Avant 745 Arbour Pro Operator Review

Words and Photography by Howard Shanks 

Tasmanian-based arborist cites the addition of a new Avant 745 articulated loader as a real game changer for his operation, speeding up worksite clean-up time with improved material handling capabilities and lower ground footprint. 

Arborist John Douglass, the owner of iClimb Tree Solutions, has spent his life caring for trees and is renowned as one of Tasmania’s foremost tree climbers, regularly scaling trees above 50 meters in height. John and his team of arborists provide a range of services, including Risk Reduction, Tree Felling, Tree Bracing, Tree Pruning and Trimming, and Wood Chipping services.

“I was looking for a means of productively moving larger trunks and branches as well as collecting material more efficiently onsite and feeding our woodchipper more efficiently,” John explained. “I’d spent considerable time researching various machine options, including skid-steers and mini-excavators, before deciding on the Avant 745 articulated loader.”

“What attracted me initially towards this machine was that Avant set it to suit our work style straight out of the box,” John said. “It is very flexible in the different tasks it can perform simply by changing attachments. And changing attachments is fast and easy with the Avant-designed quick-release system. Also, the standard telescopic boom means I can load high-body trucks and lift large, heavy tree trunks. Although truth be told, it wasn’t the cheapest machine I looked at,” he added.

“But even though it’s early days, I’m glad I invested in the Avant 745,” John continued. “Right from day one, it’s more than proved a valuable asset to the business, increasing productivity threefold. Interestingly though, it is how much happier our team are with it on site because it has removed the manual handling of a lot of material, which has reduced the physical fatigue levels of our ground crew at the end of each day.”

“Mind you, minimising a lot of manual handling reduces a lot of risks associated with personal injury and consequently significantly improves the safe work practices for our ground crew,” John revealed.

“Over the past few weeks, we’ve had a lot of rain out here in the northeast, and the ground is very soft underfoot,” John explained, “But look where we’ve been working today, and the machine has barely left an imprint in the ground. That is terrific for our consumers who care for their gardens and lawns. Now with the Avant 745, we are not dragging limbs past precious plants. Instead, I pick them up and lift them over the top of plants and shrubs. Also, there are fewer chips from chainsaw cuts because we are not cutting the larger limbs into smaller cartwheels for men to lift, so there is less mess to clean up at the end of the job. And we can come in with the machine and do the job efficiently with minimal impact on the ground.”

Under the Hood

The heart of the Avant 745 is the Kubota V2403 diesel engine. The water-cooled 2.4-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated Kubota delivers 36kW (49 hp) at 2700 RPM. The engine is accessible for daily checks by removing the top rear cover. However, service-wise, access to the engine bay is a very tight squeeze to change fuel and oil filters.

“I’m going to relocate the engine filters, similar to how they are mounted on mining machines, so they are more accessible,” John revealed. “If the machine is in the workshop, an extra couple of hours having panels and parts removed to access a filter that’s a couple of unnecessary extra hours of labour added to my servicing invoice and a couple of extra hours lost productivity. By having the filters remotely mounted, a filter change will only take a few minutes,” he added.

The rear of the Avant 745 has four pre-cut circles that can be quickly removed to allow for electrical and hydraulic leads if rear-mounted attachments are required. In addition to the engine’s weight in the rear, 80kg counterweights are fitted to each side at the back of the machine.

Optidrive 

The drive system on the Avant 745 consists of a variable displacement hydraulic pump with four hydraulic drive motors located on each wheel of the loader. According to Avant, through research & development, they’ve improved this system through innovative rethinking, which they call Optidrive.

In a traditional hydrostatic driven system, when hydraulic oil flows at a high flow rate in any drive circuit, it flows through numerous hydraulic hoses, fittings, motors and valves. Because of the natural resistance to flow in these components, the hydraulic oil heats up. Consequently, the more hoses and fittings, the quicker the oil heats up. This, in turn, means that unnecessary heat gets generated in the system, wasting some of the engine output. Subsequently, less engine power is available to perform the task, resulting in higher fuel consumption.

