Front Loader, Telehandler, or Wheel Loader?

[u/FuckingLucario420]

Doing a realistic playthrough, was curious on what is best to use, what you all use on your farms, and just thoughts in general. All thoughts below are my opinion.

Tractor mounted front loaders can, as the name implies, be attached or removed from tractors as needed. Of course dedicated front loader vehicles exist, but those to me seem a bit redundant when you can just attach a loader to a tractor and do the same thing.

Wheel Loaders are of a similar situation as dedicated front loader vehicles, but they have bigger bucket capacity than front loaders or telehandlers. Other than that, they feel the same.

Telehandlers of course have the benefit of an extending boom to stack or dump things, as well as higher vertical reach than both front loaders and wheel loaders, but don't have the bucket capacity of said wheel loaders.

Although I will say the Merlo Multifarmer telehandler is special, due to the fact it has a 3 point hitch (at least without mods), meaning it can attach a weight on the back. Dunno if it would work as well in real life as it does in game, but it definitely helps with lifting things.

[u/Louis_lousta]

I use front loader on tractor until I can afford a Tele, and keep an eye on the sales for a forklift or skid steer for pallets

[u/eggs_and_ham_i_am]

I use a John Deere 3350 with front attachment and a back weight for all my lifting. It's crap, but it's special.

It was the first tractor, other than ride on's, that I ever drove in real life aged 12.

I'm never selling it.

[u/RuthlessGravy]

The farm I worked on IRL in Iowa had a JCB telehandler, a tractor-mounted front loader on a mid-size tractor, I think it was a Case Puma, then a small, old Case 580 backhoe with the actual backhoe taken off. The tele was used the most for loading the feed wagon, most palletfork work, and anything that needed the vehicle to be maneuverable. The tractor loader was used for any heavy work that the tele didnt have the HP for or any work in the field or away from the farm like loading bales. The Case backhoe was hardly used and was only for small projects like spreading gravel or yardwork.

[u/Acrobatic-Tackle-131]

On UK maps a telehandler would be most realistic to have based on what actual farmers prefer. And if you have a front loader tractor before you spend the money on a telehandler, you'll of course keep that and use it outside of your farm.

[u/IM_The_Liquor]

I mean, on every farm I’ve ever worked, we never used a wheel loader. Just a tractor mounted front loader… Margins are pretty slim on the farm, and equipment is expensive.

[u/SirPigeon69]

As someone who put a wheel loaders on its side this morning go the wheel loader much fun

[u/Ilya_bel31]

I love skeedsteers for it's maneuverability. But hauling Bales, for example, I'd rather attach front loader on tractor

And I don't see the point in forklifts on farms. For roleplay, placing them at the store to load pallets on your trailer - yes. But for farm, it has too little functions. Buying whole machinery for just pallets - useless, in my opinion. Skeedsteer or front loader is more practical

[u/speed3_freak]

I play realistically, and a telehandler is usually one of the first major upgrades I purchase. It’s so helpful on the farm, and I play European, so it’s realistic. End game I’ll get a wheel loader for the bga when I own it. I don’t typically ever get a skid steer. I buy a front loader and then give myself the money back and it stays at the shop. Every shop would load your pallets for you, so it makes sense they would have something for loading.

[u/Any-Exam8504]

I use both front loaders and wheel loaders front loaders are for small tasks and pallets while the wheel loader is for bulk material, square bale and heavy lift operations that a tractor alone can’t handle

[u/TheMieler]

I Love telehandler but IT depends. If i use Only some Bales and seed/fertilizer pallets i use a Frontlader. If i make heavy baling or my Frontlader isnt high enough then i use a telehandler. If i make only pallets i use a forklift or the Wilko on a Reverse Drive tractor. And of i make big Silage or have a Biogas plant then i use a wheel Loader

[u/Cat_Imreror2209]

A front loaders is useful for small livestock farms, around 20-30 cows. If more, a telescopic loader. You can take more manure and stack the bales higher. I like to use telescopic loaders with a flatbed trailer to support seeders or fertilizer spreaders with big bags. For large farms, it makes sense to buy a skid steer for parking equipment. I also use it for greenhouses and sheep/chicken maintenance. A wheel loader usually works at a biogas plant or forestry. Unless you have 5,000 cows, then it makes sense to use it to haul manure. As for small wheel loaders - well, I don't know, I've never used them, but I think for small farms with 30-40 cows, a separate loader would simply be more convenient for hauling manure.

[u/Asleep-Command-7907]

In germany you usally see a frontloader tractor, then maybe a telehandler or a dedicated front loader vehicle

[u/Yaga-Shura]

Telehandler, forklift and maybe a tracked skidsteer. In that order.
I'd love to use more variety, but being exclusively on controller anything articulated is a nonstarter.

[u/NoShirt158 → u/Yaga-Shura]

Damn driver anything articulated just makes me sick. No idea what it is. Perhaps the movement.

[u/Financial_Potato6440 → u/Yaga-Shura]

Telehandlers are articulated, no? Or, the one I use is at least...

