SA’s 1st Manitou MLT 735 For Hellberg Farms

The first Manitou of its kind in South Africa – an MLT 735 – has been purchased by the Hellberg Farms near Vryheid in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This new Maniscopic MLT model was recently launched as a more dynamic, more powerful and easier to handle range topper of the French manufacturer’s world-renowned materials handling machines for, among other industries, agriculture.

The man at the helm of the combined dairy, timber, feedlot, dairy and cropping operation, Horst Hellberg, came across the MLT 735 at the recent AGRITECHNICA Agricultural exhibition in Germany and immediately requested to be contacted by Manitou South Africa.

“Having experienced the machine’s impressive manoeuvrability, rough terrain capability and economic operation first hand, the only remaining factor that I had to evaluate was the local support for Manitou products in South Africa,” Hellberg reports. “The speed with which they reacted to my inquiry and their willingness to go the extra mile by loaning me a machine in the meantime quickly proved that the service and support levels are of international standard, and I could order the machine without hesitation.”

The Hellberg Farms could be described as the ideal operation for the use of an MLT, as functions range from loading gravel in the quarry to loading and mixing feed, compaction of maize and soya silage, cleaning the feedlot, handling hay bales, handling of bulk fertilizer bags and lifting construction workers and materials to previously unreachable heights during expansion and construction work, as well as repairs anywhere on the farm.

“In the face of the serious shortage of skilled labourers in the region, mechanisation has never made more sense than with a Manitou MLT that can carry out a variety of functions, switching from one attachment to the other in a flash and doing it all in a very fuel efficient manner,” argues Hellberg. “Working the Manitou for 2 000 hours per annum, we expect to use less than 10 500 litres of fuel. Add to that the improved operator productivity that flows from having full air-conditioning and a radio in the cabin of the 735 and the positive impact on the farm’s daily workflow is really remarkable.”

The MLT 735 incorporates a unique Manitou designed joystick with Switch-and-Move technology. Direction of travel of the machine, controlling the boom, gears, moving the steering wheel – all these functions can now be controlled at the same time for greater safety and speed of operation. With the operator’s left hand totally devoted to the steering wheel, all the other functions can be controlled by the joystick in his right-hand. A built-in LSU (Load Sensing Ultra) system allows three simultaneous movements in under 11 seconds, while the MLT’s autoclean-system lends itself particularly well to the farming world, as it prevents the cooling system becoming clogged.

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