EquipmentWorld.com | February 2015
29
machine matters
|
by Richard Ries
WHY CTLS
ARE MVPS
Compact track loader sales are
up – way up. Greater appreciation
for their inherent advantages plus
better cost control contribute to
their popularity.
A
ccording to Equipment
Data Associates numbers,
compact track loaders
accounted for roughly 20 percent
of all fi nanced equipment in
2014 by number of units. That's
a huge share. We asked sources
what they thought was driving
these numbers. Did customers
have a newfound appreciation
for the inherent advantages –
greater stability, lower ground
pressure, higher tractive effort
– of CTLs? Had market condi-
tions changed to favor these
machines? And how were cus-
tomers adjusting to the higher
initial costs and higher O&O
costs of CTLs compared to skid
steer loaders and compact wheel
loaders?
What we discovered is that
as a result of the recent soft
economy, successful companies
have become much better at un-
derstanding their needs, fi nding
the right equipment to fi t those
needs, and getting the most
return on that equipment with
high utilization rates and careful
cost control. One result of this
more sophisticated approach to
doing business is that CTLs have
moved into the spotlight.
Case Construction Equipment
The Tier 4 Final TR310 Alpha Series track loader features wider tracks,
a greater overall width and lower ground pressure than other medi-
um-frame CTLs in the Case lineup. Weighing in at 8,800 pounds, the 74-horse-
power machine has 232 foot-pounds of torque and increased hydraulic fl ow.
The EZ-EH setup menu has nine optimal preset speed and control settings.
