ASV, Loftness Partner On Mulching Head

ASV Holdings Inc., a manufacturer of all-purpose and all-season compact track loaders and skid steers, has partnered with Loftness Specialized Equipment to design a specialized Loftness S-Series Battle Ax mulching head for optimized performance with ASV machines.

The skid steer and compact track loader attachment available through ASV’s dealer network is designed to produce a finer mulch with fewer passes, said ASV, and pairs  well with ASV’s RT-75 Heavy-Duty and RT-120 Forestry Posi-Track loaders in forestry and other demanding applications. The attachment is ideal for improving productivity in forestry mulching, land clearing, trail development and right-of-way work, said the company.

“It is important to us that our partners’ values align with ours, and we really see that in Loftness,” said Buck Storlie, ASV Holdings Inc. product line manager. “It’s why we worked so closely with them to make this specialized mulching head. The Battle Ax provides ASV customers the level of performance they need to get the most out of their machines.”

ASV and Loftness extensively tested the Battle Ax with the RT-75 HD and RT-120F to ensure the right specifications and features including hydraulic settings, gearing, back pressure and more.

The Battle Ax gives contractors the ability to fell large standing trees, shave off large material, and complete forward and reverse mulching. The attachment applies everything Loftness learned with the company’s flagship Carbide Cutter G4 and takes it a step further, said ASV. The shear bars and two-stage cutting chamber produce a finer mulch with fewer passes. It also includes a new rotor with built-in depth gauges that are carefully engineered to be less limiting than similar designs, improving productivity while optimizing the material feed rate to prevent the attachment from engaging too much material.

“We’ve worked with ASV for a number of years and we’re excited that their customers have direct access to our Battle Ax,” said Bill Schafer, Loftness product manager. “Extensive testing resulted in a unique attachment that pairs perfectly with ASV equipment.”

Operator protection on the RT-75 HD and RT-120F include a heavy-duty polycarbonate door, cross bracing and reinforced windows on a falling object protective structure (FOPS) and rollover protection (ROPS) cab. The models also include metal guarding against brush and debris around key areas, such as lights, the AC condenser and rear screen. The machines blow debris from mulching applications out of the engine compartment screens with a hydraulically driven, auto-reversing cooling fan. A full rear brush guard is also available as a factory-installed option.