30,000 operating hours – CLAAS telescopic loader reaches a milestone

A CLAAS RANGER 928 owned by the agricultural production cooperative Langeln eG, located west of Magdeburg, has proved its stamina: The telescopic loader has managed to achieve the impressive figure of 30,000 operating hours and will continue to serve as an aid to the agricultural production cooperative in its buildings.

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Manufactured in 2000, the telescopic loader, made its way to the Harz mountains via the former distribution partner CLAAS Derenburg and was used on an almost daily basis. In addition to loading manure, straw and feed, its main tasks also included various types of construction work as well as the handling of grain and silage. "Even in the beginning it was already working up to 2,500 hours in a year," recalls Lothar König, technical director of the agricultural production cooperative which farms around 1,100 hectares, on which they grow crops as well as raising 1,100 cattle. The 105 h.p. telescopic loader is used for a wide variety of purposes. Lothar König also now uses the loader for smaller "age-appropriate" tasks in the barn passages and around the site of the business operation.

"CLAAS has been working with Telescopic Forklift technology specified for agricultural use for over 22 years but 30,000 operating hours is unparalleled," emphasises Norbert Täufer, telescopic loader product manager for the CLAAS distribution company, “this is rarely accomplished by a telescopic loader still on its original engine." Lothar König explains that other parts of the RANGER have been updated in the interim, including new axles and gears, and the windscreen and doors were also replaced. However, the loader's core has survived the 30,000 operating hour marathon.

Production of the RANGER for CLAAS in Grantham, England started in 1994. The first models to appear on the market were the RANGER 907, 907 T and 911 T. Up until 2000, the RANGER was manufactured in a range of different versions before it was replaced, firstly by the TARGO, then finally by the SCORPION in 2006. The agricultural production cooperative in Langeln has been working with CLAAS telescopic loaders for a number of years. Some eleven machines have been employed prior to now. In addition to the record holding RANGER 928, Langeln eG also now run a younger SCORPION 9055, currently the largest telescopic loader made by CLAAS.