Canterbury Plains Contracting business owners Sian and Dean Jenkins purchased two CLAAS SCORPION 741 telehandlers from their local CLAAS Harvest Centre shortly after they were introduced into New Zealand in late 2024.

Sitting in the SCORPION cab for the first time during an on-farm demonstration, Dean instantly knew when picking up the boom that there was something different about the CLAAS telehandler. The seat comfort, responsive joystick, and minimal buttons made lifting bales a completely altered experience.

“A telehandler’s primary focus is lifting bales, and the SCORPION’s boom control is an advantage.

The SCORPION is simple to use, and that’s the best thing, it is a game changer when it comes to bale movement: it was smoother and easier on the bales and the attachments”.

Having a pressure release button located on the end of the boom for changing over attachments, swapping buckets, forks, soft hands, and silage grabs, makes it a lot easier.

“This external button is a welcome bonus for us; it saves us jumping back into the cab when we need to change our forks”.

There is much less stress on all of the equipment and keeping the machines maintained well is easy with the three-point greasing system for the boom.

“Nothing gets missed”.

With thirteen full-time employees as part of their contracting operation, being able to bring everyone up to speed and get them acquainted with the new machines was easier then we expected.

“It’s taken a little while to understand the hydrostatic transmission system, but it is pretty simple once you get familiar with where everything is.

The young fellas are eager to get in and drive them; they love new technology.”

Having faced recurring challenges with previous telehandler brands, Dean was conscious of testing the SCORPION’s limit to see if any reliability issues presented themselves.

“We run a winter feedout programme in an area that is steep and suffers from extreme weather conditions: muddy in the winter, and hot in the summer. We’ve based one of them up there, and it’s clocked up 500 hours — we’ve put it through a lot.

With our previous telehandlers, we’ve had the foot to the floor, and they’ve overheated.

We’ve tested its towing capabilities and tried to get it to overheat, which telehandlers are known to do, and in pretty challenging conditions, it hasn’t gotten close. There isn’t any limit; it’s powering through everything.

When it comes to engine management, CLAAS has delivered the extra edge in this telehandler.”

The CLAAS telehandlers are made in conjunction with engine specialist Deutz and are equipped with high-torque four-cylinder, 142 hp engines that produce a maximum torque of 500 Nm, to ensure smooth and efficient operation and transport.

“How they have such large horsepower in a tiny engine is beyond me,” says Dean.

The purchase has even provided some unexpected cost savings. Previously, the business used a tank a day, if not more, and now it uses only half a tank.

Dean admits to enjoying spending less time in the office and more time in the cab of his second SCORPION, which is based in his yard.

“Cab comfort is really important when you spend many of your working hours in it.

The legroom was a standout feature, and important because the tilted ergonomically positioned steering wheel requires more space. It is a more pleasant workplace for me and our employees”.

The SCORPION cab is positioned higher, making it even more spacious in terms of width and volume. The continuous windscreen also improves visibility.

Furthermore, the lighting is good for our night operations.

Sian and Dean purchased the contract business in stages from 2011 to 2014. The operation is now a full-time contracting business based in the Selwyn area of Canterbury. The business has local long-term and seasonal contracts and is set to expand.

Dean believes that to be the best in the business, you need to surround yourself with good people and machinery.

“CLAAS by far is way up there, if not number one, it’s pretty close!

Having such a large supply of parts, a great service team, and skilled technicians gives us peace of mind that the CLAAS Harvest Centre wants to do the best by its customers and is putting its own money on the line in stock and product. “

The Jenkins are really impressed with their CLAAS telehandlers and will look in the future to add more machinery to their other CLAAS products, which include CLAAS mowers and liners.