New machine combines dozer, loader - SwiftBright Ventures Group Co.,Ltd

Case Construction creates a new two-in-one — the Minotaur — offering a new kind of diversity.

August 17, 2022

Equipment engineers are constantly looking for new ways to work more efficiently and provide innovation to the market. A source for those ideas is talking with customers, and for Case Construction those conversations have yielded something entirely new — a first ever combo dozer-loader, the Minotaur DL550.

"This is truly a dozer first," says Terry Dolan, vice president, North America, Case Construction Equipment. He adds that the operator needs to get in and experience this machine, which comes with an integrated C-frame (a must for dozer work) and the ability to work as a track loader.

Adds Dolan: "A ton of innovation went into this, with years of testing, innovation and reinnovation. This is the next innovation in the construction equipment industry."

With 29 patents and more than 10,000 hours of field testing, the machine comes with high-flow hydraulics as standard, it uses the universal Case control, can be outfitted with rubber or metal tracks and can work with hundreds of loader attachments.

But as stated a few times during a virtual launch, this machine has the heart of a dozer — and that integrated C-frame is key. When mated to the six-way blade, this works as a dozer. The C-frame can easily be removed with the blade, turning the machine into a track loader capable of using hundreds of Case-friendly attachments.

The virtual event was broadcast from the Case CE Tomahawk Customer Center in Tomahawk, Wis., which includes a museum. Jeff Jacobsmeyer, product manager, offered a little history. He noted that 65 years ago, Elton Long, working in Burlington, Iowa, developed the first fully integrated backhoe designed to "reduce costs, increase productivity and handle more work with less equipment. Now 65 years later, we have the DL550."

The DL550, which carries the Minotaur brand name — a rarity in the construction industry — is a first. A single machine can do initial job site preparation, including use of an optional integrated ripper. The six-way blade allows for prep to do finish work, too — then a transition to the loader where a 1¼-yard bucket can help remove material from the site.

"This machine can be moved with a 1-ton truck using a heavy-duty trailer," Jacobsmeyer says. "That lowers transport costs between jobs and can replace numerous pieces of equipment on a job site."

Farmers may find the two-in-one machine valuable, too, when it comes to land leveling, while still having the capability of moving material like a conventional loader.

As for that optional ripper? It's a versatile addition to the machine, but buyers have to think ahead. He explains that the ripper has to be installed at the factory and is not offered as a field installation. In fact, a machine without the ripper has a different frame design.

Jacobsmeyer is a proponent of that optional ripper: "If it ain't got a ripper it ain't a Minotaur," he jokes. "It provides weight balance to provide optimum performance for dozer-and-loader mode."

The machine operates like a dozer, including a virtual 16-speed transmission experienced dozer users will find familiar. Power comes from a 114-hp, Tier 4 engine. For tracks, buyers can select rubber or steel. "The rubber tracks feature dual-flange front and rear idlers," Jacobsmeyer says. "They’re for landscapers that want to protect hard surfaces."

There are two steel track choices: a 14-inch-wide track with a single grouser design and an 18-inch track with three times the grousers for better flotation. The machine shares a lot of parts with the Case 650M dozer line.

The standard high-flow hydraulics deliver flow of 41.6 gpm, with pressure up to 4,600 psi. That allows the loader to use cold planers or mulch heads. "We wanted to give customers want they wanted," Jacobsmeyer says. "They can drop the dozer blade and C-frame, then take an attachment they already own to go to work."

Laser leveling is popular with dozers these days, and the Minotaur can work with the three major systems — Leica, Topcon and Trimble. You can learn more about this unique machine by visiting casece.com/minotaur.

Willie Vogt

Executive Director, Content and User Engagement, Farm Progress