Tough Customer

from Farms & Farm Machinery issue 388

Stretching the Limits

Matt Wood headed to Gin Gin, Queensland in 2015 to have a look at the Faresin FH7.30C, a simple yet versatile farm machine

The interior of the telehandler is at odds with many of its competitors, though this isn’t necessarily a criticism.

The 300-head, 121 hectare finishing feedlot owned by Bernie Ostermeyer and his wife Lisa is a focused operation. The couple started out ‘from scratch’ with no knowledge of cattle farming yet Ostermeyer wasn’t going to let that stop him from starting his own ‘hobby’ cattle operation – today running the property with the help of grandson Bryce Watts and property manager Scotty Manski. In the space of three years, the Ostermeyers have built up a successful cattle business. Half the property is now pasture improved with Ostermeyer concentrating on getting growth on his beasts out in the paddock.

RECENT DELIVERY

Bernie Ostermeyer says the Faresin FH7.30C Agri power take-off (PTO) telehandler is “a good combination machine that’s perfect for our operation”. The 7.30C is distributed by Chesterfield, which now looks after the Faresin brand nationally. What is quite interesting about this machine in this day and age is its relative simplicity. Electronics have been kept to a minimum and the 130hp (97kW) Iveco power plant has no engine control unit (ECU) or any emission controls. As you may have guessed from the acronym laden model name this example is also equipped with a PTO, three-point linkage (TPL) and hydraulic remotes. The 7.30 lifts a maximum weight of 2,990kg and can heave 2.5-tonne to a height of 6.2m – the boom will reach out to 3.8m with 1-tonne dangling from the end of it. Behind the Iveco engine is a Sauer-Danfoss dual range hydrostatic transmission which in high range will give the tele a road speed of up to 40km/h. In fact, the only ECU on the entire vehicle controls the transmission. But it’s possibly what’s happening out front that makes the little Faresin quite interesting. The 7.30C will pump 110L/min out of its hydraulic system at 250 bar. That’s enough to drive a compressor, a welder, a log splitter or pretty much anything you want to challenge it with. But in practical terms, it’s pretty much spot on for running a post-hole digger or trencher. Given the range of options available when it comes to running implements, it would most certainly be a handy machine for a fencing contractor.

IVECO ENGINE

The 130hp (96.9kW) Iveco engine provides 110hp (82kW) to the two-speed mechanical PTO so it’s also more than up to handling tasks such as slashing and baling, though visibility may be an issue in these roles when compared to a conventional draught tractor. Engine bay access is reasonably easy with daily checkpoints in

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1. The compact footprint of this tele makes working in the shed pretty easy 2. Switch gear is basic yet functional 3. You never know when a PTO will come in handy 4. Optional three-point linkage means you could even do some paddock work if you wanted to 5. The 7.30 will provide 100l/m of hydraulic flow at 250 bar to the front end hydraulics 6. The interior keeps with the machine’s overall philosophy of keeping things basic

Faresin FH7.30C PTO Agri telehandler

Engine

Iveco turbo-diesel Power 130hp (97kW)/350Nm Transmission Dual range hydrostatic Capacity 2,990kg (retracted) 1,000kg (extended) Lift height 6.2m (2,500kg capacity) Reach 3.8m (1,000kg capacity) Boom Two-stage Optional Three-point linkage, hydraulic remotes and mechanical PTO fitted obvious places. In fact, you don’t have to go looking too hard for most things you need to get at. I spend some time watching young Watts use the machine to load up the mix-wagon for the morning feed and the 7.30’s relatively small size made the task of moving around the hay shed look pretty easy. The Faresin is then also hooked up to a grain mill which sees it provide some PTO action. But watching someone who knows what they are doing is one thing, letting me have a crack at the machine is another. I climb aboard the Faresin with ease, there’s nothing out of the ordinary here. But the interior of the telehandler is at odds with many of its competitors, though this isn’t necessarily a criticism. The lack of digital bells and whistles in this machine is actually quite refreshing and there isn’t a PLC screen in sight. Basic rocker switches handle most functions. The multifunction joystick doesn’t provide any surprises either. It’s a simple and purely functional layout that is easy to jump into and just use.

IGNITION TIME

Firing up the engine sees me fumble with the ignition for a second as the key on the particular machine is a little stiff and has to be cranked around a bit further. But once the engine springs to life, all is good. As you’d expect with any telehandler there’s the option of fourwheel, crab and two-wheel steer but in this case there isn’t any reason to change it from four-wheel steer. Visibility is also as you expect, the overhead glass is protected by steel grilles to stop you dropping a rock on your noggin but even at full reach it’s easy to keep track of the boom stock. The boom itself is actually reasonably low mounted so visibility out the right hand side is also quite good for a telehandler. The first 15 per cent of brake pedal travel acts as an inching pedal but when the brakes do kick in they can be a little savage. However, a bit of familiarity with the machine on my part would soon sort that out. A hand throttle is located beside the driver’s seat for plant driving roles and there’s also a creep speed setting switch. If you plan to dig some holes or do quite a bit of bucket work the Faresin also has a bucket float function. On the whole the Faresin 7.30C works as a simple ag-spec machine. It doesn’t wow with the latest in cutting-edge technology but it does have a refreshing simplicity about it that should see it suited to the varied unforgiving roles it is likely to be found in. The ability to option this machine up with PTO and hydraulic remotes and have a decent sized power plant to run them is also a big plus that takes this machine into possibilities beyond just lift and shift jobs. It’s a basic machine that touts versatility as its biggest asset. In this case the 7.30C works, because it appears to do just that.