Two years ago, JLG went to its customers and asked what they were looking for in compact telehandlers and here are the answers they gave.

The first response was maneuverability to get around the jobsite easily. So JLG built its G5-18A with a turning radius of 126 inches that could get inside small spaces, in doorways and elevators and parking lots.

Second, JLG customers talked about the cab. “A lot of owner-operators buy this kind of machine,” says Brian Boeckman, product parent for JLG's telehandler. “That means the guy who is buying the machine is sitting in the cab. He knows he's going to be in there all day so he wants a comfortable, ergonomic cab and we spent a lot of time focusing on it.”

The third issue expressed by JLG's customers was serviceability and JLG made all parts and components easily accessible. The battery, situated under the boom, is easy to get to even when the boom is all the way down. Its electrical system is also accessible, a strong plus for users and technicians who often have to go under the dashboard for access.

The new unit is designed for a variety of applications such as landscaping, where the machine could be used for placing trees on slopes, extending sod out over a freshly graded area, and dumping dirt or stone behind retaining walls. The telehandler could maneuver well around construction jobsites, transporting materials around the site, loading and unloading trucks. It appears to be a natural for jobsite clean up, and work in parking garage structures. JLG envisions the machine as popular in the municipal marketplace, loading dump trucks with sand and gravel and more.

JLG's customer base includes a lot of operators experienced with wheel loaders. “We've allowed for that by changing the operation of the joystick, using what we call the lift and then loader mode,” Boeckman says. “When you're in the lift mode, you move your joystick from side to side, that telescopes your boom in and out. If you flip it to the loader mode, and you move your joystick from side to side, you'll dump your bucket. We have a switch the operator can use to toggle between the two modes, so it's easy to switch modes from the operator's perspective.”