We recently spent a few days at an awesome event called Treetopia, a trade show for arborists. While there, we spent some time with our manufacturing partner, GiANT, as we partnered together to operate an obstacle course with a GiANT G1200 and Branch Manager Grapple. The obstacle course required an operator to use a G1200 to navigate a log with a bucket of water balanced on it through a maze made up of hay bales. The course was a lot of fun and over the course of Treetopia we were able to really see what a GiANT could handle.
Why do we tell you this story? Because we understand that the equipment you use needs to be more than exceptionally strong, it needs to be reliable, versatile, AND strong.
Today we’re going to discuss what we learned while we were watching the GiANT G1200 operate an obstacle course.
Compact
One of the biggest initial takeaways (and one of GiANT’s largest selling points) is the size of the loader. The GiANT G1200 is extremely compact and comes in at a weight of just over 2,400 lbs. This compact frame greatly benefits GiANT operators because it allows them the option for operating in places that other loaders wouldn’t fit into. As operators navigated between the hay bales with their load, they were able to take advantage of this small frame and articulated steering to easily maneuver through tighter corners and pathways.
The full machine (standard, not Tele) comes in at roughly 9.5 feet long and 7.5 feet tall making it not only compact in weight, but also in size. View the spec sheet here.
Strength of a GiANT
The G1200 is extremely strong pound-for-pound! As earlier mentioned, the GiANT G1200 weighs in at 2,420 lbs, but what makes this machine even more interesting is that its tipping load is 2,400 lbs. Providing a nearly 1:1 ratio of size to strength is extremely conducive to increasing efficiency in any arborist, landscaper, or contractor’s day to day operations.
Not only was the G1200 able to navigate a tight obstacle course, with a Branch Manager Grapple it was able to do it while carrying a log that had a bucket of water balanced on the front end of it! This type of strength and smooth operation allows for utilization in almost any project one could think of.
Intuitive
We had a lot of operators coming through to try their hand at the obstacle course. Some had prior experience with GiANT others didn’t, but they did all have one thing in common; they were all able to operate the G1200 through the obstacle course. GiANT loaders are notoriously intuitive to operate as GiANT chose to pick the most pragmatic location for operator seating and controls.
Unlike other loaders, GiANT operators are seated towards the rear of the machine to provide a better field of view and a more natural sense of operation.
GiANTs are machines that don’t require a lot of hours to get used to operating.
Versatile
One of the greatest things about the G1200 and GiANT loaders in general is the level of versatility they bring to the table. GiANT has adopted a non-proprietary approach to loader attachments that allows the operator to use nearly any attachment from any brand on their loader. This is a huge advantage to any operator because it makes the GiANT an option for almost any job. Whether you’re attaching a bucket, a grapple, a scraper, a mower, or something else entirely, the universal skid plate puts the operator in the driver’s seat.
GiANT doesn’t just offer great versatility through attachments though, they also offer it through customizable tire options. The G1200 offers narrow, wide, or dual tire configurations so that your GiANT can be set up best for whatever job you may be facing.
The size, strength, ease of operation, and versatility of a GiANT really make it a nearly perfectly designed machine that can be used across several industries. We often say that a single G1200 will outperform up to five team members that are working on any given job and we truly believe that!
GiANT has created an amazing machine that gets the job done efficiently and reliably; whether that’s taking down trees, moving a bucket of rock, or even carrying a log with a bucket of water balanced on it. 🙂
Turf Star Western
Turf Star Western proudly sells GiANT to the west coast (Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, and Nevada). Feel free to reach out to us if you’re interested in scheduling a demo or learning more!
If you’re outside of the west coast but would still like to learn more, follow this link to the GiANT website to locate a dealer near you!
Turf Star Western is proud to provide amazing equipment to the west coast and is proud to have GiANT as one of our manufacturing partners.
To learn more about Turf Star Western, visit our website at www.turfstar.com
