CASE CX57C Mini Excavator Handles Utility Work & Digs Through Hard, Red Tennessee Clay

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In order to dig through Tennessee’s notoriously hard red clay (especially when packed down by construction traffic) and keep projects on schedule, S&E Properties uses a CASE CX57C to dig trenches for utility projects. (Photo courtesy of CASE.)

Tennessee’s famous red dirt clay is a familiar sight for residential developer S&E Properties. The company has developed 16 neighborhoods and more than 1,000 lots in the greater Knoxville, Tennessee, area and one of the company’s calling cards is its ability to do its own site utility work.

“We do sewer lines, water lines, electrical conduit, storm drainage, anything with a pipe,” says owner Scott Smith. “Our crew comes in and we pretty much do this for ourselves, because we're fast and we can provide home sites at a much cheaper rate than we could hire it to be done.”

To keep projects on schedule when digging through Tennessee clay, S&E Properties relies on a CASE CX57C mini excavator.

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The CX57C comes standard with a hydraulically powered backfill blade that improves machine stability during excavation and provides simplified backfilling when needed. (Photo courtesy of CASE.)

Power & Stability

The 66.9-horsepower CX57C stands out among the CASE C Series line of compact excavators due to its more conventional tailswing design along with a relatively large counterweight, allowing the compact machine to deliver a bucket digging force of 9,550 pounds-foot (12,948 newton-meters) and reach digging depths of up to 13 feet 4 inches (4.1 meters). The CX57C also comes standard with a hydraulically powered backfill blade that both improves machine stability during excavation and provides simplified backfilling when needed.

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Although it’s a mini excavator, the CX57C features a conventional tailswing design with a large counterweight, giving it power and performance comparable to that of a larger-class excavator. (Photo courtesy of CASE.)

Utility Trenching

When digging utility lines, Scott outfits the CX57C with a narrow trenching bucket. Not only does this provide a slimmer trench that requires less backfill, but is also more stable and provides additional downstream cost savings and efficiency.

“Utility companies tell me that my crew are some of the best people they deal with in town,” says Scott. “I feel like we have a very good reputation and that is 100% due to our employees.”

Source: CASE