Toro unveils ‘first of its kind’ Dingo TXL 2000, a stand-on loader with extendable arms

Telescoping arms with a wide reach and a doubled load capacity are key features of Toro’s new Dingo TXL 2000, which is in development.

A new compact utility loader in development by Toro was the talk of the American Rental Association show in New Orleans, with passers-by eying the long reach of the vertical telescoping loader arms on the Dingo TXL 2000.

The gleaming red prototype represented this model’s debut, and plenty of dealers and contractors got a peek of what’s to come with this machine, which is the first of its kind, according to Toro.

“This machine won’t be out until the late part of 2018, and why we’re introducing it here is because it’s our 20-year anniversary of the Dingo product line,” Kevin Conry, senior marketing manager at Toro Siteworks in Bloomington, Minnesota, had explained during the show held February 19-21.

“We want to unveil it here and start creating a buzz, or a conversation, around how this machine will be used,” according to Conry in an interview with Equipment World.

“It’s brand new, and like our other Dingo lines, it’s going to be a stand-on compact tracked loader that is able to do multiple applications from buckets to forks to grapples, so it can carry things, lift things,” he says. “And the extra special feature of it: it can telescope up. So, fully extended, it’s going to have a hinge pin roughly at 10 feet up in the air.”

Conroy says this gives users the ability to lift and dump material into the center of a dump truck, a function that can pose difficulties when using a standard compact track loader, which can only get the material over the side. With the TXL 2000, users will be able to backfill hard-to-reach areas like the far side of a retaining wall, Conry points out.

This versatility and the ability to streamline operations on the jobsite can be especially useful in instances where extended reach is important to operator safety. For example, the telescoping arms allow operators to load and unload materials from either side of a flatbed.

Conry notes, for example, that you can use the longer reach to more unload a flatbed trailer full of pallets of sod or pavers from one side. Usually two pallets are on a flatbed, and with the new Dingo’s long reach, you can take them both off from one side and avoid going into the road. That brings a safety advantage as well as quicker, easier work if you don’t have to drive around both sides of your flatbed, he says.

The new Dingo has not only a wider reach as well as increased load capacity, Conry says. The existing Dingo TX 1000 model is rated at 1,000 pounds. The new TXL 2000 will be rated, when it’s not telescoping, at 2000 pounds, Conry says.

“Bigger jobs don’t need bigger equipment,” he says. “This can do it all.”

 

The ‘first of its kind’

The new machine is aimed for rental dealers as well as landscape and construction contractors. Potential customers were mulling at the show how they’d use the new Dingo.

“There’s a lot of interest,” Conry says. “This is something they’ve never seen as far as its telescoping. This is the first of it’s kind.”

“It’s getting to be like a skid steer with a cabin cage, but here,” Conry says, pointing at the platform at the rear of the machine, “you’re standing on it.”

While some might question why they would want to stand all day, the benefits include enhanced safety with the ability to mount and dismount easily – as well as not needing a spotter.

“In the traditional skid steer, you’re going to sit in a cage, a cab, and it’s not easy to get out.” And if you’re staying in the same job all day, you might want to stay seated. But this machine, Conry explains, is more for contractors and landscapers who are building up walls, moving things, getting on and off frequently.

“You’re not strapping in,” he says. “You can see your work. When you’re inside something in a cage, it can be very difficult to see. But with this, you can stand up, you can see where your bucket is; you can see to pick up stuff and to place stuff.”

If you’re working near a house or building, it’s a lot easier to maneuver, he says. You don’t need the back-up camera found on bigger machines to back up – you can just turn and look.

“This is a lot narrower than those caged sitting units, so you can get into tighter places,” Conry says.

 

The Dingo: two decades of innovation

The TXL 2000 represents a continuation of 20 years of dedication and innovation of the Toro Dingo and the compact utility loader (CUL) design. As the pioneer of the CUL in the North American marketplace, the development of the TXL 2000 has been based on feedback from end users, Toro says.

In addition to an “impressive rated operating capacity (ROC), the TXL 2000 also features many of the same benefits of a standard compact utility loader, including a compact footprint, superior visibility, and outstanding accessibility for mounting and dismounting the machine,” the company says.

Stepping up on that platform, you can feel the flex and spring designed to bring operator comfort.

“You want a little give because rarely are you doing work on flat ground,” Conry says.

There’s cushioned padding in the front of an operator to lean on, as well as on the left and right sides. “There’s padding so you feel like you’re inside the machine. It gives you some cushion if you’re leaning during rough turns.”

The TXL 2000 also features simple, easy-to-use and intuitive controls for controlling your maneuvering and attachments, which accommodates operators of all skill levels, Conry says. In terms of versatility, the TXL 2000 is compatible with multiple attachments for a variety of tasks.

“It’s very similar to our TX 1000, which has been out for about three years,” he notes, waving toward that smaller version also on display at the Rental Show.  Because of a similar grasp on the controls of the two machines, it’s easy to graduate from the smaller 1000 to the new, bigger Dingo, he says.

The TXL 2000 will be the ninth in the Dingo lineup. Toro’s equipment line includes tracked and wheeled models, gasoline- and diesel-powered options, and a wide range of rated operating capacities.

For more information on the Toro Dingo, please visit this company website.

 

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via Handy Rep Ai