Giant Compact Articulated Loaders

lumberjack

Young man on the go
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The new brand is Giant. Dave, Dustin, and I went to Holland/The Netherlands back in September to check out Giant's facilities and to see if we couldn't get compact articulating wheel loaders that would fit through a 3' gate. We've asked Avant since the beginning to make a loader that would fit through a 3' gate, but that hasn't happened so here we are. The Giant lineup consists of much more than that just small loaders, but that was the first attraction. Giant also makes several of the small (1-3 metric ton) Kubota wheel loaders for the European market... that speaks very well to their credibility. The Giant built Kubotas have a clear pre cleaner sticking through the hood (Donaldson) on the back.


The Branch Manager Edition's hallmark is the ability to go through a 3' gate, although they come with several standard features that are attractive to the tree market.

1: Dual Tires Front and Rear for stability and floatation, a lesson learned from the now unavailable Gehl Al140 (US Emissions)
2: Under 36" width by removing the outside dual tire. The machine will be around 35" wide give or take a few tenths.
3: Mini Skid Universal mounting plate for attachments. No adapters, no hassle using standard mini skid attachments that are readily available.
4: Auxiliary functions on the joystick, just like the Gehl ALs... same joystick actually to make running the grapple easier.
5: Block Heater... a simple thing, but an option on a lot of other brands.
6: Remote battery post... makes it easy to jump off the machine or jump off another machine. Some machines have an incredibly difficult battery to access. Leave the key on and you'll learn that the hard way.
7: First service kit (filters for the first oil change). Another simple thing, but dang it makes sense.


The Giants also have a primarily steel body, like the Gehls and unlike some other machines... a boon for the tree industry who is known to be hard on machinery.

There are three models that can be under 36", the most attractive (to me) is the 254SW Tele. Specs wise, it is between the Avant 520 and 528. Centered telescoping boom, 111" of lift height, 25hp Kubota, 9.5mph top speed, and 88" long. The other two don't have a telescoping booms and are on roughly either side of the Gehl AL140 specs (lower and higher) while still being a Branch Manager Edition.

The Giants also come standard with level lift which is an option with Avant. Also you sit on the back section which makes it easier to drive in reverse as well as moving more weight towards the back for greater lift capacity. Nick Lefke is 6'4" or 6'6"... he could fit in the 254SW Tele.


I will sell/support the Branch Manager models (which will be the best sellers) as well as the whole of the Giant line (my ad is on page 122 this month). We are ironing out some details, but there should be a good bit of video/pictures/information coming out in the coming months. As always, feel free to call or text any time for more discussion on the matter. I can also keep up with this thread and answer questions/post information here.











 
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  • #2
Here are a couple "Kubota" machines at the Giant factory.



Here's a D254SW Tele (Long model name eh?) next to the 4548 Tendo HD. The Tendo is a 4 wheel steer tele handler that uses standard skid steer attachments. Ballpark 5' wide and 10' long, weighing 6500lbs, it can lift almost 16' with a 3100lb tip capacity and a 15mph top speed... a very interesting machine with its two speed transmission.
 
Giants rock.
Lots of people here use them, they have a reputation for holding up good and being easy/cheap to fix.
 
That's really cool! I like how you don't just sit back and accept what is available, you go out and find better solutions.

I noticed the bigger Kubota wheel loaders are made in Germany now. I wonder if they are Liebherrs like the small JDs?
 
I was at TCIA expo and got to drive the new Giant loaders around while helping Dave setup. Between the Giant and the Avant, I would personally buy a Giant for sure. The Avant seemed a little light-duty for the tree work environment, and they also felt tippy to me when I used them. These machines (Giant) felt like a mini version of my AL540 (Gehl), similar driving functions, solid feeling and the same design where the operator is sitting behind he articulating point. If I buy another wheel loader it will likely be the smaller Giant with the duals which gives the option to drive through a 36" gate. We have the Boxer for that currently, but anyone who owns and uses a wheel loader can appreciate the advantage over a mini they offer. Just my .02

jp:D
 
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Thanks, Dave. I'd doubt Kubota and Liebherr are in bed together, but it's possible.



We are still waiting to iron out the last of the details for the Branch Manager Edition units(only one chance to get it right the first time). The D254SW Tele in the show in Pittsburgh has already sold. "Preorders" on the BME units are possible now, my guess right now is they could be in customer hands in February. I know Fred is very interested (from conversations outside of the forums), but if you're wanting one for the spring, I highly recommend talking to me about a preorder. The demand could exceed the supply, especially after I get one down here to shoot videos with.



