Weidemann celebrate 40 Years of the Hoftrac
Weidemann - Celebrating 40 years of Hoftrac® technology
40 years of WEIDEMANN Hoftrac®:
A machine makes history
Decades since its launch, this agile, powerful machine for farms, local authorities and industrial applications continues to offer convincing performance.
A machine that has created history in agricultural engineering. For 40 years, the Weidemann-Hoftrac® has proven its worth as a versatile tool for farms, equestrian businesses, the commercial sector and local authorities. Out of the initial prototypes designed as simple 3-wheel loaders, in 1972 / 1973 a small wheel loader with articulated steering was developed to which its engineers gave the trend-setting name "Hoftrac®". The launch of the "Perfect 130" model in 1974 then laid the foundation for a true success story in agricultural engineering. At a time when tractor sales were falling dramatically, the Hoftrac® opened up an entirely new market segment in agricultural engineering for Weidemann, its dealers and indeed the entire industry. "It's amazing how our little machine with articulated steering managed to bring about such a huge change in agriculture, explains Hans‑Heinrich Schmidt, Technical Director at Weidemann, who helped design and launch the original Hoftrac® in the 1970s.
The start of a growing market
The small red machines with articulated steering were an immediate success. By 1978, the production capacities at the factory built just 9 years previously were already no longer adequate. To meet the strong demand a new facility was constructed on the edge of Flechtdorf. In the years that followed, both the choice of models on offer and the production figures grew continuously, with machine number 25,000 rolling from the production line in 1995. Today, well over 65,000 red "Weidemanns" have been built. Customers can now configure their ideal machine from a choice of 13 different basic types and numerous optional equipment. In addition to the Hoftrac® models, the Weidemann portfolio also includes large wheel loaders, tele wheel loaders and the classic telehandlers.
Machine work in narrow stables
What is the basis for the success of the Hoftrac® models and their "big brothers"? These machines continue to be a genuinely practical solution. At the start of the 1970s, the Weidemann brothers experimented in their workshop in Diemelsee-Flechtdorf, Hessen, on a machine able to both enter and work in a stable. Previously this had been almost impossible because even in the then relatively new buildings constructed in the 1950s and 1960s, only the feed alley could usually be accessed using small tractors. Behind the cattle, there was only enough space for a wheelbarrow, meaning that mucking out and many feeding jobs simply had to be carried out manually, i.e. using a wheelbarrow and fork.
When developing the Hoftrac®, the priority was therefore to create a machine capable of performing this hard manual labour, a machine that could not only enter the narrow alleys but actually carry out work there. Weidemann wanted to construct a machine that was both as narrow as possible and extremely agile. The aim was to mechanise this hard manual work, regardless of the size and shape of the buildings, and this was only possible with a machine with articulated steering.
From the Perfect 130 to the CX series
The solution was the first Hoftrac® series, the "Perfect 130". Weighing 1,000 kg and equipped with a 1-cylinder Faryman diesel engine, it managed a top speed of 10 km/h. This series featured four basic models and was built from 1974 to 1980. This type of machine proved enormously popular with farmers and was soon developed further.
From 1980 to 1984 came the 02 series whose top-of-the-range model, the 1902, was the first Hoftrac® to feature hydrostatic four-wheel drive. 1984 saw the launch of the 900 series with nine different basic models. During the 1990s, the model range was continuously updated and expanded. The first Hoftrac® with a fully enclosed cabin appeared in 1992 in the shape of the 1002 D/P model, offering improved comfort. The CX series was presented at the Agritechnica 2005 show. As Commercial Director Bernd Apfelbeck explains, "Our sales approach of offering both standard machines and a wide range of options has allowed customers to select the right equipment level for their needs. This customization has been very positively received by our customers".
Attachments for every requirement
To carry out the work itself, suitable tools were needed. Whereas initially the manure fork and the bucket and it developed crocodile gripper were the most common tools in everyday use, nowadays a huge variety of attachment devices is available for the range of 40 models now on offer. The comprehensive programme is tailored to specific tasks and ranges from the lightweight bucket or grab bucket, feeder, pallet fork and working platform, to the sweeping machine and gritter for winter road clearance work. These devices make every Hoftrac® an all-year-round machine in different fields of use including agriculture, the horse industry, local authorities, horticulture, landscaping and industrial applications. By means of these attachments, Weidemann machines resolve a key problem for users by doing away with the need for hard, manual labour. In comparison with other solutions they are much more agile whilst being simultaneously more flexible on a day-to-day basis. Rapid tool-changing makes the Hoftrac® a multi-purpose tool suitable for a wide variety of different work.
Ease of use is becoming more and more important
Times have changed in farming. Whereas previously it was often the farmer himself who operated the machine, nowadays it is mainly family members, horse-owners and, in many cases, employees who work on farmyards and in riding stables. Straightforward, self‑explanatory operation and safe design with regard to health & safety make it easier for different drivers to operate the same machine.
A second machine for outdoor work
At larger undertakings, the Hoftrac® saves time in the stables because awkward manual labour is no longer part of the day-to-day business of modern dairy operations, stables and local authorities. Nowadays, growing businesses in the agricultural sector are opting for a second machine for difficult work outdoors. The smaller Hoftrac® models are used in the stables and the larger Weidemann wheel loaders and telehandlers are used mainly for loading and unloading work. Here they prove to be better than front loader tractors or industrial wheel loaders due to their excellent agility and a wide range of practical attachments.
Weidemann continues to grow
For Weidemann, which is now part of Wacker Neuson, the Hoftrac® was the catalyst for dynamic growth. Weidemann has grown from a small agricultural business in Diemelsee‑Flechtdorf, Hessen to become central Europe's leading manufacturer of Hoftracs®, wheel loaders and telehandlers for agriculture, horticulture, equestrian businesses, local authorities and industry. Around 300 workers construct the different series at the company's new plant in Korbach, inaugurated in 2007, and an international sales force markets these top-class machines worldwide.
The board of directors sees interesting perspectives for growth not just in the established markets in Germany and Central Europe but also worldwide.
After all, the reasons why the Hoftrac® is so popular are the same almost everywhere. Technically, they are down to its unparalleled agility facilitated by the high angle of inclination, the low clearance heights provided for by its design, and the high performance and reliability of the machine itself. Each new model of the Hoftrac® responds effectively to different and evolving customer requirements. The ongoing customer-oriented development at Weidemann ensures that this success story will continue into the future, for example with the T4512, the "Hoftrac®" among telehandlers which, since its launch in 2009, has found very rapid acceptance on the market.