Plant Equipment and Hire October 2019 | Page 22

TEST DRIVE CONQUER YOUR CABIN FEVER Operating Liebherr’s new T32-7 telescopic handler is as comfortable as sitting in your air-conditioned lounge playing Xbox, writes Leon Louw. E ven in the harsh summer conditions of southern Africa, the chances of getting cabin fever in Liebherr’s new T 32-7 telescopic handler, are as good as the machines’ competitors finding and lifting a spanner from a stack of bricks on the third floor of a building under construction. I am convinced though, that this seemingly impossible task, is completely within reach for any of the legendary German equipment manufacturer’s fleet of telescopic handlers. The one requirement, however, is a slightly better operator than the author, who would struggle to locate the bricks. But for more experienced operators, accustomed to the flat and square windscreens and closed cabin roofs of other makes and models, the all-round visibility of Liebherr’s offering would enable them to not only locate the spanner, but the nuts and bolts as well. The windscreen’s slight curve and the see-through roof window allows even the most nervous first-time operator the chance to keep an eye on the attachment and boom from ground level all the way up to third floor, 7m above your head. Even the higher spec Liebherr T 33-10 boom at full stretch (10m) is still visible from the comfortable weight-adjustable seat in the spacious cabin interior. An unobstructed view from the cabin was a clear priority for the developers of this nifty machine, and for this reason the pivot point of the arm has been placed as low as possible so that the driver has a clear view both to the rear and to the right. 20 In the cabin For old-school operators used to those hard, unmalleable, leather seats that sticks to sweaty legs, sitting in a modern version T 32-7 cabin must surely be a lifechanging OCTOBER 2019 www.equipmentandhire.co.za