Case Construction wheel loaders are renowned for their service, reliability and performance. And with an Australian legacy of over 100 years. Machines4U spoke with Simon Leutogi, Case Construction ANZ Marketing Manager, to find out what makes Case wheel loaders so popular.
Case Wheel Loader F-Series Overview
With a spacious cab, impressive all-round visibility and massive torque, the F-series wheel loaders are ideal for a range of applications, including infrastructure, recycling, quarrying and agriculture jobs. From the smaller 521 through to 1121 for big jobs, the F-series offers easy maintenance, high efficiency
Case Wheel Loader Features
There’s a reason Case have become market leaders in wheel loader performance and reliability.
“We have a few unique features on our machines compared to other manufacturers in the market”
says Simon.
These features include a cooling cube design (unique to Case Construction wheel loaders), as well as general ease of maintenance, serviceability, reliability and of course—performance.
Case cooling cube design
Cooling cube design is made up of 5 radiators mounted to form the cube shape, the result is a wheel loader that can go and go and go without overheating.
“Our cooling cube is what we’re known for”
says Simon. “Our cooling packages on all our wheel loaders, from the 521 through to 1121, are in a cube design. So each cooler gets the same amount of airflow over it at any one time.”
This ensures the radiators receive fresh, clean air, which helps maintain constant fluid temperatures and prevents those overheating problems.
“We have a big hydraulic fan that is reversible from inside the cab, but also switches automatically. Around every 7 minutes the fan will reverse the flow of air and blow the coolers out, then reverse itself again.”
Simon says the conventional cooling packages use a stacked system, which can’t always provide the same level of cooling efficiency.
“A stacked cooler is where the radiator, intercooler, oil cooler and air-conditioning condenser are all in line with each other. At some point, a fan will be blocked and not all of them are going to get the same amount of cooling efficiency, which can result in a cooling issue.”
Case has made maintaining their wheel loaders as easy as possible, thanks to their external service points, electric tilting hood and other modifications.
“Everything on our wheel loaders is ground-serviced maintenance, so you can get to everything without having to climb over the machine,” says Simon.
Engine placement
Another major feature for these wheel loaders is the location of the engine.
“Our engine placement is pretty much the only one that does it out on the market,” says Simon.
“The engine and transfer cases are connected via a driveshaft, instead of your general gearbox-to-engine set up. This allows our engine to sit lower within the frame of the machine, backwards and downwards.”
“The transmission sits underneath the cab, yet the engine sits behind the rear axle and then we have the driveshaft that drives the two of them.”
So instead of the engine being placed towards the front of the machine, Case wheel loaders are located further back and closer to the ground.
This engine placement does 2 things:
- Gives you a lower rear hood, which enhances rear visibility, and
- Acts as a second counterweight against the machine, for extra stability and heavy payload
Simon adds,
“So if you put our machine spec-for-spec up against similar weight classes, we normally have a heavier payload. Our wheel loaders can lift more because of the engine’s location.”
“Our engine is designed and manufactured by Fiat Powertrain (FPT), which is the largest engine and drivetrain manufacturer in the world. So there’s the service and reliability that comes along with that.”
Performance
In terms of performance, Case wheel loaders are leaders in the market. This comes down to everything mentioned above, as well as their unique boom designs, each with their advantages.
“We have 2 different boom designs,” Simon explains, “the 521, 621, 721 F wheel loaders have 2 boom/loader frame configurations available. One we class as the XT or ‘tool carrier’, and the other is a Z-bar design.”
“The XT is designed around material handling, normally fitted with a factory quick-hitch, so when you’re using a set of forks you have a clear vision directly through the loader arms.”
“Whereas the Z-bar design is a conventional loader frame, and is more for digging power and breakout force.”
Source: CASE Construction
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