Telehandler Is Valuable Addition to Large Feedlot

V723 handles 10,000 hay bales each year

Y6 Feeders owner Irv Petsch can't be without his dependable V723 because of its lifting and placing abilities on his farm.

Managing a 24,000-acre agricultural enterprise that includes a 6,000-head capacity feedlot and a fully-computerized feeding system requires making sure small problems don't turn into big problems.

The farm has been owned by the Petsch family of Meriden, Wyo., since 1935. Located in southeastern Wyoming, near the borders of Nebraska (10 miles) and Colorado (35 miles), about 21,000 acres is grassland, 1,500 acres is irrigated crop ground and 1,500 acres is irrigated hay. Both center pivot and surge valve irrigation systems are used.

For the Petsch family, the decision of what to do about a 9-year-old telehandler became easier two years ago when it was destroyed in a hay fire.

"We looked at a couple of different brands," says Irv Petsch, who owns Y6 Feeders with his sons, Trevor and Brady, and nephews, Rowdy and David. "After demonstrations at our feedlot, we decided the VersaHandler� V723 was the best value � giving us more machine for less cost. We've been very satisfied with our choice."

Improved cooling

Compared with the unit it replaced, the more powerful V723 � purchased from Sandberg Implement � handles the dusty and dirty work environment much better.

"The other machine would constantly overheat," Petsch says. "The dust associated with moving hay bales � up to 10,000 annually � caused us to take it into our shop every other day and clean it.

"On the other hand, we bring the V723 into the shop only about once a month for routine cleaning. That's because of the optional reversable fan � a great feature. Occasionally, the operator presses a button to reverse the fan to blow everything out. It makes a tremendous difference."

The telehandler is used daily to unload feedstuffs and other supplies delivered to the feedlot and to clean manure from the pens. About 90 percent of its time is spent handling large bales of hay, both round and square. Hay is stacked four bales high, in the 15-to-20-foot range, often on hills.

Y6 Feeders also owns a Bobcat� 753 loader and a 341 excavator, both which have proven to be very useful around the feedlot and played a role in the telehandler purchase.

"These two machines are very durable," Petsch says. "That's one of the reasons we went with the Bobcat telehandler. Where we live is a long way from everywhere. We need dependable equipment that is ready to work every day."

Read more about Bobcat telehandlers. Visit the VersaHandler TTC page for product specs, option packages and approved attachments.

"We looked at a couple of different brands. After demonstrations at our feedlot, we decided the VersaHandler� V723 was the best value � giving us more machine for less cost."

� Irv Petsch

Frame-level feature

"Operating on hills is where the frame leveling feature of the V723 really comes in handy," Irv Petsch says. "We can hydraulically level the machine up to six degrees right or left to help center the load on uneven terrain and more accurately place the bales."

Bobcat Company reserves the right to make changes in engineering, design, and specifications; add improvements; or discontinue manufacturing at any time without notice or obligation.

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