Not many years ago, if you wanted a larger pivot-steer telehandler, it was either a JCB or Manitou. Sadly, the French firm subsequently went off the boil with the poor-performing, shortlived Mani-Rock hybrid. Then at LAMMA 2017 it unveiled the new MLA-T 533-145 V+, which we put through a rigorous test
The UK and Irish markets have always been big fans of pivot-steer telehandlers, with several home-grown makes such as Matbro, Sanderson, Redrock and JCB to name but a few. Indeed even the early Manitou MLA had a certain amount of UK influence and not just in the components department. This original MLA design served the French handler maker well, but shoehorning the lower emission engine and cooling pack into the compact derrière proved too much and, after a brief moment of madness in 2011, when it sold the Redrockderived MLA 630, Manitou withdrew from the pivot market.
