The KMW Difference

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Kansas Farmer Uses His KMW Front-end Loader to Lighten the Load

Growing up on a farm in Trego County, Kan., Terry Schoenthaler learned about work ethics at an early age. His grandpa handed him the keys to the grain truck when he was about 10 years old, and farming and hard work have been his way of life for more than 60 years.

"My operation consists of about 3,000 acres of which I crop about 1,000 of them," Schoenthaler says. "The rest is either fallow or pasture land. I plant a variety of crops that include wheat, grain sorghum, alfalfa and forage sorghum. We're running about 80 cows at the present time."

"It's just me and my wife these days, so I'm always looking for ways to make my job easier," Schoenthaler says. "We usually bale between 400 and 500 of the five-foot round bales each year to feed the cattle. Those bales are usually moved at least once--sometimes twice--and are typically moved off the field for storage, and once more to either feed or process them."

To ease the chore of bale handling, and for many other tasks around the farm, Schoenthaler uses his 225 Case IH Puma equipped with a KMW 1760 Front End Loader. "I've had my KMW loader for four seasons, and I couldn't be happier with its performance," he says. He had observed one of his neighbors using a KMW loader and they hadn't torn it up. Schoenthaler continues, "They use their stuff pretty hard, so that's a pretty good testament to how well these loaders are built."

When he bought his tractor, Schoenthaler went with the recommendation of his dealer, Radke Equipment, in Hays, Kan., to add a KMW loader to it. He looked at several options and the dealer told him that the KMW was the best loader around. Having had a Great Bend loader in the past helped him make up his mind. "I understand that KMW bought out GB some time ago and I had good luck with that loader as well."

With all that in mind, and the fact that he could get it in his tractor's color, Terry was sold.

The tractor already had a joystick and the KMW loader controls were hooked up to it. That's the first loader Schoenthaler has had with a joystick. "I really enjoy that," he says. "It's so simple to use, even my wife uses it on occasion."

Handling two bales at up to 1,800 pounds each is no chore for the 1760. Equipping the loader with a 72-inch bucket and a four-prong grapple hook, Schoenthaler can easily pick up two bales and cut his handling and moving time in half. "That's half the trips I have to make, and it makes stacking them much easier and quicker," he says. It all adds up to moving about 800 to 900 bales a year.

While the loader's main use is for the handling of the large round bales to stack in the field or onto a trailer bed, he also uses his front-end loader to feed the tub grinder. Removal of the grapple option also allows him to use the bucket to haul manure, gravel and rock as well as to push snow. It even comes in handy for scaffolding when he has a taller overhead job. "But that's a two-person operation," he says.

"It's kind of a low-profile loader, so you can see what you're doing. That's really nice. The bucket has a guide rod to let you see where your tilt is so you don't dig too deep or too shallow. That's a nice feature," he says. For those times when the loader is not needed, it is pretty simple to take off and put back on. "The hydraulics are quick-attach, and it only takes me 10-15 minutes tops," Schoenthaler says.

He likes the fact that the loader is American-made and built in Kansas. Many other farmers and ranchers in his area also use KMW loaders, which is a testament to how well their loaders are built. The loaders are available in a variety of colors to match those farmers' tractor colors as well.

Schoenthaler says that he would definitely buy another KMW loader, and in fact, is thinking about stepping up to a larger KMW loader. While the 1760 still has an abundance of life left in it, having some extra lift height is something he's seriously considering.