They Told me to shut off my Camera...after I filmed their crash

You can tell a lot about a company just within the first few minutes of when initially walking into a booth. Are they excited about their own product? Or is getting information like trying to pull teeth from them? And I've walked into thousands of different booths, attended countless trade shows, and I can tell you there's a lot more times where it's like pulling teeth trying to get information from a company than it is they are pumped about their own product. Here's two examples of exactly what I'm talking about, but these are not unique. These are just two examples from one day at Conexpo. Which what? What kind of components? >> I don't want to take the camera. Okay, so who will who can talk to me? Who [music] can tell me about this piece of equipment? Maybe you can look that by yourself. You want me to look at your equipment by myself and explain it. I've never seen your equipment before in my life. Uh that's okay. I can I can open it. I can open it something. But I don't want to take camera. Any of you guys speak English? English? Can you tell me what the engine what the drive line what the components of the piece of equipment are in here so I can bring this to my audience so they can know more about Lonking? Okay, you can? Navey doesn't want to do it. No, he said he will do that. He will do that. He just said he wouldn't do it. No, I I I don't I I don't want to take it myself. And here's example number two. Oh, yeah. Electric brakes on this This is an LG MG just released on its own. Crunch, uh crunch. LG MG is the same as SDLG, which is my cheap Chinesium loader that's for sale. Now, the microphone didn't pick it up very well, and he didn't speak very good English, but as he's pushing on my back, he's telling me to turn off my camera and leave. You can't make me turn off my camera. You can try, but you can't make me. I'll tell you a little bit more about what happened with that big truck at the end of the video, but what I do want to tell you about is the booth that I walked into today and how it felt completely different. Okay, but last but not least, >> Yes. you guys have a tree eater. Yes, we do. Can we go see Absolutely. All right, let's go look at the tree eater. You coming with Silent John? It It felt like these people there was just something unique about this entire operation from top to bottom. >> [snorts] >> And so, what turned out to be was me just looking to see what was going on inside of this booth turned out to be an entire video in and of itself just because of the feel from that initial encounter. So, here you go. Let's check out this cool new machine. They got something I've never seen before, and then let's just learn a little bit about this company in general because it does really feel different than a lot of companies that I've talked and walked with and gone into their booths at trade shows before. So, let's check this one out. Get in here, Rick. All right, guys. I'm in the Merlo booth. Where's Merlo made? Merlo is made in Italy, Cuneo, Italy. Cuneo, Italy. And Merlo's best known for what? Their telehandlers. Telehandlers is kind of like your bread and butter, what you know. >> Absolutely. But now, you guys have made something brand spanking new to the American market. It's like a tractor and a telehandler made a baby. >> Yes, so we have a machine that's unique to the Merlo brand. Okay. >> Um we were the first one to come out with it. It's called the Multifarmer. Okay. Multifarmer. It has the um all the functionalities of a telehandler in the front with the capability of a tractor in the back. Let's go. >> With the three-point hitch. Let's go check it out. Okay, so as we look, these are kind of like your bread and butter sweet spot machines right here, right? >> Yes, we have all different types of ranges, different types of weight capacities, and reach for the But now, this is the one that's unique that you guys have created. It is. So, this machine gives you a lot of flexibility because like I mentioned, not only do you have the telehandler functionality in the front, but you also have the capabilities of a tractor in the back with the three-point hitch. And what that does it is it it allows our customer to get rid of a lot of machines that they don't need. They can do all the jobs on the on the site with one machine. I I mean, I look at this thing and my mouth drools a little bit. I mean, as a on a from a a basis of you know, running a farm, I could see where this would be phenomenal. But as a snow plow operator as well, I'm looking at this going, "How do I How do I justify buying myself a brand new toy, right?" >> Yeah, absolutely. It's It all comes down to like I said, the flexibility, the amount of attachments that we have. Um these things are uh you know, we we tout one machine, many jobs, and this a bit of my experience. But now, something that's unique about the Merlo is the cabs. Yes. So, the cab is interesting because the cab is exact same layout on every machine that we have. So, if an operator knows how to operate one machine, he can also operate all the other machines that we have. And this is it right here. This is it right here. You have a lot of room in there. All the the controls are ergonomically strategically located. Um you got all your controls. You have the the screen over here that communicates the status of the machine and the loads to the operator. And you have your joystick on the right, which has a capacitive um feel to it, which just basically means that the hydraulic functionalities will not engage unless the joystick senses the operator's hand on it. >> But now, as we look at this one, this is a tool carrier. This machine right here is a tool carrier. So, >> machine It's not necessarily officially the tool carrier is more of what we refer to as our forestry machine. Okay. So, this machine is more of a a multiple machine. That's why we call it a Multifarmer. But now, when I when I refer to a tool carrier, what I'm actually thinking of is you have this machine set up so if you put a bucket on it, it will automatically calibrate the machine without the operator doing anything That's correct. for the right weight so that it's going