My long running way to start a conversation with a customer about mini loaders is asking if they have to fit through at 3' gate. If the response was yes, the solution has been a mini skid, if no it was an Avant. With Giant, the solution for 3' access, fast ground speed, and high lifting height has been answered... changes the game of selling mini loaders. Also the Cormidi CMF mini skids (I sell those now too) changes how I'm looking at minis as well... lots of potential all around to make lives easier and more profitable.
 
I really like the Giant loaders, after seeing them at the show and sitting in them I really liked them. Im a huge fan of my Gehl 140 and would like to add one of these loaders in the next year or two.
 
for the three sub 3' Giants...

ballpark price range?

weight?

Ground pressure unloaded?


An articulated, machine would be killer, Especially with the telescoping boom. This would greatly facilitate loading a dump trailer or flatbed or dump truck.

My usual grapple truck owner is approaching 70, and doesn't need to work, and is getting tired of it, especially in the cold.
 
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for the three sub 3' Giants...

ballpark price range?

weight?

Ground pressure unloaded?


An articulated, machine would be killer, Especially with the telescoping boom. This would greatly facilitate loading a dump trailer or flatbed or dump truck...



The weights of the BME models will range from roughly 2400lbs to 3300lbs. The whole of the Giant line of articulated loaders runs from 2400lbs to 13klbs.

Ground pressure isn't a terribly practical metric for loaders. On track loaders manufacturers give ground pressure as the total area of track touching the ground. The problem with that is a loader's center of gravity shifts on a loader when it picks up a load. The tracks are heavier in the rear when empty and when you're around the tipping load the entire weight of the loader plus the load is on the front idler... the total track length doesn't matter at either extreme. It's most accurate when the COG of the machine is dead center on the tracks. If the ground is soft enough for a mini to leave ruts, the wheel loader will leave ruts. The wheel loader will drive 3x faster than your Boxer and lift considerably higher while doing next to no damage turning.


Note this crane tipped because it had a considerable weight on the front of the tracks caused the ground to fail. It was tracking while fully rigged on unsuitable ground.
Crane tips.jpg


The prices are still being ironed out for the BME loaders which will have the exclusive 36" dual wheel packages. It won't help to list ballpark here for the world to recount for years to come (I got a call last week about a sale I ran last year on Boxers) when I can list actual pricing in the near future.
 
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On the topic of pricing, we do have a "early adopter" special going on for the first container of 8 BME Giants. 5 of the first 8 have already sold as 254 Teles, with one of those coming to me for videoing. There is the possibility of another 254 Tele spot, the last two will likely be a standard 254 (not tele) and a standard 332 (not Xtra).

The gist of the special is you put a deposit on a machine (which should be here around February) and in exchange you get a discount on the price. If someone is interested in being an early adopter (two forum members plus myself already are) or want more information, give me a call! My unit will be sold as a demo later after I get some videoing done... I'm looking forward to having the videos up!
 
The weights of the BME models will range from roughly 2400lbs to 3300lbs. The whole of the Giant line of articulated loaders runs from 2400lbs to 13klbs.

The wheel loader will drive 3x faster than your Boxer and lift considerably higher while doing next to no damage turning.

It would probably outlift it, too. Probably blow it out of the water. Its a different class of machine.

I would love a tele machine under 36"!!!!!

For what its worth to people considering one, I put about $4500 down on my Boxer, BMG grapple and "mulch" bucket, financing the rest over 5 or 6 years, with insurance, for roughly $450/ month. Its tremendously worthwhile, and it can save a lot on WC and wages. This is my first financed piece of new equipment, and didn't know what to expect payments to be. Maybe this will help someone.

There are still transportation, maintenance and operating costs.

It has allowed me to offer additional services.
 
Rob and I are working some numbers. We should be able to pull some financing by Feb. I would want to see what financing you might have available as well Carl.
It is truly our next step and then the log trailer
 
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  • #23
If you're in an unsure credit situation, always talk to me directly before the credit folks. I use Western and others, but letting me handle it only helps.

Western approvals are good for 90 days. They also have my personal lift financed.

Give me a call, Stephen... If Feb is your goal you could save a pretty penny by taking some action now if it makes sense to y'all. I'm headed to bed momentarily, but I'll be available tomorrow while I'm working.
 
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