For JD & MJ Parsons, materials handling duties have expanded into a two-machine solution at the family-run Dorset dairy farm in Compton Abbas, near Shaftesbury. While a rigid chassis, all-wheel steer telehandler carries out heavier lifting, loading and stacking, a compact pivot steer loader provides the agility needed to nip in and out of the farm’s traditional buildings.
“Over the years, telehandlers have become bigger, and while much more capable, this has polarised some of the tasks that we carry out on our farm,” explains Stephen Parsons. “With a lot of our existing traditional buildings, we’ve found that our telehandler is just a bit too big and too clumsy.”
At the 700-acre Gourds Farm, the Parsons run a 260-cow herd, plus followers. Alongside feeding and bedding tasks, there buildings that need mucking out, and not all are easily accessible by the telehandler.
The solution the farm needed has come in the guise of a Kubota R090 compact loader, which now shares the workload with the farm’s telescopic handler.
“While we do make full use of the telehandler’s higher 7m lift and reach capability, there’s an everyday need for our compact Kubota loader, working in and around many of our smaller buildings,” he says.
Supplied by local dealer EG Coles, the 64hp R090 pivot-steer loader boasts a 3.4 tonne full-turn tipping load and a 3.2m lift height. A heated and air-conditioned cab affords good all-round visibility while an LED light package adds to operator comfort and convenience.
“We bed our cows on sawdust using a Shelbourne Reynolds dispenser on the Kubota’s headstock,” he says. “It’s a great combination, and one that can easily be driven up and down the existing cubicle sheds without having to think about it.”
He says that while the telehandler would just fit, it proved too tight a squeeze, with no room to manoeuvre.
“With the Kubota, the whole outfit is extremely manoeuvrable, has good power and performance, and great visibility from the central seating position,” he says. “It’s much easier to see what’s going on all around you.”
He says that the hydrostatic transmission is extremely responsive and very controllable.
“It’s really useful to hold revs and feather the forward speed when running the sawdust dispenser through the cubicles,” he says. “The R0 is so controllable, and great for working in areas where space is restricted. And although the trade-off is a slower overall road speed, the Kubota is mostly yard based, so it doesn’t really matter.”
He adds that should the farm’s scraper tractor break down, the R090 can pick the scraper up with the help of an A-frame, and it can reach over the side of the farm’s diet feeder with the help of a toe-tip bucket.
“While the telehandler does most of the heavy lifting and loading work, the Kubota picks up where the handler simply cannot go,” he says. “It gives us flexibility, so that daily duties can carry on without hassle.”
“Considering the Kubota’s size and modest power, this is a very capable bit of kit,” he adds.
