46 David Cook, Beef Farmer, North Yorkshire
Tip Top TORION “Small buildings need a small handler,” he says. “Width and height are my main considerations. The TORION is a brilliant little thing and perfect for what I want.” Bought through CLAAS EASTERN in the spring, the TORION replaced what David describes as a ‘disaster’ of a machine. “It looked ideal, but in reality was unbelievably bad and a big mistake. I put up with it for two years but then after Mike Carvey brought the TORION out on demo, I couldn’t wait to get rid of it.
BUILT LIKE A LITTLE TANK
David Cook
A little TORION 639 pivot steer wheel loader has proved the ideal materials handler for use around David Cook’s traditional Yorkshire farm buildings. With 250 cattle housed in a variety of buildings on his 60ha tenanted farm near Leyburn, size matters when it comes to David Cook’s choice of materials handler. With telescopic handlers too big and not manoeuvrable enough the TORION 639, which is only 2460mm to the top of the cab, has proved ideal.
“The TORION is everything that machine wasn’t. It’s built like a little tank and if anything is over-engineered it’s so strong. It may be small, but its weight (5.6 tonnes) means it’s extremely stable, but still very nifty and extremely manoeuvrable. The visibility from the cab is excellent and you can see all the corners which is essential in tight spaces. “The cab is simple but the heated seat, good air con and heating make it extremely comfortable and the controls are very easy to use.” The TORION 639 is powered by a 68hp Yanmar engine developing 237 Nm of torque at 1560rpm. The gear pump hydraulic system has a maximum capacity of 77 litres/min, giving a rated load lift cycle time of just 6.5 seconds. Maximum lift height is 3.2m and the fully articulated load capacity is 3.1 tonnes. “The engine is a little powerhouse. There is loads of lifting power, it will quite happily handle two silage bales and there is more than enough pushing power when mucking out – it’s very deceiving. It’s on the go all the time and has already done about 500 hours and certainly does more hours than my ARION tractor.”
