Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/816045
April 2017 | EquipmentWorld.com 18 ConExpo | continued Case unveils half dozer, half CTL concept DL450 as "Compact Dozer Loader" T eased prior to ConExpo as "Project Minotaur," Case Construction Equipment's DL450 is billed as a "compact dozer loader" that combines a compact track loader (CTL) with a dozer. Case used ConExpo to get contractor feed- back on the concept machine. "We didn't want to just create a reaction," says Scott Harris, vice president, North America, Case Construction Equipment. "Instead, ours is a practical revolution of two product lines." Case says it has more than 30 patents pending on the DL450, which was named after the company's former 450 dozer. The core feature of the DL450 is a C-Frame dozer interface that pins directly into the machine chassis. Case says it provides the stability and smooth operating plane of a CTL, ensuring that all operating power and stresses are channeled through the machine's chassis and not its loader arms. The C-frame can then be unpinned from the chassis and disconnected like an attachment, allowing the machine to perform as a standard CTL. The unit uses skid-steer and CTL attachments. "This could also be a transformative piece of equipment for landscapers looking to add greater power to their operations" and who may have previously considered buying a small dozer, Harris says. Other possible takers for the DL450 include residential and commercial contractors looking for additional versatility in one machine, he says. The concept machine has an anticipated drawbar pull of around 21,000 pounds. The main body was created from the base frame of a vertical-lift Case TV380 CTL. Case then married the base frame with the radial-lift loader arm design similar to that of the former 465 skid steer. Forward and reverse travel and steering are controlled by the left hand, and boom and bucket controls are manipulated with the right hand. The right-hand controls also operate the lift, angle and tilt of the six-way blade. The undercarriage features steel tracks and grousers, a fifth roller for better traction and greater ground clearance to reduce the likelihood of drag. The DL450 also includes a rear, integrated ripper. – Marcia Doyle Cat: Connected assets will drive machine advances C aterpillar says it's betting on the huge opportunities it sees beyond the iron. "Instead of Cat being a brand on the jobsite, we're pushing to make Cat the jobsite brand," says Paolo Fellin, Cat vice president of global construction and infrastructure. The company will use its Cat Connect Services suite of technologies to push this concept forward, all enabled by the telematics that are part-and-parcel of today's ma- chines, no matter the brand. With telematics, Cat and its competitors continue to gain detailed analytics of exactly when, how hard and where its machines are used. At the show, the company launched Cat Connect Pro- ductivity Services, which will give users such new services as utilization reporting, geospatial mapping created by unmanned aerial vehicle (drones) surveys and benchmark assessments. Cat says it's using telematics information to design machines to fit specific applications, including the 950GC, a lower-cost, lower-spec wheel loader it introduced at the show. The use of telematics data is a key part of Cat's overall digital thrust. Cat has begun partnering with universities and tech companies such as Airware, busybusy, Mine- sense (which uses sensors to determine the composition of the material in the bucket) and Sarcos to stay ahead of the curve. While Cat will continue to drive value around its machines, it sees the technology surrounding the products as the real growth driver, with the capability of adding 10 to 15 percent more productivity and efficiency per year. – Marcia Doyle