At 90 horsepower, the Case Construction Equipment TV450B is the company’s largest compact track loader. The vertical-lift unit was introduced at World of Concrete 2020 and features major in-cab updates from the previous Alpha Series. They include an 8-inch multifunction LCD screen, a rearview camera, and speed- and response-selectable electro-hydraulic, or E-H, controls.
Construction Equipment secured a unit from Case for the independent operators from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 to put through its paces in one of our exclusive Field Tests.
Read the full report here.
Operator/instructor Brian Russell and third-year apprentice Bakarie Wilks simulated coring out a sidewalk, constructing a building pad, and loading a tandem dump truck with both CA6 gravel and a healthy pile of January snow. All through the tests, the operators focused on the performance and feel of the three main control settings: Low, Medium, and High. The operators experimented with the machine’s controls on the 8-inch color LCD screen.
They also had the ability to customize speed and response in various categories. The settings can be saved and recalled for each operator. Wilks and Russell were largely impressed. Both operators liked the TV450B’s rearview camera, especially during truck-loading cycles and around obstacles.
Case has implemented a split-screen feature in which the operator can leave the camera view on full-time, with gauges and other parameters still displayed below the feed. Otherwise, the camera can be set to go on only when the machine is in reverse. The LCD display’s brightness can be also adjusted for various lighting conditions. Much like the machine’s control settings, individual operator preferences on the camera will rule the day.
In all, the Local 150 operators gave the machine’s responsiveness, power, visibility, and ergonomics high marks, with only minor suggestions for improvement.
