Morgan Olson, Huddig, HD Hyundai prioritize versatility, serviceability for dealers, rental houses

Equipment manufacturers are prioritizing versatility and serviceability to meet the demands of dealers and rental houses, in addition to consumer demands. 

Sturgis, Mich.-based Morgan Olson, for one, stresses this with its new Kestrel work truck. The truck can handle tasks such as firefighting and forestry access without the need for trailers or additional vehicles, Director of Marketing and Communications Ken Klein, told Equipment Finance News at the recent 2025 Utility Expo in Louisville, Ky. 

“It can get anywhere, as far as on job sites, and it’s actually comfortable enough that if there was an urban need for it, you could still take and use it in an urban environment as well as the rural,” he said. He noted that it “can be serviced by any Jeep dealership anywhere in the world, so that, for itself, as far as serviceability, repairability, is why we’ve gone with the Jeep Gladiator chassis underneath this Kestrel body.”

Huddig’s ‘tool belt’ 

Hudiksvall, Sweden-based manufacturer Huddig touts its new 1370 power excavator as a “tool belt” machine for customers, dealers and rental houses, to emphasize its ability to easily swap attachments like buckets, snow blowers and trenchers to suit different tasks, Paul Barlow, president of Huddig, the company’s North American division, told EFN during the show. 

“The adaptability and versatility of this machine and what it can do, and then you add on top of that its off-road capability. That’s what makes this machine just so unique,” he said. “There are many machines that will dig holes, put a man lift and have a wheel loader. There isn’t one machine here that will do everything this machine can do.”

The financing piece 

For financing purposes, both Morgan Olson and Huddig look to capitalize on their partner’s versatility. For example, Morgan Olson customers can purchase the Kestrel using Jeep’s financing programs for the Jeep Gladiator, which starts at $38,695, that the truck body is built on. Meanwhile, Huddig leaves financing up to its dealer partners, as well as its customers. 

HD Hyundai adds versatile CTL 

Atlanta-based HD Hyundai Construction Equipment North America unveiled its versatile HT38 compact track loader (CTL) at the Utility Expo. The CTL is designed for land-clearing, landscaping and rental applications with multiple attachment compatibility and enhanced operator visibility, Julio Vargas, CE compact product manager at HD Hyundai Construction Equipment North America, said during the expo. The vehicle will be a boon for rental houses, he said. 

“For our dealers, rental companies will get a lot of it because they’re able to use multiple attachments and rent them for this machine,” he said. “So that makes it a great machine for rental houses as well.”

Hyundai CTL financing 

Hyundai’s new CTL is receiving strong dealer and customer feedback ahead of its release at dealerships and rental houses, Vargas said. To help it gain market share, HD Hyundai is launching the CTL with 0% financing for 60 months, a company financial services representative told EFN. 

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