not going to make a guy go tipsy-turvy on you. Or if you put any kind of attachment on it, it automatically sets it up for you as an operator. >> That is correct. So, we have a feature that's called attachment recognition system. And what that does is when you put a Merlo attachment to the machine, it works in conjunction, and it automatically updates all the parameters of the machine so that the operator doesn't have to do anything at all. The machine automatically updates everything it needs to update. And so, as we look at this cab, we're not going to see anything different than the cab we seen down below. >> It's going to be the exact same as far as controls and design. Some operations may vary due to different types of attachments that we have. We have well over 100 attachments that you can use on your machines. So, there are some very minor variations, but in general, everything works the same way. But now, this machine here does have something different than this machine right here. I mean, this machine has a unique feature where the entire frame of the machine, if you're off by 6 in or 8 in, instead of forcing you to back up and readjust the entire machine, the entire frame will slide over allowing the operator to be kind of off when his you know, if if his depth perception and he's trying to reach up 30, 40 ft up there, Correct. he can do it. Yes, so that's what we call our side shift feature, which basically allow There's a 7° um shift at the pivot point. And what that does is when even when the boom is fully extended, it gives the operator about 3 to 4 ft of play. So, you're right. They don't have to move the machine back and forth. They have that flexibility to uh to operate their load without moving the machine. Where can we see that? Uh it's kind of hard to show because it's underneath the cab. Okay. >> The turret function, uh the design itself. But um It's on the back side of the front axle. Yeah, it's kind of hard to get to at this point. It's on the top of the axle. It's Actually, this one is on the outside here. So, am I just going to have to take your word for it, you guys? No, I I will We can show you on a different machine that would be able to illustrate that a little better. This one here you may not be able to see it very well. You got a cylinder right here mounted to your axle, and then the other half of the cylinder is on the frame. So, the whole the frame moves, your axle stays still. All right, guys. This is Silent John. I told him he's not allowed on camera because he doesn't have enough volume to speak, but he is supposedly one of the best experts in He sure is. in the in the company. So, thanks for jump jumping in, Silent John. All right. Um is there anything else we should know about this rig before I let you guys get back to your >> I think you know, the biggest thing that that I can say is we're you know, we're we're growing fast, and we're getting our name out there. We have all kinds of solutions no matter what the application requires. We have a solution for the end user. >> And sometimes it's the little tweaks like when um we're looking at a uh machine like this, you guys have the cab so that the cab can rotate up so that the operator gets a better visual point of view for whatever work is going on above. Absolutely. So when they get done at the end of the day, they're they're not they don't have the hunchback. >> from an ergonomic standpoint, right? It's that's exactly what it is. It's just basically designing the machine around the operator and not the other way around. Okay, but last but not least >> Yes. you guys have a tree eater. Yes, we do. Can we go see that? >> Absolutely. All right, let's go look at the tree eater. You coming with Silent John? Do I go now? Are you excited? Are you coming with? >> Yes, absolutely. All right. So this is brand new this year. So it's relatively new. It's been around um in Europe and other markets for a few years now, but um relatively new to the US market. And this is what we call our tool carrier. And so >> Okay, so this is the tool carrier. >> This is the tool carrier, yes. It's not just a forestry machine because it can actually operate in different applications. So the great thing about this machine is, you know, you can put all different types of mulch heads, you can put all different types of cutters on this thing, you can put a snowblower on this thing, and just tear up whatever it is that you need to tear up, right? The auxiliary hydraulic flow is 75 gallons per minute, which is excellent. >> was. That's insane. That's not excellent. That's That's amazing. >> a beast. And this is actually uh the smaller of the two models that we offer. We offer an MM 350X, which is a 300 almost a 350 horsepower machine. And the gallons per minute hydraulic flow on that one is 110 gallons per minute. So it's it's incredible. But now this machine, John, you were saying is uh already been in service for 25 years. >> using them in Europe 25 years. It's just new to our market. Okay, so there's if for you guys that are looking at this, if you're anything like me, I don't like the first year anything's ever come out. I'm not going to buy it. I'm going to let everybody else experience be the guinea be the guinea pig. >> Sure. So there's no guinea pig about this is it? >> There's no guinea pig. This thing is tried and true. It's been around for a long time. The only thing it's it's new to our market, but it's not a new piece of equipment. >> Now Merlo comes from where? Italy. Okay. How are parts in America? Excellent. We have a parts warehouse where our you are US operations reside out of Rock Hill, South Carolina. So we can overnight parts to anywhere around the country, and if we don't have that part, we can overnight it from Italy. Where um where would you guys find out more information on these? You can go to merlous.com. Uh look us up online. We're on all over social media. Okay. >> And um yeah, you can contact us any way possible. Reach out to our regional sales managers, call the office, look us up. We're happy to talk to anybody at any point in time. >> Is there different warranties for different pieces of equipment here? There are, yes. So most of our telehandlers have a 2,000 um 