Growing interest in the telescopic handler concept among construction contractors has prompted two leading equipment manufacturers, Bobcat and Liebherr, to enter the market for the first time.
Bobcat, which makes skid steer loaders and mini-excavators, has taken over the French telehandler manufacturer Sambron from the Fayat Group.
Bobcat’s parent company, Ingersoll-Rand, already has its own line of telehandlers, sold under the Ingersoll-Rand brand. The Sambron line has lifting capacities ranging from 2.5t to 4t and maximum reaches of 5.6m to 18m.
“With this acquisition we are expanding our product range to include telescopic handlers, which represent a growing worldwide market and share a similar customer base with Bobcat products,” said Bobcat president Chuck Hoge.
Liebherr’s machine will be unveiled at the Intermat show in May. It is exhibiting a prototype midsize telescopic loader with hydrostatic drive. Whether it will be useable as a real telehandler, rather than just a loader, remains to be seen. It has been produced by Liebherr’s Telfs factory in Austria which makes earthmoving equipment. Liebherr plans to distribute it through its earthmoving dealer network and not through the lifting side.
