craig
Well-known member
I think Mecalac is the new terex.
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
Mecalac acquiert Terex Coventry, UK | MECALAC
Groupe Mecalac S.A. signed an agreement with the company Terex Corporation (Westport, CT) on December 10, 2016, to acquire their backhoe loaders, site dumpers and compaction rollers’ dedicated subsidiary, also known under the Fermec and Benford brands.
France’s Mecalac begins push into US powered by Terex acquisition
French manufacturer Mecalac used ConExpo earlier this month to launch its new Americas initiative, including establishing a holding company, Mecalac Americas, and showcasing its agreement with dealer Larusso Heavy Equipment (LHE), based out of Walpole, Massachusetts. As part of this initiative...
www.equipmentworld.com
APhillips
Well-known member
Mecalac only bought the Terex Coventry factory/Products so that was the Backhoes, Dumpers and Rollers. Not too long after they also bought a part of French company Pichon. Pichon are best known for their agricultural slurry tankers etc however they also had a small range of compact wheeled loaders which is what Mecalac obtained.
I beleive at the time the aim was to carry out a quick styling refresh and get them out to market however they required a significant redesign to make them suitable which is why we are only seeing them launched now. I also think I heard somewhere that the new Manitou loaders are a badge engineered version of the Mecalac, so not coming from Gehl.
it would be good to get hands on with one of the new Mecalac loaders, I know they have put a lot of effort into the redesign and its great to finally see then launched. From the brief time operating an Avant 860 I still can't gel with how the operate, the whole swinging cab etc just feels very odd, I would much prefer the typical loader layout of the Mecalac/Manitou/Norcar. One disadvantage of the Mecalac/Manitou is that they are rigid boom so likely to be a little short on lift height compared to an Avant type equivalent.
I beleive at the time the aim was to carry out a quick styling refresh and get them out to market however they required a significant redesign to make them suitable which is why we are only seeing them launched now. I also think I heard somewhere that the new Manitou loaders are a badge engineered version of the Mecalac, so not coming from Gehl.
it would be good to get hands on with one of the new Mecalac loaders, I know they have put a lot of effort into the redesign and its great to finally see then launched. From the brief time operating an Avant 860 I still can't gel with how the operate, the whole swinging cab etc just feels very odd, I would much prefer the typical loader layout of the Mecalac/Manitou/Norcar. One disadvantage of the Mecalac/Manitou is that they are rigid boom so likely to be a little short on lift height compared to an Avant type equivalent.
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6feetdown
Well-known member
The 860 takes a little while to get used to but that extra reach is so helpful
S
Smiffy
Well-known member
I'm surprised it's not mentioned more
The old jcb shovels with front mounted cab where never very popular as they where lethal to drive in comparison to the cat. You don't know where your arse is. Although you obviously have a better view from a compact loader than a full blow shovel
doobin
Well-known member
You get used to the rear end in five minutes flat. Going forwards you focus on the front, the rear will follow exactly. In reverse just watch the arse end, the front will follow but watch out for 'front tailswing' if near obstacles.
I'm constantly amazed just where my Multione 8.4 will squeeze, and what it will carry.
I'm constantly amazed just where my Multione 8.4 will squeeze, and what it will carry.
craig
Well-known member
The larger Manitou ones look identical to the Ghel, and was told as much, but the smaller ones have a different look to them, so may be
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6feetdown
Well-known member
Same here for the size of the machine great where you can get too
APhillips
Well-known member
No doubt you get used to it, I just haven't spent much time on one, Graham's brother has one which I have used occasionally to load attachments etc at his yard.
I had a quick comparison on the websites, I think what I heard is right:The larger Manitou ones look identical to the Ghel, and was told as much, but the smaller ones have a different look to them, so may be
Interesting to see them doing this, I am aware of another potential Mecalac badge engineering project where the 'other' manufacturer gets a reduced spec/options sheet version of the Mecalac equivalent. The larger Mecalac loaders are also sold by Hitachi.
craig
Well-known member
The larger Manitou ones look identical to the Ghel, and was told as much, but the smaller ones have a different look to them, so may be
Yes I would say the smaller models are Mecalac, but the larger ones are Gehl.
Bri963
Well-known member
Certainly the Manitou CTL’s are Gehl designed machines.
hazlebury
New member
We have bought 2 of these, one E6 electric and one 760i. We have around a dozen attachments. There are some design issues with the Avant and the service is a bit poor because Avant don't allow direct contact with consumers and the dealers we know are in despair with some of the aspects eg the cab kits, road kits, trailer, hedge cutter - with know support from the manufacturer. Our E6 cooling fan constantly fails and our 760i load arm droops as you are going along. We ditched all our Deere kit and may regret it. At the moment we still feel it was worth the switch but, given a 2nd chance, I would have looked for alternatives with better designs if I had known they existed. Happy to comment on particular attachments if needed.
R
rossandson
Well-known member
Where are you based? Who is your dealer?
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6feetdown
Well-known member
Had issue with the 860 took 6 to 8 weeks to sort it, had 2 separate dealers look at it, I think the problem is not enough dealers to support the manufacturers. Or avant should employ direct fitters to look after the issues might help with the issues
HuntingHicap
Well-known member
We run 4x 860is and 3x 635 across our fleet, all on self drive hire, been reasonably painless considering the hammering they get, Farol are our dealer and they have been spot on with their service so far.
doobin
Well-known member
How do you find that much self drive work for them? I've seen so many digger hire palces buy a loader and then get rid a year later.
Where are you based and what attachments do you have?
HuntingHicap
Well-known member
We have depots in: Farnham, Farnborough, Guildford, Reading, Basingstoke, Southampton, Maidstone, Horsham....and as of today, somewhere near Glasgow! They go out a lot with forks on as small low ground pressure forklifts, bulk buckets and levelling bars for landscapers and groundworkers, we have a log grab, (doesnt get hired much) couple of flails but we only send these out on 635s now as with the high flow rate of the 860i, we had problems with ignorant ops engaging the flail in dual pump setting with the revs flat out and blowing the flail motors seals. I'm based at Horsham depot, you're not far from me, we both know a guy from Haslemere who hired your micro chipper a few times when I was working with him.
S
steve B
New member
are avant loaders road legal in UK / Europe? they come with a declaration of conformity cert rather than a dedicated CoC that's needed for road registration. does anyone have any experience with taking an avant on the road in the UK and getting a CoC for it?
Shovelhands
Well-known member
I’ve not experience of them, but I’ve seen them on the road with registration plates, so it must be possibly.
HuntingHicap
Well-known member
Apart from the 860 which will do 30k they are fairly slow, can't imagine anyone would want to go far on one?
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