Innovative Iron Award: Takeuchi’s TL11R3 Compact Track Loader

Compact Equipment’s annual Innovative Iron Awards spotlight the year’s most game-changing compact machines, attachments and technologies. The 2025 class showcases major leaps in electrification, smarter control systems, automation, telematics and operator comfort. From battery-powered loaders and ultra-efficient mini excavators to intelligent hydraulic systems, self-leveling booms and climate-controlled cabs, these award winners reflect how innovation is reshaping performance, safety and sustainability across jobsites. Each honoree delivers measurable improvements — longer runtimes, faster cycles, lower emissions and better visibility — proving that compact equipment is evolving faster than ever. The future of earthmoving is here, and it’s smarter, cleaner and more connected. Here’s one of our 2025 Innovative Iron Award winners. Congrats!

Takeuchi’s Next Big Track Loader

Compact track loaders continue to dominate the American jobsite, and Takeuchi has been helping shape that market since the beginning. At its Media Days in Georgia this summer, the company rolled out its next generation of CTLs — the TL11R3 — a loader built to prove the brand can still set benchmarks after decades of competition. The Georgia sun beat down on Takeuchi’s 37,000-sq-ft Training Center in late July. Dealers and journalists gathered to tour its facilities in Pendergrass, Georgia — the company’s North American home since 1979 — and then climbed into the seat of the TL11R3, which boasted some interesting new tech for the brand.

“This is the first electric over hydraulic machine for us,” explained Takeuchi president Jeff Stewart. “Takeuchi is a brand that’s known for pilot controls, so we had to make sure these electric over hydraulic controls are as good as we can get. [Operators] want to be able to customize everything — when they want it and how they want it — with no exception. Our new EH controls allow that, but that’s just part of the versatility we’ve designed into this machine.”

The TL11R3 is the sixth compact track loader in Takeuchi’s lineup. It’s the company’s first to feature EH controls and the first to incorporate a new undercarriage with double-flanged front and rear idlers. The opportunity to operate this unit in thick, sticky Georgia clay showcased how strong and precise this CTL could perform. From the premium cab experience to automation like ride control and dual self-leveling, the TL11R3 compact track loader is breaking new ground for one of the industry’s oldest CTL brands.

Takeuchi in America

Takeuchi was founded in 1963 in Japan by Akio Takeuchi. The company quickly built a reputation for compact machines that reshaped jobsites. In 1971, Takeuchi released the first 360-degree slew compact excavator. In 1986, it introduced the first compact track loader to North America. Those two machines created markets that still dominate compact equipment sales today. Takeuchi established its U.S. subsidiary in 1979. The brand’s presence in Georgia grew from a small sales office to a sprawling 44-acre campus in Pendergrass. That site now includes the corporate headquarters, a 250,000-sq-ft distribution hub, a 105,000-sq-ft storage facility and the state-of-the-art Training Center.

“When I started, there were 12 people on staff here,” said Stewart. “Today we’re roughly 300 folks.”

The Training Center opened in 2021 (we were there). It hosts technical courses for dealer technicians, sales training for reps and demo sessions for journalists. The building includes classrooms, showrooms and lounges. Behind it sits more than four acres of outdoor demo ground, some of it covered so training can run in any season. In 2022, Takeuchi added its first North American assembly plant in Moore, South Carolina. The 156,000-sq-ft facility builds compact track loaders for U.S. customers. By September 2024, the plant celebrated its 10,000th unit off the line. The plant now employs more than 100 workers and is on track for ISO certification.

“Right now, the majority of our track loaders come out of that facility,” noted Stewart. “We bring them in about 70 percent complete. We tear them down to about 60 percent, then we finish up all of the [assembly] and ship them out of South Carolina. The TL11R3 that you’re looking at today is now coming down that assembly line. I think they’ve rolled 10 off the assembly line already, so we’re starting to ramp that process up.”

Takeuchi has also invested in sustainability. Solar panels now offset most of the power needs at the Georgia and South Carolina sites. LED lighting and efficient systems further reduce energy use. Stewart has made environmental stewardship part of the company’s culture, alongside workforce programs that include second-chance hiring for former inmates and rehabilitation graduates. Takeuchi is a global brand, but its U.S. operations have a distinctly local feel. Employees know the machines, know the customers and take pride in building equipment in the South.

A Walkaround of the TL11R3

The main event in Georgia was the debut of the TL11R3. Dylan Freeman, product manager for Takeuchi-US, walked us through every detail before we hit the demo yard. The TL11R3 weighs 11,650 lbs with a canopy and 11,980 lbs with a cab. Rated operating capacity is 2,735 lbs. Bucket breakout force measures 7,958 lbs. Ground clearance is 12.4 in. Tracks are 17.7 in wide. The loader comes in standard-flow and high-flow versions. Standard auxiliary flow tops at 23.1 gpm. The high-flow model delivers 40.5 gpm at 3,480 psi, enough to run heavy attachments like planers and mulchers. Flow rates and presets are adjustable from inside the cab.

“We also have a 14-pin connector,” said Freeman. “We have a lot more access to our 14-pin connector now that we have switched to EH controls. We have our first auxiliary circuit and our second auxiliary circuit. Those are mapped out to specific buttons. Whenever you plug in with a 14-pin connector, you’ll select the power for the electric. These will then shift those hydraulic buttons to the 14-pin buttons and you’re able, depending on whatever setup you have, to detent any one of those pins.”

