After teasing a prototype CTL/dozer combination called “The Minotaur” (designated DL450) at Conexpo 2017, Case Construction Equipment has returned to the concept, albeit in a video and a new website meant to document its march to market.
The video, the first in a series, is part of a marketing effort designed to generate interest in the unit and buzz for the brand long before the machine becomes commercially available.
In addition to working footage first seen at Conexpo, it shows the prototype chassis and other parts sitting in a plant yard and features a relaxed narration about moving forward from the concept. The lone revelation is that Case has abandoned the radial-lift arm in favor of a vertical-lift arm, allowing more reach for CTL tasks such as truck loading.
The “fully integrated compact dozer/loader” as it was termed during the company’s press event two years ago is not only for dozing, but also for traditional CTL work. And that includes pairing with numerous attachments.
Equipment combinations touted as new machine forms are starting to appear every few years, as are the pre-emptive marketing strikes designed to pique curiosity.
It was John Deere Construction & Forestry that first opened this playbook with many elaborate teases of their quad-tracked dozer/grader combination, the 764 High-Speed Dozer. That machine was introduced to much fanfare at Conexpo 2008.
The 764 did indeed reach the market, but having been launched squarely in the jaws of the Great Recession, it wasn’t long before production was halted.
JCB has combined a skid steer loader/CTL and a telehandler in its Teleskid. This machine is on the market right now, but its penetration and staying power remain to be seen given the company’s dealership coverage in North America. Though it has made strides, the company, and its support mechanism, is far more robust overseas than it is in the U.S.
If the DL450 is released—and there’s no reason to think it won’t be—it may be more successful than these other new machine forms provided Case launches the product during a good economy and leverages its nationwide dealer network.
Until then, we’ll have to make do with the video series and website.
