Case Construction Equipment Marks 40 Years Making Skid Steers

Case Construction Equipment is celebrating 40 years of manufacturing skid steer loaders. The company began producing skid steers under the Case name in 1969 after acquiring the Uni-Loader line from Universal Industries.

According to Case, in addition to the 40th anniversary milestone, Case is on track to hit another significant milestone in 2009. “Before the end of the year, Case will produce its 250,000th skid steer,” said Jim Hughes, Case brand marketing manager.

For 40 years, construction contractors, landscapers, farmers and others have recognized the value of multi-attachment machines. “In terms of size, performance, productivity, serviceability, operator comfort and control, hydraulics and lift capacity, Case has always pushed the envelope with its skid steer line,” Hughes said. “From the original Case 1530 Uniloader skid steer, to the 1800 Series, the XT Series and the new 400 Series 3, you can track the evolution of features that have put Case skid steers in a class of their own.”

Hughes noted that customers operating current-model Case skid steers will still find the trademark maneuverability that allows the machines to counter rotate. “But today’s Case skid steers include operator comforts – suspension seats, heated and air conditioned cabs, radios with an MP3 port – and productivity features like pilot controls, hydraulic couplers and high flow hydraulics that operators in 1969 couldn’t even begin to imagine,” Hughes said.

Case 400 Series 3 skid steers feature radial- and vertical-lift configurations for greater versatility, redesigned cabs offering more room and better visibility, and superior serviceability for increased uptime. To further boost production on job sites, more than 75 compatible attachments are available for Case skid steers.

Among other features, Case 400 Series 3 skid steers are available with temperature-controlled cabs, hydraulic quick couplers that can be used for the quick exchange of attachments, and Ride Control for maximum load retention and more comfortable operation.

Source: Case Construction Equipment

Case Upgrades Its Largest Excavator Model CX800 For Increases in Fuel Efficiency

Case Construction Equipment has announced the upgrade of its largest excavator – the CX800B – to its B Series line of excavators. The new CX800B features increases in fuel efficiency and productivity, as well as improved operator comfort and ease of maintenance.

The excavator also features an electronically controlled, common rail Tier 3-certified 15.7L Isuzu engine which delivers 532 net hp (397 kW).

The CX800B is available in standard and mass excavation configurations, making it ideally suited for a variety of quarry, road and bridge and other applications requiring heavy muscle and long reach.

The common rail fuel injection system, combined with the redesigned hydraulic system, delivers increased fuel efficiency over the previous model.
“The CX800B delivers increased fuel efficiency and productivity, which results in more cubic yards of material per gallon of fuel,” said Mitchell Blake, Case brand marketing manager.

"Our first customer is operating the CX800B three shifts a day in a mining operation," Blake said. "In December, they ran the machine for more than 600 hours. The foreman's not only amazed at its productivity, but also at the fuel efficiency. He said that, compared to a competitive excavator model, the CX800B will save more than $100,000 a year in fuel."

Source: Case Construction Equipment

RESOURCES

• Case Construction Equipment Homepage
• Case Excavators on the Case Construction Equipment Homepage
• Case Equipment on Equipment Trader
• Case Earthmoving Equipment on Equipment Trader

Caterpillar Forest Products Announces Cab Updates On The Track Feller Buncher Line

Cat Forest Products recently announced updates to the cab on the track feller buncher line, including the Cat 511, 521, 522, 532, 541, 551, and 552. The changes improve operator comfort and safety and machine durability.

According to Caterpillar, changes include a full-size sliding window on the left side of the cab allows more fresh air into the cab, an escape hatch above the operator’s head has a new quick release latch system to allow fast exit in an emergency (the operator just grabs and flips the latch to pop the escape hatch open), and window mounting brackets and hardware have been strengthened to prevent damage from falling debris, and the design simplified to eliminate potential leaks into the cab.

Source: Caterpillar

LBX Introduces the New Link-Belt 240 X2 Materal Handler

LBX recently announced the availability of the new Link-Belt 240 X2 Material Handler for specialty applications such as: scrap/material-handling, demolition, waste transfer and site prep.

With the option of linkage- or gooseneck-style attachments, this machine can be equipped with a variety of tools like dangling magnets and orange-peel grapples for scrap yards, trash grapples for construction and demolition debris, buckets for handling material fi nes, or shears and processors to handle tougher tasks.

Operators will have excellent visibility into truck bodies or containers such as rail cars with a cab that raises hydraulically to a full height of 18-feet 2-inches while still allowing for easy transport from job-to-job with a weight of approximately 70,000 lbs.

An optional cab anti-interference device is available to prevent the attachment tool from damaging the cab when it’s positioned at its furthermost point, and an operator protective guard is standard on the front of the cab. To also help prevent damage in harsh applications, the 240 has thick upper belly pans.

Source: LBX