The radial-lift design emphasizes breakout force and durability with fewer moving parts. “Radial lift has always been Takeuchi’s bread and butter,” said Freeman. This makes the TL11R3 a dirt and grading machine at heart, though attachments expand its versatility. As mentioned, the undercarriage has been redesigned. Double-flanged front and rear idlers increase stability. Heavy-duty sealed rollers with metal face seals keep out debris. Double-reduction planetary drives deliver torque to the tracks. A one-piece welded steel frame adds strength and rigidity. At the rear, a lockable hood and steel bumper protect the engine. The swing-out cooling module provides easy access for cleaning.

“We have high-capacity cooling,” said Freeman. “Our engine radiator, oil cooler and intercooler are all in one. It’s one of the best in the industry. It keeps our machines very cool. Whenever someone’s running a mulching head or something, you might often see the roof-mounted coolers. We do offer that for extreme environments, south Texas doing heavy-duty mulching multiple hours of the day. Outside of those really extreme moments, we really don’t need an extra cooler.”

Inside the Cab

The TL11R3 cab feels modern but familiar. An 8-in. touchscreen monitor displays vitals, telematics data and camera feeds. Bluetooth radio and HVAC controls are integrated into the monitor. The high-back suspension seat adjusts six ways. Side and rear cameras cover blind spots, with a 270-degree view standard on high-flow models. The rollup front door can remain open during operation, regardless of arm position.

“In case of an emergency, you’re able to open that door and get out if your loader arms are stuck up,” noted Freeman. “If you need to communicate with some other crew members, you’re able to do that. Just operate with the door open.”

The new electric-over-hydraulic controls are the highlight. Operators can toggle between ISO and H patterns instantly. Boom, bucket and travel sensitivity can be tuned from the monitor. Arm height limits and self-leveling functions add precision in confined spaces. The system reduces fatigue and brings customization that pilot controls cannot match. Takeuchi also includes its Fleet Management telematics system for five years. TFM tracks machine health, hours and location. Owners can set geofences, schedule maintenance and run diagnostics remotely.

Takeuchi’s Lineup

The TL11R3 joins five other compact track loaders in the lineup. Models range from the smallest TL6R to the larger TL12V2. Takeuchi offers both radial- and vertical-lift options. High-flow hydraulics are available on all but the TL6R. Takeuchi is equally known for its excavators. The company introduced the first compact excavator to North America in the early 1980s. Today the line includes 19 models, from the 2,535-lb TB210R to the 34,600-lb TB2150. The lineup covers retractable undercarriages, short-tailswing models, FR series units with unique side-to-side booms and next-generation 3 series excavators like the TB370.

The company has also pushed into electrics. The TB20e compact excavator is already available, and two prototypes — the TB10e and TB35e — debuted at bauma 2025. These machines reflect Takeuchi’s effort to balance power and sustainability. Three compact wheel loaders — TW60, TW80 and TW95 — give contractors alternatives for material handling. They offer travel speeds up to 25 mph and high-flow hydraulics. Takeuchi also produces crawler dumpers, niche carriers for challenging terrain. And since 2021, the company has offered a branded attachment line covering buckets, mulchers, blades, tiltrotators and more.

People and Culture

What stood out at Media Days wasn’t just the iron. It was the people. Stewart spoke about second-chance hiring programs. Some employees on the Pendergrass campus are former inmates or rehab graduates who now build machines every day.

“We have a mixed bag of folks here,” said Stewart, “but all of them come together for one thing, and that’s to make our customers, I’m not going to say happy, that’s hard. We’re in the construction business. Engines do two things. They run, and they break. That’s it. So, we do what we can to make people happy, but my folks are really focused on what can we do to make things better.”

Takeuchi also invests in dealer training. Nearly 300 dealer locations across North America depend on the Training Center for technical and sales education. Trainers bring decades of field experience. Courses cover everything from exhaust aftertreatment to advanced telematics. The company culture emphasizes teamwork, service and quality. Stewart’s mantra for 2025 is “make our best better.” That approach was evident in both the TL11R3 design and the employee pride during tours.

Final Thoughts

Takeuchi helped invent the compact equipment markets we cover every day. The compact excavator and compact track loader both started with this brand. That history matters, but it only goes so far in today’s competitive industry. The TL11R3 shows Takeuchi can still push forward. EH controls, a reworked undercarriage, operator-friendly cab and robust specs bring the loader into the next chapter. Running it in Georgia clay confirmed the design changes are more than bullet points. They improve the jobsite experience.

Takeuchi’s North American footprint continues to grow, from the Pendergrass campus to the Moore assembly plant. The company invests in sustainability, workforce programs and dealer support. Its lineup covers excavators, loaders, dumpers and attachments, with electrics on the horizon. Media Days offered more than a machine launch. It showed how a compact equipment pioneer adapts in 2025. The TL11R3 is that marker, showcasing how Takeuchi balances tradition with innovation — and how it plans to stay a player in the crowded compact equipment field.

Keith Gribbins is publisher of Compact Equipment.

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