lumberjack
Young man on the go
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.
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.
