Over the last two decades as both a commercial landscaper and structural landscaper I have managed to crank up some pretty substantial hours operating a vast range of machinery. Thinking back to my days (a long time ago) as an apprentice, my memories of machinery are pretty much about skid steers and similar loaders. Therefore, it shows the ease of use, value and flexibility of a mini loader hasn’t changed much over that time.
But as time stands still for no man, the same goes equally for machinery. The Kanga DT835 is a far cry from the mini loaders of years gone by. I’d go as far as saying the DT835 is one of the best skid steers I’ve had the pleasure of operating, and I don’t say that lightly.
From an operator’s perspective here’s what I felt were the main specs and reasons for rating the Kanga so highly. Firstly, stepping onto the operator’s platform, there was a lot of padding, and it felt comfortable. When working at speed, the padding and support were all in the right place. The soft standing position was even further improved by the configuration of the controls. In terms of precision handling and layout, the ‘over the wheel track system’ has been developed to produce a smooth ride. It provides the ground clearance of a wheeled loader and the operation of a track loader possibly one of the best systems I have operated. When moving over undulating ground the loader was seamless versus a dedicated track system, which is a little more unstable due the nature of design with a fixed undercarriage system.
It was very easy to lower two fingers and lift the boom lever, or subtly adjust the grip and tilt the bucket. You could keep a firm grip on the handles while using the level controls at the same time. I applaud Kanga for having a safe levelling feature built into their arm system. Regardless of experience the position is maintained whilst the loader frame is lifting. The operator won’t spill any soil over the loader or themselves, which is a huge advantage.
Power And Ground Speed
Power and ground speed are essential to guarantee a highly productive day or week on a machine like the DT835. The class-leading Kubota 35hp engine will lead from the front from the get-go.
The DT835 is certainly one of the quickest stand-on mini loaders I have operated in its class. It also has amazing breakout force to penetrate hard Australian soils.
The machine is 100 per cent Australian and manufactured in Yatala, Queensland. Not only is it a fantastic product, it’s also keeping jobs in Australia and the economy turning over. Another statistic that I believe is worth mentioning is that the DT835 has the highest ground clearance of a mini loader in its class.
Plenty Of Accessories (70+)
During our testing, we had the 4 in 1 bucket, and in the range of tasks we put the machine through it passed all our tests with flying colours. We had a variety of material on offer to dig around in, including more substantial thick sections of branches and lumber to fully chipper mounds of nice light stuff.
Even when under full load, the machine was very stable, it didn’t want to rock or lean, which comes down to its 360kg safe working load, meaning even at full capacity with the boom at the max height, you can safely step off the back of the machine and walk away with confidence.
The DT835 has exceeded EPA requirements and has managed to reduce emissions by up to 95 per cent. The Kubota 35hp V1505 four-cylinder water-cooled engine contains Kubota’s original Triple Vortez Combustion System with indirect injection (E-TVCS) coupled with Kanga’s predator catalytic converter as standard, which reduces the diesel particulate by up to 90 per cent – great for the environment and operator.
Another considerable feather in the cap of Kanga is offering over 70 attachments in its arsenal, which makes the Kanga DT835 the true Swiss army knife of mini loaders allowing you to smash out most situations quickly and with minimal fuss. From the 4 in 1 bucket we used in our testing to trenchers, augers, bucket broom, forks, rock grab, front hoe and more, you will find the right attachment for the job.
The Wrap-Up
In summary, I couldn’t fault the Kanga DT835. It had everything I was looking for in comfort, power and precision. Features like the self-levelling bucket, auto auxiliary cut-off, long life greasable linkage pins and four enclosed and hi-torque hydraulic wheel motors, the DT835 is more than well equipped to boost productivity and efficiencies.
This Australian made, Australian designed and Australian owned workhorse is also backed by a 2-year/1000 hours Commercial Product Warranty, 2-year unlimited Warranty (diesel) and 3 year unlimited Warranty (petrol).