CASE Construction Equipment introduces the DL450 compact dozer loader – AKA “Project Minotaur” – a first-of-its-kind fully integrated design that matches the best operating characteristics of a compact track loader (CTL) with a crawler dozer. A launch/production date for the machine has not been confirmed, but CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 represents a new and advanced phase in product development with extensive voice of customer work being conducted at the show and with top contractors.
With more than 30 new patents pending, the DL450 provides the power and performance of a small dozer in a platform that also serves as a loader and runs all of the attachments that a contractor currently owns for his or her skid steers and compact track loaders. The core feature of the DL450 is a C-Frame dozer interface that pins directly into the chassis of the machine. This provides the stability and smooth operating plane of a CTL, and ensures 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 any other attachment, allowing the machine to perform like a standard CTL.
