Midwest contractor meets the needs of his community by keeping things simple; new CASE CTL simplifies operation and provides greater control.
TV370B CTL Gives Barrett Excavating Full Control
From grading sports fields to performing utility excavation work, Barrett's Excavating (Brazil, Indiana) relies on the CASE TV370B compact track loader for heavy pushing, fine grading and truck loading. The standout feature for Brad Barrett, in addition to the overall power of the machine, is the ability to dial in controls to the job and operator preference.
Barrett’s Excavating of Brazil, Indiana has been in the business for more than 27 years. Brad Barrett started out doing septic work for his father and built up his service offerings over the years to include water, sewer, demolition, grading, site-clearing and more. “My dad was a coal miner,” says Barrett. “I ran the drag line where he worked—when I was 15—and we bought a septic tank truck together and went from there.”
His equipment fleet grew over the years, starting with the septic tank truck, then moving on to a dozer and other equipment for dirt work. “I bought a dozer, and I just kind of added stuff,” he explains. “I did a lot of water utilities for city waters and sewers — a lot of water leaks, sewer line repairs, that kind of stuff.”
“We get stuff done,” he says. “I call back, and we show up when we say. And we work hard to get stuff fixed.”
Barrett has owned CASE skid steers and compact track loaders (CTLs) for years through his long-time partners at Diamond Equipment. As his work varies from truck loading to fine grading, and utility work to heavier earthmoving, Barrett lists the control and responsiveness of his compact track loaders among the most important factors when he’s considering a CTL. We visited Barrett recently while he worked on a new sports field in Clay County, Indiana, with his CASE TV370B CTL.
“We use it for everything,” he says. “We grade rock. We put septic systems in—just move dirt. We even move snow in the winter with it. Some of the newer cabs are a lot warmer than the older ones.”
The TV370B stood out immediately for its long track base, stability and ease of controls.
“It's got to have the long tracks. And it's got to be stable… That's the biggest thing. It can't wander around on you. As soon as I ran this, I was like, ‘I want it,’ it's sold.”
As part of CASE’s next generation B Series, the TV370B CTL is loaded with intuitive features, and with a 3,700-pound rated operating capacity (50 percent tipping load), the 74-horsepower machine provides the durability, strength and lift capacity of a large-frame CTL.
“We really like it. It's strong. Some [CTLs] are really jumpy with the controls. This one's not. And then when you let off the controls, it'll stop. It won't keep carrying. Some of them will just keep going, and they won't stop when you tell them to.”
One of the most important things for Barrett is the responsiveness of the controls. CASE B Series loaders feature new electro-hydraulic controls that allow operators to set total machine responsiveness to low, moderate or aggressive, or independently set tilt, lift and drive speed, as well as loader arm and drive control to best meet the demands of an application. This feature, along with most other core machine functions, is easily controlled using a new eight-inch LCD multi-function display in the cab.
“You want to do fine grading, you can slowly tilt your bucket down just real easy, just go in there, four or five buttons, and you can change it,” says Barrett. “If you're just moving dirt, you can make it quicker, and just load them, so you can change it just with your fingertips.”
Barrett says that these new features make it easier for newer operators to get comfortable with the machine. “If I'm trying to teach [a new operator] to grade, when the bucket's moving real fast, he has trouble with it. So, I can go in and slow that bucket, real slow. That way he can learn at that slower pace.”
“It's more responsive,” he says in closing. “This one right here, you got really good control with it. It's really good.“