CASE N Series Loaders/Backhoes Announced
This week, CASE Construction Equipment revealed their new N-series front-end loaders and backhoes, touting them as being Stronger Everywhere. Though the N Series machines are said to be new overall -- a complete redesign of the M Series 3 machines they replace -- the standout features are the boom and hydraulic systems.
The boom on the backhoes are longer, and manufactured to be stronger, increasing breakout force and listing capacity (more on lift capacity later), but most notably, the hydraulic hoses are run inside the boom. Certainly a good choice to protect them in a demolition environment, but I would imagine maintenance would suffer in the case of a hose failure, not to mention the prospects of having to clean out the interior of the boom in order to snake the new hoses through. The rest of the outboard equipment is as high a quality as theyve ever made, and theyve increased the size of the bucket pins to support greater loads.
As for the increased lifting capacity, CASE has introduced a feature theyre calling Power Lift: At the push of a button, the operator can route hydraulic power directly to the boom, allowing the boom to lift larger objects for which youd normally have to call in an excavator. CASE claims that the N Series models can now have boom lifting power equivalent to a five-ton excavator.
For those of you who sit up top and make them work, the new N Series touts increased visibility, a smoother ride, better ventilation, and one of the quietest cabins in the industry.
