CASE goes heavy metal with Metallica-inspired special edition CTL

CASE goes heavy metal with Metallica-inspired special edition CTL

The band’s frontman James Hetfield commissioned a TV450B compact track loader for the Helping Hands charity event

• By
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  Heavy Equipment Guide Staff
  
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  December 16, 2024
  

The designer’s concept recalled one of Hetfield’s tattoos, a skull with wings, atop a sandy camouflage pattern reminiscent of Hetfield’s signature Snakebyte electric guitar.

CASE Construction Equipment

A special edition compact track loader from CASE Construction Equipment was on display at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, at the Helping Hands charity concert. Held on December 13, this annual event is organized by the rock band Metallica’s All Within My Hands charitable foundation. 

Following its debut, this custom-designed CASE TV450B compact track loader will be used at the ranch of Metallica frontman and co-founder James Hetfield. Hetfield commissioned the design as part of an equipment supply agreement with the CASE brand. 

The CNH design team brought their expertise to the project to develop proposals inspired by Hetfield’s career and persona. 

• The winning proposal was submitted by John Piper, a rising design talent at CNH. Piper crafted a concept that recalled one of Hetfield’s tattoos, a skull with wings, together with the sharp iconic font reminiscent of his band’s graphics and album artwork. He also drew from the pinstriping in Hetfield’s private hotrod collection. All these elements were integrated atop a sandy camouflage pattern reminiscent of Hetfield’s signature Snakebyte electric guitar — a direct request from the artist. 
• CNH senior designer Darin Weisensel led the production phase of this project, working to bring the custom design to life on the CASE TV450B. 

Built at the CASE production facility in Wichita, the TV450B compact track loader is an industry fixture. Tough and rugged, it performs tasks such as digging, loading, and dumping in commercial and residential construction activities as well as landscaping.