PRACTICAL TEST: With a load capacity of 6.0t and about 9.0m lift height, the Liebherr-built Scorpion 960 is the Claas telehandler flagship. From its proportions, though, it’s hard to believe that’s possible until you pop it on a weighbridge
When our Scorpion 960 was delivered, we thought Claas had perhaps made a mistake and sent the wrong test machine. At first glance the telehandler, which without attachments is just under 6.00m long, 2.50m wide and 2.65m high, doesn’t give the impression that it has the wherewithal to lift 6.0 tonnes.
the 960’s manoeuvrability gave us the impression of sitting on a smaller machine. And the turning circle with four-wheel steering confirmed this: Less than 8.50m – which we measured as usual to the outside of the wheels – is impressive, The subsequent trip to the weighbridge, however, provided some clarity: a figure of 11,790kg in test specification without an attachment left no doubt – it was indeed the Scorpion 960 we were testing, which comes with the counterweight necessary for its handling credentials.