Heavy Construction Equipments Blog

There are two basic designs for wheel loaders: heavy and compact. These, in turn, break down into smaller categories. Understanding how these designs function and knowing their purposes will help you in deciding which will best serve your purposes and which best suits your price range.

The basic design of a wheel loader is a four-wheeled chassis with a shovel operating on hydraulic or pneumatic systems. In almost all cases, only a single operator is required. Wheel loaders serve a number of purposes, but the essential design is, simply, to move heavy loads. More specifically, the wheel loader is usually used to load material into trucks or other vehicles for transport, but the wheel loader can also be used as a transport vehicle by itself in a variety of circumstances, such as on a construction site.

Heavy industrial designs include models from companies like Volvo, Hitachi, Hanomag, Caterpillar, Liebherr, and others. These wheel loaders also called front end loaders, bucket loaders, or scoop loaders, are essentially heavy tractors that can weigh over 50,000 pounds and employ over 230 horsepower. They mount heavy scoop shovels at either end (sometimes both, in which case they may also be called back loaders), which are sometimes permanently fixed for even greater strength. Also, they are usually wheeled, as opposed to having tracks like other heavy loader machines. Loaders may be tracked or wheeled, depending on its function or just on the preference of the user.

Their primary purpose, regardless, is to load materials into trucks, clearing debris or dirt, and digging. Often, a wheel loader can perform a variety of tasks, but in many cases the shovel may be supplemented or replaced with a different tool, such as hydraulic “clamshell” bucket that allows the operator to close the shovel over the top of a load. The shovel itself usually can hold between three and six cubic meters of material, such as dirt. These heavy wheel loader models can also be used for clearing large amounts of snow, such as in a parking lot or along a strip of road. Heavy models are well suited to this task because sometimes a great deal of snow must be cleared in public areas during winter.

On the other end of the spectrum, light wheel loaders include vehicles such as light farm tractors and compact utility tractors. They are also known as compact front end loaders, and although they also employ only a single operator, they are usually much smaller and lighter than the heavy industrial wheel loaders (also, they usually have only 18 to 50 horsepower). Thus, they are popular among farmers, ranchers, and other private owners due to their convenient size and relatively inexpensive price range.

Perhaps the most recognized name among light wheel loader manufacturers is John Deere. John Deere has established a reputation for tough, reliable tractors. Other prominent manufacturers include New Holland, Kubota, and Kioti, all of which produce light wheel loaders for farm, ranch, and landscaping work.

There are two forearm designs on light wheel loader models. The first is the traditional dogleg style, and the second is the newer curved design. The latter design is becoming more popular among the different manufacturers because it offers the operator a slightly better forward view. The older dogleg style partially obstructed the operator’s view to the front of the wheel loader. In addition to the different styles of forearms, many light wheel loaders also incorporate removable shovels. This allows the user to install a variety of other components, such as claws for transporting logs, or pallet forks for lifting pallet crates. They may even install a bale spear for loading and transporting hay bales.

Light front end wheel loaders are useful for a wide variety of purposes. Farmers may use them as do-it-all machines, as they can be used for transporting equipment in the shovel, as a makeshift cargo area. With a number of different types of trailers, they can be used as swathing and baling machines for crops. They can also be used to spread fertilizer, again with special trailers or other mounts. Ranchers may use them to distribute feed for livestock, or for transporting animal waste (not a small concern for many ranchers). Landscapers may use wheel loaders to transport fencing material, or for clearing away brush and other debris from a work area. In short, the light wheel loader is an extremely versatile machine, and adapts well to a variety of tasks.

Wheel loaders, for all their versatility, are not suited for every task one might imagine for them. They are designed with specific functions, and that negates the ability to adapt to every conceivable task. Even so, they remain quite versatile.

Standard (i.e. non-tracked) wheel loaders are usually less expensive to construct and maintain than tracked wheel loaders. The non-tracked design allows for greater speed and mobility, although the tradeoff is that they are not as stable or as able to operate in difficult terrain. The tracked design, on the other hand, is harder on the surface, whether paved roads or grass or other surfaces, and thus may not be appropriate to use in all circumstances. The primary advantage of tracks over wheels is the increased traction.

Large wheel loaders employ an “articulated steering” system, in which a hydraulically actuated pivot point controls both the front and the rear axles of the wheels. Since it is set directly in the middle of the wheel chassis, it provides the wheel loader with a reduced turn radius, translating to greater maneuverability. Another advantage is that it reduces strain on the front axle, which allows the wheel loader to lift heavy loads without great concern for the structural integrity of the front axle. Even so, these advantages come at a price: the wheel loader is less stable when turning while carrying a load. Especially when the shovel is high, the raised center of gravity could cause the wheel loader to tip onto the outside edge during a turn. This is a particular concern when operating the wheel loader on uneven terrain, so operators must take this into account.

Wheel loaders can be rented for as little as $300 per day, for the lightest models. Heavy wheel loaders can be three or four times that amount per day, and some dealers ask that you call for quotes on the heavier models. Many dealers offer daily, weekly, or even monthly rental services. In any case, shopping around will provide you with a variety of price quotes and options, and will deliver the machines directly to the worksite.

Be aware, also, that not all dealers will have the model that best suits your purposes. It is wise to investigate all options before settling on a given wheel loader. Chances are the best model for you is available, if you will spend a little time searching for it.

New or used wheel loaders for sale are versatile, tough machines that are employed for a variety of heavy duty tasks. They are equally useful at construction sites, industrial plants, farms, ranches, and forestry sites. Many different models, of all different sizes, weights, and abilities are available to provide the best matches for the given jobs. Dealers offer competitive prices and services, so if you have a large physical job at hand, consider the advantages of a wheel loader.