Case Delivers First 50 Armored Backhoes to U.S. Army

Most construction projects require stalwart machines, but reconstructing an entire country’s post-war infrastructure takes an elite piece of equipment. When it comes to engineering the proper tools for extreme construction, Case makes its rough and ready armored backhoe loaders. In fact, the company just produced the first of 50 armored backhoe loaders (BHLs) for the U.S. Army as part of a five-year contract awarded to Case for a total of 626 Case backhoe loaders.

“The Case armored and non-armored backhoe loaders are built to U.S. military specifications and are designed to provide the men and women in the U.S. armed forces with a safe, productive working environment,” said Jim Hasler, vice president of Case Construction Equipment. “The U.S. Army chose Case for this contract based on our ability to support equipment with parts and technical service wherever our soldiers are serving around the globe, technical performance and reliability of our machines and our past performance in supporting other military contracts.”

Manufactured at the Case plant in Burlington, Iowa, these 50 units were deployed in October to Southwest Asia to support military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Another 150 non-armored Case backhoe loaders for the U.S. Army were also in production in Burlington to meet delivery requirements stateside in November.

These units have a unique design. Exterior cab panels on the Case BHLs are interchangeable to match any threat environment, enabling the machines to quickly transform from standard to fully-armored configuration. Designed for enhanced operability and survivability, the spacious cab stays cool in the hottest climates. The eyes on this machine are also amazing. The cab features the Visibility Improvement Package, which includes four external cameras and three internal monitors that provide ground level vision to the entire work area from the protected cab, without exposing the operator to danger.

Case is the first construction equipment manufacturer to incorporate armor into equipment during production and the first to install a camera system on a machine during production, according to the company. In the past four years, Case has earned military contracts for more than 5,000 skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, wheel loaders, loader backhoes and forklifts. Overall, Case has provided service to the U.S. military for more than 150 years.