Gehl R135 GEN:2

Small, light and deliberately simple is the whole proposition. Buyers land here when the binding constraint is the trailer behind the truck rather than the pile in front of the bucket, and at 5,255 lbs it clears that constraint comfortably where the tracked machine of the same rating does not.

Mechanically it is about as uncomplicated as a modern skid steer gets: a 46 hp Yanmar with its torque peak low in the rev range, 17 gpm of auxiliary flow, radial arms, a 110-inch hinge pin and 8 mph of travel. The quiet surprise is that it is faster than its tracked sibling, which runs at 6 mph, so the wheeled machine wins on both weight and site mobility. The limits are equally plain - no high-flow option, no two-speed, and a rating measured at 50 percent of tipping load, which means the 1,350 lbs on the decal is a less conservative number than the identical figure on the tracked RT135.

It earns its place on a farm, a small landscape operation or any job where towing capacity and simplicity outrank raw capability. It is the wrong choice if flow-hungry attachments are anywhere in the plan. Gehl publishes no price, so quote it as both a Gehl and a Manitou 1350R NXT:2. Before signing, check the counterweight is included if you need the 1,499 lb figure, confirm what the nearest dealer stocks, and compare tipping loads rather than rated capacities when shopping it against other brands.