Bidlea Dairy in Cheshire provided the ideal venue for Manitou’s recent Agricultural Innovation Day. As a busy dairy unit managing a 1,000-strong Holstein-Friesian herd with its own multi-unit Manitou fleet, the farm offered a fittingly professional atmosphere to showcase the manufacturer’s latest evolutions. Mary Perry reports.
Since the initial launch of the NewAg range in 2017, Manitou has maintained a steady pace of refinement. However, the 2025/2026 update represents a more significant leap. The focus has shifted toward improvements across comfort, efficiency, simplified maintenance, and total productivity.
To help customers navigate these advancements, Manitou has introduced a new hierarchy of specification levels. The new Platinum level now sits as the top tier in the range, joining the established Classic, Premium, and Elite levels. While the lower tiers remain focused on core functionality, the Platinum specification is designed for the power-user, bundling high-end options like the 360-degree SafeView camera system into a single package.
Atlas boom
Central to the 2026 updates is a structural shift: the migration of the Atlas telescopic boom design into the NewAg range. While this technology has been a staple of Manitou’s heavier XL range for years, its introduction here serves as a springboard for increased machine capacity. The most immediate impact of this stronger, oval-sided boom design is reflected in the models, such as the MLT 737, for instance, which has seen its lift capacity increased to 3.8t (becoming the 738), while the former 741 has been uprated to 4.2t, now designated as the MLT 742.
Beyond sheer lift capacity, the Atlas boom allows for the evolution of compensation isolation. In traditional designs, the compensation cylinder, the secondary cylinder responsible for keeping the carriage level, is constantly exposed to hydraulic pressure spikes. This is particularly punishing on dairy farms where shaking the bucket is a frequent necessity. Constant vibration feeds pressure directly back into the rear cylinder, accelerating wear on pins and bushes.
The new system utilises on/off valves to isolate the compensation cylinder whenever the boom is not actively being raised or lowered. By locking out the circuit during attachment shaking or transport, Manitou expects to significantly extend service life and reduce long-term maintenance costs.
For the manufacturer, this standardisation also streamlines production; for the farmer, it means a more robust machine that is far better prepared for the future retrofitting of smart technology.
Electrification: The MLT 625e
The headline of the day was the electric flagship, the MLT 625e. While some view electrification as a radical departure, Manitou was quick to point out that this is not new technology for them; their Oxygen range has been a staple in the industrial sector for many years.
The beauty of the 625e lies in its plug-and-play nature. If you are comfortable in a diesel 625, you are comfortable in this. There is no compromise on size, shape, or lifting performance (2.5t capacity / 6m height).
However, that zero-emission capability does come with a premium. The MLT 625e, as shown, carries a retail price of £109,701, compared to £76,876 for the diesel MLT 625 Elite. This represents an approximate 40% increase depending on final specification, though for many professional setups, universities, and government bodies, the 78% lower lifetime CO2 emissions and significantly reduced servicing costs are expected to be the driving factors.
The engineering is cleverly packaged. Rather than placing the battery under the bonnet, it is encased within the chassis under the boom to keep the centre of gravity low. Lift the bonnet, and instead of an engine, you find the electric motor driving the hydraulic pump and the inverters managing power flow.
The 35kWh lithium-ion battery provides about 5 hours of typical yard use. Using a standard 16-amp three-phase socket, you can put 25% back into the machine every hour. For those cautious about runtime, a DC fast charger can take it from 0 to 100% in just one hour.
Stop & Start
Stop & Start is now standard on all NewAg and NewAg XL models, which the company expects to have a noticeable impact on the customer’s bottom line. This system mirrors automotive technology but with farm-specific logic. Programmable from 1 to 30 minutes, the engine shuts down when the operator leaves the seat, restarting instantly upon touching the throttle or joystick.
Manitou’s data shows that roughly 15% of a machine’s life is typically spent idling. For a 1,000-hour-per-year user, that is 150 hours of dead time. At an estimated £12/hr depreciation rate, a farmer could save £7,200 over a four-year ownership period. Beyond the cash saving, it significantly reduces DPF maintenance and improves the machine’s residual value by keeping the hour clock honest.
Integrated auto-greasing
The under-greased farm machine is a major cause of premature component failure. To combat this, Manitou has introduced a factory-fit auto-greasing solution (£4,600 RRP).
Crucially, this system now targets all major pivot points, where previous versions focused only on the lower chassis; the new iteration includes the entire boom.
To ensure longevity in harsh environments, all pipework and distributor blocks are tucked safely inside the Atlas boom structure to prevent snagging in transit.
The cab display provides real-time grease levels and interval timing, allowing the operator to monitor the system without leaving the seat. This ensures that pins and bushes reach their full service life, reducing the hidden costs of downtime and repairs.
Smart Weighing
For the livestock farmer, the Smart Weighing System (costing £3,637) is arguably the most significant update. Currently available on the MLT 841 and 1041, the system is scheduled for roll-out across the wider NewAg range later this year.
Unlike aftermarket systems that often require the boom to pass a specific trigger point to register a weight, Manitou’s integrated system uses six pressure sensors (including the compensation and lift rams). This allows for +/-2% accuracy regardless of boom extension, crowd angle, or whether the machine is on a slight slope.
The functionality goes beyond simple weight measurement:
- Ration Management: The system can store 13 different rations and 44 individual ingredients.
- Precision Loading: Farmers can input the number of cattle, and the system will calculate the precise weight of each ingredient required for that specific group.
- Stock Control: Via the My Manitou App, the system tracks usage and can alert the owner when ingredient stocks are running low, effectively acting as a mobile inventory manager.
Alongside this is the new Smart Counting System. Filling a gap often addressed by DIY tallies or marks on the cab window, it provides a digital solution for tracking repetitive tasks. Whether loading a grain trailer or moving hundreds of bales, the operator can trigger a count via a dedicated button in the cab.
Alternatively, the system can be set to Auto-Count based on a specific boom angle. This ensures that at the end of a long day, the operator has a precise record of work completed.
SafeView and HighView
Manitou’s camera evolution is now split into two distinct packs to aid productivity:
- SafeView (Standard on Platinum): A two-camera setup (rear and side) providing 360-degree awareness. The side-boom camera is particularly vital, as it eliminates the traditional blind spot created by the boom when in the lowered position.
- HighView: This boom-mounted camera allows operators to see over the edge and inside high-sided trailers or diet feeders during loading. It removes the guesswork from levelling a load, preventing over-spilling and protecting the trailer’s top edges.
Looking ahead to late 2026, Manitou will also introduce SafeAlert, a Human Recognition AI system. This uses dedicated cameras to detect human forms, providing audible and visual alerts if someone enters a predefined danger zone around the machine.
The latest evolution of the Manitou NewAg range is a calculated response to the tightening margins and increasing labour demands of modern agriculture. By focusing on the invisible costs, idling, maintenance, and weighing accuracy, Manitou hopes to position itself as the manufacturer of choice for professional users.
