USED MACHINERY: Claas Targo K-series telehandlers: Last Targo enjoys final turn around the farming floor When Claas launched its Targo ‘K’ series telehandlers in 2000, the models’ modern lines and clear operator visibility attracted favourable comment. Early units, however, suffered from teething problems, although these were not, to be fair, experienced by all users. Frustratingly, the Targo was pretty much sorted just as it was dropped in favour of Claas’s new Scorpion range in 2005.
As pups go, the earliest Claas Targo telehandlers emit the doggiest of doggy smells. There is very little point in trying to sidestep the issue. These machines, it would be reasonable to say, have never enjoyed the best of reputations for reliability,
with a list of problems that could include engine radiator leaks, hydraulic pumps packing up, main boom hose leaks and front axle failures. The end-result has been much remedial work for Claas and its dealer network.
Yet despite these initial and well-known difficulties, the ‘right’ second-hand Targo of any vintage can make a cracking used buy. Why? For two reasons. First, Claas subjected the complete early batch of Targo telehandler models to a full and comprehensive upgrade programme, which should have sorted the main areas of concern. And, second, Targo residuals remain relatively soft compared to those of the machine’s mainstream rivals, an entry-level sum of perhaps £15,000 buying a lot of handler for the money.