2,000 hour 2-year warranty. Our tool carrier actually has a 1-year 1,000 hour warranty. >> I was going to assume cuz that thing is going in some of the nastiest conditions absolutely possible. >> That thing is going to go do some damage. Yeah, no doubt. >> What is a price point on this unit right here? So there's a lot of variations when it comes to pricing, but um list this one goes for roughly around 450,000. Okay, so what do we call the tractor that married a telehandler machine over there? What is that one called? >> The multi-farmer. What is the price point on the multi-farmer? >> That one I believe ranges between 250 to 300,000 if I'm not mistaken. I don't have all the pricing memorized just yet, but I'm working on it. How How is your dealer distribution network across the the United States? Yeah, so that's something that we're working on growing our our dealer network now. Um we have signed on, I believe, a dozen dealers or so, and we have a few more lined up for 2026 to sign on board, but we do have coverage nationwide 100%. >> Okay, so you have coverage nationwide? So approximately how many dealers do you have nationwide? Any clue? Dealers or dealer branches? Okay, either one either one cuz that's the same and different. So I think we have close to 16 dealers all together. And then each dealer has, depending on the dealer size, anywhere from one, two to seven or eight different branches throughout the country. Okay, okay, but so I just want to make sure these guys are covered uh because that's a big thing with equipment that you're not familiar with. Exactly. >> Parts availability can make or break it, and you've got to have parts availability Yes. um because that that says that's the entire story right there. That's what it comes down to because, you know, everybody's got a product. At the end of the day, we have everybody wants a piece of the pie. Everybody's got a machine out there, right? So what differentiates you at the end of the day is the parts availability, is the support, is the trust, and the relationships that you build. If you can prove to the customer you can take care of them. That's your differentiator. Sounds good. All right. What's your website one last time? It is www.merlous.com. All right, guys. I'm going to jump in here cuz I did promise you I'd tell you a little bit more about what happened with that big material handling truck, and the story is pretty simple. The brakes released on it, and it just slowly rolled forward, and it kissed that lift in front of it. Nobody was hurt. It was no big deal. I've seen a lot worse stuff happen at trade shows with equipment malfunctions. And how the company responds goes a long way. You know, we're all just human. We do the best we can with the equipment we've got, and sometimes it works perfect, and sometimes it works a lot less than perfect. And how you respond to that is kind of an indicator of the character of of the the organization of what they're dealing with internally, the pressures that they face, and do they got to be perfect, or can they actually just be human? And uh it's it it goes a long way to to show you what goes on uh with the expectations of the company. And these guys from this company, they just were like, "Turn off your camera. TURN OFF YOUR CAMERA. LEAVE. YOU must go." And it's like I the microphone didn't pick it up, but it was one of those things where it's like, "Mhm." Just gave you that taste in your mouth of well, what's going on behind the scenes in this company, and what are their expectations? And who do you want to actually work with? But the guys from the Merlo company, I actually got a completely different feel from them. Just I ended up hanging out there for almost an hour. My buddy Mark from Homestead Garage came over, and he hung out, too. I mean, it just was It was one of those deals where you you you went in with the intention of just looking around real quick, and then an hour later you're finally walking out. And I hope that feeling kind of came through for you guys, but uh let me know what you think of of that brand in the comments down below, and and of a video like this. Do you like these things? You know, cuz I got a lot more. And one of the things I do want to do for you guys is I went through and I filmed all of the Chinese stuff out there because I had a feeling that probably nobody else would do that for you guys because a lot of the content creators will only focus on who they're getting paid by to showcase off in a in a trade show, and not try to bring you all of the information so that you guys can make the best decisions possible. So I went through and I found all these Chinese companies, and I tried to compare them all, and try to ask them questions, and get a feel for it, and uh if you want to see something like that, let me know. I mean, I don't know how much Chinese iron interests you guys, but you know, I have the SDLG loader, and it's been a a pretty phenomenal piece of equipment, but my dealer support in my local area just has disappeared. So I'm going to sell my my uh SDLG. Not because of any other reason, it's just because I my the guy that the company that was taking care of me for service and support and tools and everything else is no longer around, so it's time for me to move on from that piece of equipment. Um but let me know if something like that a video like that would interest you because I'll tell you what, you can get some of these cheaper Chinesium iron for 60% on the dollar from what uh the name brand is, and a lot of times these things are made right next to each other, you guys, like down the street in the same place of origin as the big name brand equipment. It's insane. So And a lot of things that you don't know is like different grade There's different You can order different grades of Chinese equipment. You can order A grade, B grade, C grade, etc., etc. So uh it's almost like ordering off a menu. You want the best flavor, or do you want the the little the the fill your hole and form a turd flavor kind of food, right? But that's it for this video. Um hope you guys pulled something interesting out of it, and I'll catch you guys on another one. God bless, and go get them, you guys. We'll see you later.