Enter … CTL-Man? Metallica Frontman Gets Custom Case Compact Track Loader (Video)
The specially designed CTL is headed to lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield's ranch in California.
A special edition Case TV450B compact track loader is headed for lead singer and guitarist of the metal band Metallica, James Hetfield.
The CTL, commissioned by Hetfield as part of a supply agreement with Case, was on display December 13 at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, during Metallica’s annual Helping Hands charity concert. Hetfield plans to use the CTL at his ranch in California.
The design proposal for the machine, which received special detailing at Perfection Corp. in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, including some hand-painted graphics, came from John Piper, an industrial designer at CNH Industrial. CNH Senior Designer Darin Weisensel led the production phase of this project.
Influences on the final design include one of Hetfield’s skull tattoos, his hotrod collection and, of course, the iconic Metallica logo font. All these graphics sit on a camo pattern that references Hetfield’s signature Snakebyte guitar.
The Case TV450B features a 90-horsepower engine, 4,500 pound rated operating capacity at 50% tipping load and an operating weight of 10,610 pounds.
The unveiling of the “Hetfield Edition” Case TV450B follows the company’s recent announcement of a limited-run model of its 580 Super N backhoe loader, with only 50 units of the J.I. Case Signature Edition machine available.
The Case TV450 was launched in 2018, when it was billed as the company’s largest compact track loader.