The Weidemann-Hoftrac already ‘loads' with 40 years to his backs
1 June 2012
From the first prototypes, whose concept was a simple loaders of three wheels, in 1972 and 1973 arose a small loaders articulated, to which the designers gave him the name of ‘Hoftrac'. Later, with the start of the series of the model ‘Perfekt 130' in 1974, established the base of an authentic history of success in the agricultural engineering: whereas the figures of sales of tractors reduced significantemente, the Hoftrac opened a totally new segment in the market of the agricultural engineering for the company Weidemann and his distributors. “It is remarkable that ours small machines articulated have caused a change so significante in the agriculture”, comments Hans-Heinrich Schmidt, technical manager of Weidemann, the one who witnessed and contributed to the ‘birth' of the Hoftracs in the seventies.
Starting signal for an increasing market
From the beginning, the small loaders articulated red were a success. Already in 1978, the capacities of the factory built hardly nine years before were not sufficient. In the outskirts of Flechtdorf built a new plant to satisfy the strong demand. In the consecutive years, the range of products and the figures of production increased constantly. Already in 1995, it went out of the line of production the machine number 25.000. Until today they have been produced considerably more than 65.000 ‘Weidemann' red. At present, the customer can configure the ideal machine for his exploitation choosing between 13 different basic types and of a big quantity of options of equipment. Today day, in addition to the models Hoftrac, the portfolio of Weidemann also presents loaders bigger, wheel loaders with telescopic and classical arm loaders telescopic.
Work with machinery in narrow stables
Which is the base of the history of success of the models Hoftrac and his ‘big sisters'? Then and now, the machines are a real and practical solution. At the beginning of the seventies, in his workshop in Diemelsee-Flechtdorf in Hesse, the brothers Weidemann broke the head to conceive a machine that also could go in to the interior of the stable and work here. Then, this was practically impossible since, even in the majority of the new buildings of the years fifty and sixty, only the corridor of feeding was accessible with some smaller tractors. The space behind the cows only reached for a carretilla. In this way, the evacuation of muck and also a lot of tasks of feeding only could be realised with carretilla and horca, that is to say manualmente.
Therefore, in the development of the Hoftrac, at the beginning treated to substitute the exhausting manual work with a machine. However, the same had to be in conditions to go in to the narrow corridors and even work in them. For this reason, Weidemann wanted to design a loaders that it was the narrowest possible and at the same time extremely maniobrable. It wished mechanise the hard manual work independently of the conditions in the interior of the buildings. The same only could work with a loaders articulated.
Of the Perfekt 130 to the series CX130
The solution for this was the first series of Hoftrac, the Perfekt 130. The vehicle of a weight of 1.000 kg and an engine diesel monocilíndrico Farymann reached a speed of 10 km/h. The series comprised a total of four basic models and was manufactured of 1974 to 1980. The consequence of the good acceptance of this category of machines by the agriculturalists was a fast improvement and constant.
Of 1980 to 1984, followed the series 02, whose model tip, the 1902, went the first Hoftrac that had of a traction to the four hydrostatic wheels. In 1984, it launched to the market the series 900, with nine different basic models. In the years ninety followed a renewal and a continuous extension of the range of models. The first Hoftrac with an entirely enclosed cabin entered in the exploitations with the model 1002 D/P in the year 1992, increasing in this way the confort of the machine. The series CX was presented in the Agritechnica 2005. “With the philosophy of sales to offer so many standard machines like a wide range of options, have taken a correct decision for an entirely oriented equipment to the demand. Our customers have accepted this individualisation of the machines very well”, explains the commercial manager Bernd Apfelbeck.
Auxiliary equipment for any task
For the true work still were missing auxiliary equipment adapted. Whereas at the beginning they employed especially the fork of muck and the pinzas of crocodile, developed splitting of the fork, as well as the shovel, nowadays is to disposal a big variety of auxiliary equipment in the portfolio that meanwhile comprises 40 models. The wide and skilled range of products covers from the shovel for light loads or the spoon of clam, the distributor of forraje, the fork for palés and the platform of work, until the barredora and the esparcidora for the service of winter. In this way, each Hoftrac turns into a machine for all the seasons in the fields of application more miscellaneous, like the agriculture, the livestock equina, the municipality, the architecture of parks and gardens and the industry. With the auxiliary equipment, the machines of Weidemann solve the decisive problem of the users since they replace the exhausting manual work. In this, comparing them with other solutions, are considerably more maniobrables, and besides can be employed of way significantemente more flexible in the work of all the days. The fast change of the auxiliary team converts to the Hoftrac in an authentic universal tool that allows to realise the sequences of work more miscellaneous.
I handle simple increasingly important
The times have changed in the agriculture: whereas before the same agriculturalist handled the machine, nowadays in the majority of the cases do it the different members of the family, the owners of horses and, in a lot of occasions, the employees. The simple handle and the safe construction from the point of view of the protection in the work, facilitate the change of driver.
Second machine for works in the outside
In the biggest exploitations, the small machine resolves the problem of time in the stable, since the costly manual work no longer suits in the daily routine of the modern farms lecheras and equinas, as well as of the municipalities. Meanwhile, a lot of increasing agricultural exploitations even opt by a second machine for the heavy work in the outside. The models Hoftrac smaller work in the stable, the biggest wheel loaders and telescopic of Weidemann realise especially the works of load and of movement of materials and, comparing them with the tractors with frontal loaders and the loaders of industrial wheels, win points because of his excellent manoeuvrability and the wide range of practical auxiliary equipment.
Weidemann Continuous growing
For the company Weidemann, which now forms part of
The managers no only see interesting perspectives of growth in the future in the traditional markets in Germany and Central Europe but all over the world.
Since the arguments in favour of the big popularity of the Hoftrac explain practically everywhere: from the technological point of view, results of the incomparable manoeuvrability because of the big angle of twist, of the low heights of step like consequence of his design, and of the performance and the reliability of the machines. With each new series of models, the Hoftrac has reacted properly to the requests miscellaneous and cambiantes of the customers. Thanks to the permanent improvement oriented to the customer of Weidemann, continues doing this history of success. A good example of the same is the T4512, the Hoftrac between the loaders telescopic, presented in 2009, which has been accepted extremely well in the market.
