Dairy Farmer Improves Productivity with V723

Lester Sterken

Livestock producers are always looking for ways to operate more efficiently. Thanks to a V723 VersaHandler® telescopic tool carrier, a Wisconsin dairy farmer is saving time and producing more pounds of milk per cow.

Lester Sterken of Sterken Farms, Inc., purchased a V723 from Bobcat of Janesville, replacing a payloader on his family’s dairy farm, where they milk 500 cows, and raise 700 acres of corn and 400 acres of alfalfa.

“We still have the payloader, but I don’t know how much we’ll use it anymore,” says Sterken. “The V723 saves us a lot of time. We can get done feeding the cows at least a half-hour faster, and that’s after defacing the silage.”

Sterken says he wasn’t able to effectively deface the silage with his payloader because it couldn’t reach the top of the pile, which is more than 16 feet high. But today, with his V723, he can not only reach the top, but has found many other useful purposes for the 23 feet of lift height, such as stacking round and square hay bales in his barn.

Loading the feed mixer got a lot easier for Sterken once he made the switch to the VersaHandler telescopic. “We use the V723 to load the feed mixer because it is too high to reach with our other equipment. We can dump feed supplements directly into the mixer using the bucket attachment.”

In addition to the V723, Sterken has been a long-time owner of Bobcat® skid-steer loaders, dating back to his first machine—a 743, which he purchased in 1982. Today the farm uses a 763 with more than 7,000 hours and a S185 with 5,000 hours to scrape manure in the barns or push feed. Sterken attributes the farm’s day-to-day success with the loaders’ dependability and ease of service.

Bobcat V638

V638
Featuring a three-section boom that extends more than 38-ft.-high, the V638 takes performance to new heights for construction contractors, rental centers and other users. Optional front stabilizers improve side-to-side stability when lifting on uneven ground—and overall capacity in any conditions—while three steering modes help you maneuver quickly, easily and precisely. Choose a canopy or enclosed cab. All this plus more standard equipment than other brands make it an outstanding value.

• 6,700-lb. (3045-kg) maximum load capacity
• 7,100-lb. (3220-kg) maximum load capacity with stabilizers
• 100 hp (74.5 kW) turbo-charged, liquid-cooled diesel engine
• 38-ft., 11-in. (11862-mm) lift height
• 26-ft., 11-in. (8204-mm) maximum reach
• 18,275-lb. (8307-kg) operating weight
• 19,467-lb. (8830-kg) operating weight with stabilizers

Bobcat V723

V723
The V723 excels at heavy material handling jobs when working space is limited. Rugged-duty features include unitized body and chassis, full belly pan to protect all machine components and shock-absorbing rubber engine mounts for all-terrain use. Turn on the transmission work mode for more wheel torque when pushing, stockpiling or loading trucks. Turn it off for normal conditions. Standard suspension seat and tilt steering wheel add to comfort.

• 7,000-lb. (3175-kg) maximum load capacity
• 100 hp (74.5 kW) turbo-charged, liquid-cooled diesel engine
• 23-ft., 7-in. (7205-mm) lift height
• 13-ft. (3975-mm) maximum reach
• 15,805-lb. (7169-kg) operating weight