This mecalac is actully a rebranded Ahlmann. Ahlmann is a german company that already build their first swingloaders in 1952. Today, ahlmann is bought by mecalac. This AS 600 is actually an ahlmann AS 55. Also, AS stands for ahlmann schwenklader. (just swingloader in german) so now you know. Greetings from the Netherlands (Im a apprentice mechanic by ahlmann/mecalac)
Swingloaders with hi-rail wheels are very common in the rail industry. I work as a heavy equipment mechanic at a major rail transit agency and we have a fleet of Pettibone and Swingmaster swingloaders. They’re very similar to this machine only they’re a lot bigger and have hi-rail wheels. It’s really impressive to see one of our machines handling almost 500’ long sticks of rail.
Watching them working out on the line is to see how machinery and man can come together as one. Swing loaders are the first machine to arrive at the railhead where rails are being unloaded and the last to be reluctantly returned to the workshops.
As soon as I saw it I thought it would be great on the farm 🚜 🙃. Really like the counter weight. Crab 🦀 steering would be super. The tires should last long then on a Skidsteer. Great find. Thanks 😊.
railroads have been using swing loaders for yrs....speed swing was the actual brand name.....and that is a suspension lock not a counterweight......rough terrain cranes have them too
For the amount of "moving conterweight" talk in the video, I would except to see the mechanism itself. Here's the thing tho. It's a 2000 kg lift. I would not swing 2000 kg on the forks on the move. Inertia is a b****. I have a real simple diesel forklift rated 2500 kg. Mast is rated 2000 kg. 2000 kg on the forks. Drive straight. Anything less than a smooth brake will get back wheels off the ground. I would assume the machine in the video has no problem swinging the boom while not in motion. I would guess there's a point in the manual about swinging with weights on the move.
Never seen a swing loader on a UK farm. There may be a handful but nothing like pivot steer, skid steer and various sizes of telescopic handlers plus tractor loaders. Telescopic handlers are very common and found on probably the majority of UK farms. Not so popular on mainland Europe apparently even though most, apart from JCB brand, are made in the EU.
Good evening Stan! I hope you have had an awesome week so far! I have had a long, strenuous, but good week! always good to be productive! keep up the great work!
This is one machine that I actually am in full support of Stanley. The only issue with it is some people might just prefer the regular articulated kind for their task, but thankfully mecalac makes those too!
The lack of a telescoping boom really holds it back in my opinion. If it could run a brush hog it would be great in orchards and vineyards to mow under trees and vines.
Yeah even like 3 feet of extension would make a huge difference but then everything has to be engineered to handle the added stresses of changing the load dynamics.. 1000lb at 1 foot of distance will multiply with added distance but a moving counterweight could help alot too.
When a paper tested this machine here in Finland they thought that it is nice. But there where two things they mentioned: when you go down on the side the tire is "in the way" and if you want to empty into a trailer/truck on the side you have to be wery close. But the possibility of swinging the boom and crab-drive makes it versatile...
Confused here. What’s the point of articulation in the loader arms if it can’t extend out. Example picking a pallet at 90 degree you just can’t steer the machine into the fork pockets of the pallet. Very cool design tho I see many uses with regular loader bucket
I thought the same thing. Probably not getting the full potential out of the design with forks but a bucket would be able to drive down a trench and backfill without repositioning a bunch of times. Also maybe use the forks to move retaining wall block and lift to the height of the wall while driving along the face of it.
I thought that exact thing. Swing mode is useless with pallet forks if the boom isn't telescoping. Crab mode still won't get the tines out of the pallet.
Would have been nice to see moving and stacking pallets to actually show why it's better. I assume it would be, somehow, but struggle to really see how.
@@tylerw4593 trench work in tight European urban jobs, this thing is the modern day wheel barrow, servicing the excavator bringing pipe, gravel, dirt, back and forth while the excavator do proper work for the guys laying pipe in the trench by hand. it drives along the trench swing the arm aside pouring the gravel in easily without messing the pavement at the edge.
I would have said it was excessive, but I’ve seen Emile using one on MasterMilo channel and I was very impressed by it. Way better than an articulated loader in tight spaces.
Need a full blown dealer with 20 plus units, a parts room fully stocked, service techs, and sales guy that knows the unit better. Four units sold in four years? lol...
These machines are built by Ahlmann sinds 2012 mecalac in Germany they sel it as a ahlmann in Netherlands , I have driven the az14 for 10 years. The machines was 10000kg it was a great machine.
So the swing really only comes in handy while you're driving through tight turns. The easiest way to pull out the forks after placing a load is when it's all straight, or you'd have to play with the steering modes to get the forks out without them binding. I think it would benefit from forks that swing horizontally on the end of the arm as well, otherwise I'm struggling to see the advantage of the machine other than driving through tight turns. But if you don't have the budget to modify a building or acquire enough space to do your job without acrobatics, I doubt you'd be able to go out and purchase this specialized machine.
Hey Stan, great video as always!! super impressive machine for its size and the way it can handle the weight on the side while driving to. Continue the hard work have a great one
I kept hoping to see him demonstrate the usefulness of this swing loader, but all he did was drive around with a load and swing it side to side and never put the load down at the side and pull the forks out from the pallet. As far as I can see there isn't any way to do that. So, what use is it if you can't set down, or pick up, a pallet at the side? What is the use of being able to swing side to side if you can't put the forks into a pallet and pick up or set down a load?