The Avant Optidrive system has 60 per cent fewer hydraulic fittings with a reduction in T-junction and 90-degree fittings, which are less optimal for hydraulic flow. In addition, mounting valves together reduced the number of hoses required in the circuit by 20 per cent. The amount of flushing oil in the drive motors is five times larger compared to the old system, thereby providing a far better cooling of the drive circuit. All of this combined reduces power loss in the hydraulic system by up to 1.5 kW, equating to ten per cent of the total power used in the drive circuit.

In addition, the Optidrive system also positively affects the balance and weight of the engine and pump assembly on the loader. Compared to the older model 700 series units, the altered weight distribution also led to the development of new engine mounts, resulting in a 50 per cent reduction in the total vibrations.

John agrees, saying the ride in the machine is exceptionally smooth and fuel economy is better than he’d anticipated.

Multi Connector System

The Avant Multi-Connector System comprises hydraulic quick-coupling and electrical multi-connector systems mounted in one block. The hydraulic quick-coupling system allows for fast and straightforward attachment connection, making it possible to switch between attachments in minutes with a single hand movement. The system is also designed to prevent oil spillage, ensuring a safe and clean working environment.

The electrical multi-connector system comprises a set of electrical connections that enable the control of various attachments from within the machine’s cabin. This system eliminates the need for the operator to leave the cab, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency. Furthermore, the electrical multi-connector system ensures the attachments are correctly connected, minimising the risk of operator error and subsequent damage to the equipment.

Including the self-levelling boom as a standard feature on the Avant 745 makes load handling quicker and more precise. Furthermore, the self-levelling system keeps the load automatically level in all positions of the loader boom. In addition, a load sensor is fitted as standard, which provides an audible warning if the rear wheels are about to lift off the ground. This pre-emptive warning gives the operator more time to react in the event of the machine becoming unstable.

John says that one of the standout features of the Avant 745 is its compact size. It’s only 1.3 meters wide and 1.9 meters tall,” John explained. “It easily squeezes through tight spaces around house sites inaccessible to larger machines. In addition, the cabin’s ergonomics are terrific, with great forward visibility. The multi-function joystick is located on the right console and controls the action of the boom and fitted attachment.”

John admits that due to their centre articulation, it took a bit to get used to when he started manoeuvring around in tight spaces. “But now I’ve had a few hours on it, and I can confidently squeeze it down narrow paths and easily manoeuvre it around small garden plants.”

“If there is one improvement I’d like to see on this machine is the addition of a decelerator pedal similar to a bulldozer,” John suggested. “That way, I can set the throttle to around 2000RPM for normal operation, and then when I’m manoeuvring around tight spots or coming up on to pick up a limb, I can cut the engine RPM with decelerator pedal and lift off the hydraulic drive pedal, which will allow for more precise machine control and hopefully save some fuel at the same time.”

Here in Tasmania, the inclusion of the seat heat is one John has been grateful for on frosty autumn mornings.

“Honestly, I’m more than happy with how the Avant 745 has integrated into our operation,” John said. “It’s proving a tremendous business asset.”

The Avant 745 articulated loader has over 150 attachment options and is suitable for various applications, including; civil construction, nursery application and farming.

Specifications:

Model:                                                Avant 745 Arborpro Series

Engine:                                                Kubota V2403

Horsepower:                                       36kW (49 hp)

Fuel:                                                    Diesel

Transmission Drive:                            Hydrostatic

Top Speed:                                          15km/h

Wheels:                                              320/60-12” HD TR

Max Lift Capacity:                              2100kg

Max Lift Height:                                  3000 mm

Tipping Load:                                      1400 kg

Max Breakout Force:                          1700 kg

Turning Radius Inside:                       1240 mm

Turning Radius Outside:                     2780 mm

Hydraulic Oil Cooler:                          Standard

Aux. Hydraulic oil flow pressure:      70l/min 240 bar

Length:                                                3060 mm

Width:                                                 1295 mm

Height:                                                2105 mm

Weight:                                               1850 kg