, but it’s still important to move. Perhaps it’s silage on your dairy or beef operation; maybe it’s big round bales, or perhaps it’s lots of dirt you need to get from point A to point B.

The companies that make the primary equipment and attachments that make these activities easier continue to come up with new wrinkles to make doing these jobs safer, more comfortable and more efficient.

For example, if you need to both lift and move something heavy, the Manitou North America telescoping handler, the new MLT 420 model, might be your ticket. Spokespersons say it can lift an object 14 feet high and can carry up to 4, 400 pounds. That is a lot of lifting and carrying power.

Meanwhile, New Holland’s 300 Series skid steer and compact track loaders certainly aren’t your father’s skid-steer loaders. You can get an 8-inch LCD display with reverse camera. Talk about upping the game for operating efficiency and safety!

Meanwhile, several companies are working on “smart” skid steers and attachments. Grader blades, and even a backhoe in Cat’s new lineup, are smart implements, whose controls attach to Cat skid steers equipped with smart technology. The combination gives you, as the operator, more control over the implement, and makes it easier to maneuver and use more efficiently.

Bobcat introduces its Features on Demand technology, which allows your dealer to turn on certain high-demand functions on your machine. If you don’t start out with everything turned on, you can have more features enabled later.