Manitou to double size of South Dakota plant

Manitou previewed five new MTA telehandlers designed specifically for the North American market during the ARA Show, Feb. 13-15 in Orlando. The units will make their official debut during ConExpo in March and will be available for dealers “later in 2023,” the company said. 

Manitou showed its electric rotating telehandler, the MRT 2260e during this year’s ARA Show. (Photo: KHL)

The new models include the MTA 642, MTA 842, MTA 1055, MTA 1242 and MTA 1255. The range begins with the 74 horsepower MTA 642 with 6,000 pounds of capacity lifting up to 42 feet high, and continues to the 127 horsepower MTA 1255 that lifts 12,000 pounds up to a maximum lift height of 55 feet. The MTA 842 and the MTA 1055 have the option to either be powered by a 74 hp or 127 hp engine with 74-hp models requiring no diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to meet emissions standards.

The company also introduced its electric rotating telehandlers to the N.A. market, the MRT 2260e and MRT 2660e VISION+ units, as well as its electric MT 625e compact electric fixed-boom telehandler. The units are all part of the manufacturer’s “Oxygen” line of low emissions equipment.

“We’ve retained the performance and specs of the diesel models while reducing emissions, lowering noise on the jobsite, and making lifetime owning and operating costs significantly less,” said Steve Kiskunas, product manager — telescopic handlers, Manitou. “Telehandlers are perfectly suited for electrification due to their varied use throughout the day, their ability to charge relatively fast, and the importance of less noise impacting verbal communication in many material handling applications. And the elimination of service and support operations and costs around the diesel engines will have significant lifetime cost savings.”

The electric equipment comes following the December 2022 news that Manitou Group acquired an 82% stake in easyLi, a specialist in the design and production of lithium-ion batteries.

Manitou also debuted a new line of ultra-compact telescopic handlers — the ULM (Ultra-Light Manitou) 412 and ULM 415 — to North America. 

The new ULM units come in at just under 60 inches wide and 76 inches tall. Maximum lift height for both units is 14 feet, 1 inch with maximum capacity of 2,200 pounds for the ULM 412, and 2,650 pounds for the ULM 415.

The Manitou ULM models are equipped with a two-speed hydrostatic transmission and a 35-hp Yanmar diesel engine. Paired with four-wheel drive, four-wheel steer, oscillating rear axle, high ground clearance of 11.5 inches and an 8-foot, 7-inch outside turning radius to work well on all-terrain environments and confined spaces.

But the news didn’t stop there. The company stated it expects to obtain a 25% share of the telehandler market in North America this year, and it also announced plans to double the size of its Yankton, SD manufacturing facility in order to meet demand.

It also briefly announced it is in the process of developing its own line of all-electric scissors, with details to come. Manitou also said it will launch to market its hydrogen-powered telehandler in 2026, and that the company is in the process of engineering a second hydrogen-powered model. The company first announced its hydrogen units in December 2022.