New Dieci Agri Plus telehandler lifts the bar for productivity

Quality hay has been in high demand both locally and overseas, particularly in drought stricken areas, which is keeping businesses like Hay Australia busy.

Hay Australia is a large scale exporter of high-quality fodder which works with local farmers to produce and export quality hay products including Australian oaten hay, wheaten hay, wheaten straw and bedding straw.

As part of its operations, the company moves a large amount of material everyday and therefore requires quality equipment that are quick, efficient and comfortable to operate in.

“We sell about 140,000 tonnes of fodder, mostly oaten hay, each year through sites in WA and Victoria,” said Hay Australia Operations Manager, Geoff Walker.

“We are constantly moving hay around the sites, from delivery to dispatch to the plant, and it’s all done by telehandlers. These machines run 24 hours a day, seven days a week and they clock up 2,500 hours per year."

Walker added the company has operated several brands over the years and finds Dieci to be the best.

Hay Australia previously purchased a smaller Dieci 40.7 telehandler which has done 6000 hours so far, and has recently added two new Dieci Agri Plus 42.7 telescopic handlers to its fleet.

The Dieci Agri Plus 42.7 has a peak power output of 153hp and is capable of handling a maximum 4200kg of load. It has a maximum lift height of 6.9m and a maximum road speed of 40km/h.

A revamped cab with a suspension seat, adjustable steering column, adjustable armrest and adequate sound damping offers ultimate comfort for operators. There are four driving modes available on the Dieci Agri Plus 42.7 which can be selected via an easy-to-read LED screen.

Hay Australia has bought the 42.7 telehandlers in the specialist Haymaster configuration which is especially designed for hay handling applications. Both new machines are based in Victoria, where the original smaller Dieci is still hard at work.

Walker said the upgrade to the premium Agri Plus is already paying dividends, not only in productivity but in operator comfort and reliability.

“The 40.7 with power shift is an excellent machine that will meet most farmers’ needs, but the hydrostatic single speed Vario Evo 2 in the 42.7 Agri Plus is just ideal in an around the clock production facility,” he said.

“It’s like an auto transmission. Put your foot down and it drives. It also has a comfortable cab, which really matters when you are asking an operator to sit in there for a long period of time. They need space and good air-con because there’s a lot of glass, and Dieci has the best air-con I have come across.”

Walker said the Haymaster model has a very useful side shift function on the boom which lets operators shift the carriage side-to-side to tightly pack the load.

“If you lift up and realise a bale on the front needs to move left or right, you can do so in small increments without having to move the whole machine. It takes some getting used to but once operators learn to use it, they love it,” he said.

Walker said while Dieci has been very reliable, breakdowns do happen. However, he added the quick dealer response makes all the difference.

“It really comes down to your dealership and their response time, their ability to carry spare parts and their knowledge of the machines,” he said.

“Farm & Diesel near Bendigo is our dealer and they have really looked after us. If we have a problem, they have always had us back up and running within a day.”

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