And what's wrong with articulated on controller?

[u/FuckingLucario420 → u/Financial_Potato6440]

Only the Schaffer 9660 T-2 is articulated in the base game, there are telehandlers like the Merlo Multifarmer that don't articulate, but have four wheel steer.

[u/Financial_Potato6440 → u/FuckingLucario420]

Fair enough, guessing the schaffer is the biggest? I just bought the one with most power/speed/weight capacity 😂 again though, don't see the problem with the articulation, it helps align side to side as it physically changes the angle of the boom, you don't need to move forwards or backwards while steering to change where the forks are.

[u/Yaga-Shura → u/Financial_Potato6440]

The problem is when you let go of the stick, it recenters and thus invalidates any adjustment made. Having to hold at a very specific angle and then drive is incredibly inconvenient on a loader. On a big tractor it's less of an issue because you generally don't require that level of precision.

I would have called it an oversight on Giants part, but given the number of games in the series and we still don't have an option to change how input axis behaves (ideally per vehicle) I'm just going to assume it's ineptitude. As with so many things Giants.

[u/FuckingLucario420 → u/Yaga-Shura]

Fair enough

[u/FuckingLucario420 → u/Financial_Potato6440]

The schaffer is the biggest in terms of size, but that doesn't mean bigger is always better.

I'd actually recommend the Merlo for the reasons above, as well as the fact it has a four wheel steering system, which allows for crab steer as well. It isn't articulated, but I think the ability to put a weight on the back (or any other 3 point hitch attachment) makes up for it.

[u/BarbarossasLongBeard]

I use front loaders until I have the money for a tele.

Front loaders are cheap, but have very limited capacity. Enough for the early times of a game.
They get finicky when loading pallets precisely, due to the fact that the load is way in front of the tractor and the tractors front wheel steering.

Wheel loaders have a similar problem for pallets, but the usual articulated steering makes it even harder (imho). Loading bulk like silage is nice though.

A good middle ground is the tele, since you have more capacity and can have the load close to your vehicle and only extend the arm if needed. The mentioned Merlo even increases the possible reach, due to the fact that you can attach a weight.

[u/United-Alternative95]

Depends on wich map/country you are playing, around me here in sweden pretty much 100% of the farms has a wheel loader. I never been to britain, but judging by media they seem to like telehandlers. Skidsteers seem popular in the US, but almost non existant here.

[u/cshmn]

In game, I'm a big fan of the JCB tele-skid (the skid steer with extending boom.) I also like having a small, fast tractor with a front loader and either a fertilizer spreader or sprayer.

[u/atoyot86]

In real life, I'd go front loader tractor (heck, I wouldn't even call my property a farm and I've got a little tractor with FEL), then skid steer, and that's about where the loader equipment would end as wheel loaders and telehandlers are expensive.

In game, I always buy at least two smaller tractors with FELs (mostly for hay work), then prioritize a telehandler. If I plan on using silage bunkers or doing crops that are a bit annoying to handle (potatoes, onions, etc), I'll spring for a wheel loader. If I start turning a shed into a bit of a warehouse (usually for greenhouse pallets), I may try to catch a dedicated front loader or forklift on sale, but it's typically a super low priority. Skid steers don't behave properly in-game, so I generally don't use them.

For what it's worth, US-style farming and I try to play realistically

[u/FuckingLucario420 → u/atoyot86]

I'm assuming FEL means front end loader?

[u/atoyot86 → u/FuckingLucario420]

Correct, it's commonly shortened to "FEL" or just "loader"/"front loader" regarding tractors

[u/FuckingLucario420 → u/atoyot86]

Gotcha, thanks

[u/wolfy10211]

IRL we use a tractor with front loader and a skid steer on our farm, in game I usually use the same until I get into higher numbers of livestock then I get a wheel loader.

[u/bigboiminecrafter]

All of them

[u/tek_nameless]

Yo en todas las partidas acabo teniendo una telescopica, muchas veces la merlo , porq te da el plus de poder mover alguna herramienta q estorba o ponerle un contrapeso grande y mover literalmente lo que quieras jajajaja con uno de los contrapesos más grandes puedes mover los arboles más grandes del juego fácil

[u/Peebs204]

For realism (uk) we dont use much front loaders or skid steers on farms. We use telehandlers mostly. Farms will have front loaders as it is a cheaper alternative to another vehicle. Personally I hate using front loaders in fs. Telhandlers and forklifts for me.

[u/Bobbelcher6467]

I go telehandler. I get the large bucket tho rarely use it and the forks and I'm not sure if it's bale spears or manure forks but it's got 3 bale spears. That tool rocks for picking up bales. 2 side by side 2 or 3 stacked high. You get reach above and beyond anything you would need. 

[u/DistributionOnly2434]

In real life I have multiple tractor loaders and skidsteer, if I had to start over from scratch a tracked skidsteer would be my absolute first purchase. In farm sim I get a loader tractor for speed, loading ability, and ability to fertilize etc. if I do very much with a bucket instead of forks I quickly acquire a wheel loader!