The equipment industry is still moving notably from traditional skid steers (w/ rubber tires) to rubber-tracked compact track loaders (CTLs). The appeal of compact track loaders is undeniable — lower ground pressure, greater lifting capacities in a comparable footprint, smoother operation over varied terrain — but there are still some applications where skid steers hold an advantage. Dedicated snow removal is one of them.

It’s important to note: if snow removal is a secondary/seasonal job for you, and you’re using CTLs that you deploy for dirt work in the summer for snow work, they’re going to work just fine. But it’s the one thing that makes these machines different that gives skid steers the advantage.

EquipmentWatch awarded the CASE “CX700 Series” excavators with the Lowest Cost of Ownership award in the Large Excavator category as part of its inaugural Lowest Cost of Ownership Awards, announced at Traction 2017. According to EquipmentWatch: The winners in each category “represent the models, within their respective equipment types, with the lowest five year total cost of ownership and were identified using proprietary EquipmentWatch Ownership Cost data.”

The current CASE excavator in the “CX700 Series” is the CX750D, the largest and most powerful machine in the CASE excavator line. Operating at a best-in-class 512 horsepower, the CX750D excavator is available in standard and “mass excavation” configurations. The mass excavation configuration features a shorter boom and arm that allow for greater breakout forces and faster cycle times, and is capable of handling larger buckets for added capacity.