4:12 that is the boom supspension. It will smooth out the boom if your on the road so your load will not shake as much. That another one I dont know eather
if they added a 10 or 20 ft telescoping boom it would be a great yard forklift being able to go down a row and grab from the side. as for being a loader I dont see any advantage to this vs center articulation
They actully have one. The ahlmann az 95 tele. (Its actully an rebranded ahlmann) but because of the extension, it has an very long boom. Even if its all the way in. So it is not as viable as this one (sorry for my bad english)
They are originally Ahlmann machines from Germany and were rebranded after Mecalac acquired Ahlmann. They now have the AS900 Tele in their lineup. In Germany these machines are quite common in road construction. Especially if you can’t close all lanes and have to queue all machines on one lane but work on the next lane.
Hey Stan , Look for cheap construction safety fence , to make a storage bunker for your plows and other gear .For your off site location before the snow falls. Keep those thieves away . I think this is going to be a bad year for theft. Also there is a chemical called max mileage from Pittsburgh power it has nothing to do with fuel mileage its to keep your Dpf and Scr clean. Phone Pittsburgh power and have a talk with them . Love you RU-vid videos
i wish you would have shown the machine load and unloading from the side. it looks to swing 90 degrees . the question is can you get the forks in\out of a pallett at 90 degrees?
That is true, you cant get a pallet in or out from the ground, then the wheels are in the way but they wanted this loader to be compact as possible. Its not ideal for pallets. But for dirtwork its ideal
People really interested in the capability of this machine should watch the mecalac channel or search for ahlmann loader. In the Netherlands we have a lot of them and they are awesome.
That would probably work great on the chimney job we're working on now. Can only get to the back of building from one side and no room to turn corner. How high will that lift? What if the forks/bucket could extend out or up like a lul? Didn't see crab mode to well...? Did you get a couple exterior shots of it?
Yessir you got it. I'm having an awesome spring especially with spending as much time up north as I can. Love being outside and not freezing my arss off 😅 Hope you're having a good one too!
2 brakes likely one is for going downhill. It keeps the transmission and motor connected while applying the brakes. The other disconnects the transmission allowing the engine RPM to be high while slowing down for faster hydraulic movement. Likely the sledge has the same setup.
@@Dirtmonkey Well, you’re always teaching us something and in a blue collar way. Take the recent video where you explained the how to’s and why’s of getting grass started in a bare spot. Well detailed at every step. Loved it. So, thanks
Ok. So. I operated a bigger one for years. It can literally do anything. The red switch is a load compensator, when you drive it will smoothen the ride.. Search for youtube "Ahlmann az95" or "Ahlmann az150". Ahlmann is the original manufacturer for this machine, Mecalac took it over a few years ago. It is a very popular machine in the Netherlands for road building and infrastructure.
4:04 This is the button to keep the machine running for longer then 5 minutes. If no one is sitting on the seat the machine will turn off after 5 minutes. If you push that button its extended to 1 hour. This is because of the exhaust gas cleaning system, it can take up to 45 minutes and the machine may not turn off in that time to prevent serious damage.
I hate to say this.. excuse me I haft to clear my throat but man those people across the pond is so many years ahead of us.. just look at their cranes. They have been using tilt/rotators for years even on a backhoe
Cool! How does it compare to the mini-excavator version? How does it compare to the JBC TeleSkid? Construction, landscaper, farm? Who is it for? If your only business was being an owner operator, which would you choose? Cool products but so many questions… They need more videos!!!
Be cool if u could have rear steer only too be like a forklift truck the ram that does the counter weight u will find on the rear piviot steer axle on SAS (System Active Stability) forklift trucks we use to use them u could corner at faster speeds with a load in the travel position and if machine is of balance due to load or terrain the machine would automatically retract or extend the ram and makes the load more stable even when mast was at full exstention while slowly maneuver with a full load up high
Hey stan here in Holland they still call the swingloader an ahlmann and the excavator the mecalac but i swear and iam An lover of the ahlmann swing loaders the funconalitie is gigantic they opperate so smoot iDeal compact work and road work and groundwork you can also attach An level blade I Works fenomonal bud thake bigger tires for grip in the sand they plow quick idk the new types 100% good machine
I actually have a question and Iknow u Would definitely know , when it comes to hard work like lots of back dragging , making roads wider , making trails or small paths throw woods , etc what does better a skid steer or small loader like this size , and Ik the conversion comes up about skid steer s have tracks and stuff but I mean with the ground conditions aside and with the opinion to put any skid steer up against any small loader of equal size , what would u say is the better machine for that type of work ? And thanks and let me know I ask to much stuff lol
Need a full blown dealer with 20 plus units, a parts room fully stocked, service techs, and sales guy that knows the unit better. Four units sold in four years? lol...
@@beaumershon3066 that's the way I would do it as well. Customers probably would like to know where and when they can replace the parts needed to keep going.
front wheel steer is a legal obligation (years ago hydraulic steering could be realy jerky and way to direct for road speed on four wheel steer) four wheel steer is what the machine is on 99.99% of the time (my liebherr telehandler does 50 kph and its manageable with modern steering) and crab steer is for not getting stuck against a wall and to do some tricks like grating with normal booms
Hi Stan, do the forks move in & out? Can you straight pick up a pallet, turn it to the side 90deg, set it down and then pull the forks in to leave the pallet there and drive away?
Good evening Stan! I could use some advice for my buissness. One of my foreman's has had some complaints brought to my attention from the people that work with him. They are saying he's lazy, and dosent put in an even and fair amount of work (Mowing and Landscaping). I'm not really sure how to handle this in a fair way. Any advice?
