Case Camp: The New N Series Loader Backhoes

Warm reds, oranges and yellows painted the tree line of Wisconsin’s North Woods. After four hours, two flights and an hour drive, I stepped out of the van and onto the camp grounds of Case Construction’s Tomahawk Customer Center. The cool 70-degree weather was a welcome change of pace compared to the unseasonable warmth of the Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio where the Compact Equipment office is located. Sitting on more than 500 acres of white pines, Tomahawk is one of Case’s proving grounds and it was the perfect setting for the launch of Case’s latest machine.

I found my way to my bunk – a quaint room in an old four-bedroom cabin called the A-Frame – and took some time to unwind. It wasn’t my first time at Tomahawk. I had been there twice before, so I knew about the shared bathrooms in the cabins, piles of down-home cooking served up at the lodge and the “raising of the bear.” But this year was different. Energy coursed through the rustic equipment camp. Case brought its heavy hitters: Rob Marringa, Case marketing manager; Brad Stemper, Case training manager and Tier 4 guru; Ion Warner, Case senior director of marketing; and Dennis Zentner, a contractor advisors on the new product and Owner of DRZ Contracting, Delta, British Columbia, were all in attendance. Something big was going to happen.

After quick introductions and dinner, the group of more than 25 editors and media regulars were taken to the brand new product review center. We carefully climbed out of the dark vans and found our way into the barely lit building. The anticipation was high as we were asked to take our seats. The lights went out. Fireworks shot out from behind a classic Case loader backhoe set in the center of a large demonstration quarry. One by one, fireworks exploded throughout the demo area, highlighting Case legacy machines, until a huge ball of fire erupted, announcing the arrival of the Case N Series loader backhoes. The four new models moved to center stage before turning toward us, buckets and booms danced in concert with the massive fireworks display. Another explosion! A ball of fire plumed into the black night. The phrase “N Series” rippled in flames behind the loader backhoe.

Case made it clear that the new N Series loader backhoe was more than just an updated machine. While it might not look different (it’s a loader backhoe – loader in the front, backhoe in the back), the N Series is a complete machine redesign from the ground up. The new Case 580N, 580 Super N, 580 Super N Wide Track and 590 Super N loader backhoes replace the company’s M Series 3 product line. The new machines all feature 4.5-liter, turbocharged engines, ranging from 79 hp in the 580N to 108 hp in the 590SN. And the machines live up to their “Stronger Everywhere” tagline, offering increased backhoe breakout force and lift, as well as loader breakout force, lift and reach.

After the bombastic unveiling, we headed out into the chilly Wisconsin night air to check out the loader backhoes’ new lighting package. Lighting is usually nothing more than a bullet point on a spec sheet, but Case was excited to showcase the feature in a night-time demo. With the standard front lighting of the previous M Series loader backhoes, the mock roadside jobsite was overrun by shadows – hiding the laborers that were spotting for the operators. Without additional light, being a laborer was a dangerous position. With the new lighting package on the N Series loader backhoes, the jobsite was adequately illuminated thanks to a 28 percent increase in lighting performance and the new flexible side lights that offer a 45-degree rotation to light up the areas where spotters commonly reside.

“Another new feature that is a real game-changer on the N Series is Case-exclusive Power Lift,” said Marringa. “Power Lift channels the hydraulic power directly to the boom with the touch of a button. As a result, our backhoe lifting capabilities outperform competitive models by as much as 39 percent – while running at low engine RPMs.”

The Case crew demoed the power lift on a mock jobsite that involved the installation of a septic tank. Without the Power Lift feature engaged, the loader backhoe struggled to get the tank off the ground. With the flip of switch, the backhoe flexed its metal muscle and lifted the heavy tank with ease, placing it in a 6-ft trench and lifting it back out – a feat that was impossible with a competitor machine that Case also demoed for comparison.

The Case N Series also introduced a new transmission family — the Powershift S-Type, Powershift H-Type and Powershuttle options. The two Powershift transmissions (S- and H-Type) include four forward and three reverse gears, while the Powershuttle transmission offers four forward and four reverse gears and a standard kick-down. Essentially, the Powershuttle transmission is most like a standard manual transmission, clutch and all. The Powershift S-type is a semi-hydrostatic drive (there’s no clutch, but you still have to shift gears via a dial on the steering column) and the Powershift H-Type is a hydrostatic transmission that shifts gears automatically. All transmission choices are available on the 580SN, 580SN WT and 590SN. The 580N offers the Powershift S-Type and Powershuttle transmissions.

The N Series writes the latest chapter in the Case loader backhoe history. The birth of the loader backhoe can be reasonably credited to one man, Elton Long, a mechanical engineer who joined Case in 1956 as part of the company’s acquisition of American Tractor Corp. (ATC). At the 1956 Road Show expo, ATC included in its exhibit a Case 300 crawler loader that featured a backhoe attachment. This one-of-a-kind hybrid attracted enough attention that Case decided to produce a combined loader backhoe model. The task fell to Long and his team, whose creation was launched as the Case 320 loader backhoe, with Case shipping the first factory-built unit on Feb. 26, 1957.

“We’ve taken the flagship product of the Case lineup and delivered best-in-class performance from back to front,” said Marringa. “The N Series extends a legacy of loader backhoe leadership that began when Case introduced the industry’s first factory-integrated loader backhoe in 1957.”

The N Series will begin shipping this November.

For additional loader backhoe product specifications, customer testimonials, competitive comparisons, finance offers and more, please visit www.casece.com. And stay tuned for CE’s next Case Camp blog featuring Tier 4 engines.