Priced for Performance
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June 16, 2004 - For years, the bread-and-butter product of a telescopic handler lineup has been the 6,000-pound class featuring 35- to 40-foot reach. But as demand in the last three years has migrated to the higher reaching classes, some analysts say this market has eroded by nearly 60% with current production barely topping 400 units per year.
Telehandlers fall into two distinctive designs-high pivot and low pivot boom mounts. High pivot booms are popular for pick-and-carry applications. Low pivot booms, which are more common in European markets, are typically used as a tool platform. This design is better able to utilize attachments such as buckets, power brooms, and augers, to name a few. The North American market has been dominated by the high pivot boom mount design, but the market for the more utilitarian low pivot design is growing at a faster rate.
Recognizing this trend, Ingersoll-Rand, Shippensburg , Pa. , has moved to bolster its rather broad product line. The VR-638, to be introduced in July, is part of a growing line of new low pivot boom mount products being developed by the Bobcat division. The VR-638 (called the 35120 in Europe ) is one of four new telehandlers being introduced by I-R in 2004. It joins the VR-723 and updated versions of the VR-518 and VR-530Cs are yet to come. The VR-638 will replace the VR-636B.
Part One of a two-part series follows on the new Ingersoll-Rand VR-638 telescopic handler. Following my initial assessment of the telehandler, I traveled to the company's 200-acre desert proving grounds to observe machine testing for myself. Watch the next issue of Lift and Access 360 for my full opinion and final verdict.
Price-sensitive package
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Compared with the model it replaces, the VR-638 is much more cost-effective to build, due in part, to its design and parts commonality with existing and forthcoming VR models. It shares many components, including chassis, engine, drive train, and most boom-assembly parts, with the previously introduced VR-723. The same is also true of the products yet to be introduced.
The new compact, low pivot boom design is intended as a modified tool carrier. Its primary purpose is to utilize a wide variety of tool attachments. But, the ability to place a load at 38 feet allows it to work in a variety of pick-and-place applications as well.
According to David White, marketing manager for I-R's Material Handling Equipment Division, one of the primary target markets for the VR-638 is the price-sensitive rental business. Specifically, small independent rental operators often need a versatile tool carrier that can cross over as a pick-and-place performer. Its price and multi-tasking ability also make this an attractive buy for small owner-operator contractors who need equipment with versatility. This market strategy has driven I-R to offer three equipment packages.
First, for the rental buyer is the baseline model-an open canopy with manual Quick Attach, but without auxiliary hydraulics, fenders, light package, or tow pin. It is priced at $67,305. The second package, available for $69,720, adds fenders, lights, cab-actuated Quick Attach, and a single auxiliary hydraulics line. The third package includes all of the above, plus a fully enclosed cab with heating and air conditioning for $72,700. Note all prices are without forks or attachments.
Survival mode
The unit I test-drove was a pre-production machine so there may be a few minor changes before it becomes available in July. I operated and evaluated the unit at I-R's sales and service center in Phoenix , Ariz. , just prior to it being shipped out to the company's nearby proving grounds where I observed the testing procedures .
Bobcat established the test facility in the desert nearly 12 years ago to prove that their equipment could survive working in the most extreme of environments. This is a pretty stark place where the temperatures are among the hottest in the country. The grounds are littered with years of excavation work-huge holes and large mounds-performed by numerous Bobcat test machines. Here, you'll also find rattle snakes and the occasional coyote den. On the day of my visit it was an unseasonably hot 110°, but according to the engineer overseeing the VR-638's field test, the telehandler was performing just fine.
At the test site, a typical day consists of a specific redundant task performed repeatedly for eight hours. On this day, the VR-638 picked a load from one side of a dirt mound, circled around to the other side, and then placed the load. The task was repeated over and over all day. Sounds like fun! Current plans called for the unit to put in 100 hours of operation here before being shipped back to the company's main manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania where any documented concerns are addressed by the product engineers and the unit will go through a final post-test evaluation.
Double duty
Because the VR-638 is a bit of a hybrid-part tool carrier, part pick-and-place machine-there are a few trade-offs in its design. Although it shares a common carriage with other VR models the VR-638 is not intended for heavy-duty digging, a task a true tool carrier would accomplish with ease. The boom can be used with a material bucket, but bucket pivot is set at 17° cramp angle, limiting you to the use of a 1-1/2 yard standard or 3-1/2 yard light material bucket. Fork carriages are available in standard 48", 60", or 72" sizes, but you can also get a 48" or 60" fork carriage equipped with side tilt. Other popular attachments available include grapple buckets, truss boom, auger frame, power sweeper broom, and many non-load bearing Bobcat brand attachments.
Reorganization
The new line of telehandlers isn't the only thing new at Ingersoll-Rand. Earlier this year, the company was restructured to be more competitive in the telehandler market. Ingersoll-Rand and its subsidiary Bobcat previously did not cooperate on telehandler product development and marketing. All of Bobcat's products used to fall under the Road Machinery Division of I-R, but under the new plan, Bobcat telehandlers are now combined with Ingersoll-Rand's telescopic handlers in a new Material Handling Group. The Material Handling Group, led by Ken Martin, represents about $130 million in annual sales. From his new position as vice president and general manager, Martin will have the ability to leverage the group's combined talents.
Among the goals of the Material Handling Group is to promote the globalization of the company's telehandler business. Drawing from Bobcat's established experience in Europe and other international markets will help in this process. One of the first manifestations to come out of the reorganization is a new line of VR-branded telehandlers to be built at Bobcat's plant in Pontchateau , France .
According to White, even though the two organizations are now part of one Material Handler group there are no immediate plans to eliminate redundant functions. It is felt that the most important aspect is to share ideas and, when possible, products. The new VR series with low-pivot boom mount are just the beginning of this collaboration.
