Gehl Compact Track Loaders
Three Compact Loaders with Tracks from the Agriculture and Compact Construction Equipment Leader
History
Gehl Co. is one of America’s most well known compact equipment companies. Gehl designs, manufactures and distributes a full line of compact construction equipment, as well as agricultural machinery. With roots dating back to 1859, the company has a long history of engineering quality skid steer loaders, telescopic handlers, compact excavators and farming implements. Through its agricultural division, Gehl has been producing implements for nearly 150 years. Today, the company is a leading non- tractor manufacturer of agricultural equipment in North America, offering a broad line of implements for the farm equipment industry — from forage harvesters to manure spreaders. The company also has a rich history in construction equipment as well, introducing one of the first skid steer loader lines in 1969. Today, Gehl and sister company Mustang offer one of the most complete lines of compact construction equipment in the industry.
Products
Gehl’s Compact Track Loaders were introduced in the spring 2002. Today Gehl markets three models — the CTL60, CTL70 and CTL80. All three of these Compact Track Loaders are built through an OEM agreement with Takeuchi Mfg. Co. — the Japanese pioneer of compact track loader technology.
The CTL60 is Gehl’s smallest unit, engineered with a 66-hp, Yanmar diesel engine and 2,315 lbs of operating capacity. The CTL60 is a great machine for getting into more confined applications with its 12.6-in. tracks. Moving up, the middle size Gehl compact track loader is the CTL70 — with its 81-hp, Isuzu, turbocharged diesel engine and 2,976 lbs of load capacity. Add 5,952 lbs of tipping capacity and a bucket breakout force of 7,401 lbs, and the CTL70 is a great tool for general contractors and landscapers (especially crews moving and digging dirt, mulch and gravel). The CTL80 is the biggest Gehl Compact Track Loader, engineered with a 97-hp, Yanmar, turbocharged diesel engine with 7,056 lbs of tipping capacity, 8,692 lbs of bucket breakout force and 18-in. tracks.
Overall, users of these Gehl Compact Track Loaders are largely landscape contractors and some general contractors in commercial and residential building construction. The prime operators capitalize on the better flotation, traction and low ground pressure exerted by the dedicated tracks of the Gehl units. It’s an excellent alternative to the Gehl skid steer loaders when working in the wet spring or fall rainy season.
Gehl’s undercarriage is what’s called a steel-on-steel design. It was designed by decades of track undercarriages utilized on Takeuchi excavators. Gehl says its Compact Track Loaders use a strong steel carriage design, engineered with steel idlers and a high-drive planetary sprocket drive system. The undercarriage has more than 90 degrees of wrap on the track itself, giving better, more thorough engagement and a longer life.
The rollers themselves are steel roller bearings that are run in a continuous oil bath — made for many years of life with minimal maintenance. The carriage is also fully adjustable, like what you would find on many dozer models today. With one small wrench and a grease gun, you can make the proper tensioning adjustment on either side of the undercarriage in a matter of minutes.
All three undercarriages have a standard two-speed drive system utilizing high-torque and radial-piston motors with planetary final drives — this helps to match the application and speed of operations to the task at hand. Elevated planetary final drives also provide efficient and durable transfer of power to the tracks. Each machine responds quickly to rapid stops with spring-applied, hydraulic-release (SAHR), multi-disc wet brakes. Hydraulic self-leveling on every model will help keep loads level whenever the lift arm is raised.
Add that to a host of high-end standard features and these three Gehl Compact Track Loaders are premium units. Each machine comes standard with a large ROPS/FOPS canopy — one of the largest in the industry as far as overall space and visibility for the operator, say company officials. In the cab, operators will find a large, six-way suspension seat with backrest, pilot-joystick controls for easy operation, mirrors, hydraulic leveling, horn and backup alarm — all considered standard equipment right up front.
New for 2005, Gehl will offer optional high-flow hydraulics on its model CTL80 with 39.8 gpm.
Advice to Buyers:
“Seriously review the jobs and the applications that you do with the business that you have,” suggests Kelly Moore, Gehl product manager. “It’s really important to analyze that with the sales person at the dealership. It’s very important, because there are applications where these machines really shine in and there’s some that they do not shine in. When you get into abrasive applications like rocks, debris and those kinds of applications, these machines really shouldn’t be used in those operations. They really need to take a step back, analyze the type of work they’re doing and the fleet of equipment they have.”
Contact Info:
Gehl Co.
P.O. Box 179
143 Water St.
West Bend, WI 53095
Ph: (262) 334-9461
Fax: (262) 338-7517
Web: www.gehl.com
