WHEEL LOADER: Facts & Figures

The wheel loader, sometimes referred to as a front end loader, a bucket loader, or a scoop loader, is a modified tractor with a wide, tilting bucket on hydraulic moveable arms. Loaders may also be fitted with a Its primary use is for lifting material such as wood, earth, gravel, or debris, and loading it into trucks for removal or releasing it in a pile elsewhere. They may also be used for short transport of heavy materials such as piping or bricks across a construction site.

Though loaders with rotary tracks are common, especially when working with sharp debris that could damage rubber tires, the wheeled loader is preferable for most urban engineering projects because it does not damage roads and moves more quickly from place to place.

While some wheel loaders have permanently mounted buckets, most are removable, allowing for a host of other attachments. Such attachments include forks for loading pallets or shipping containers, plows for snow removal, bale grapplers for gathering and lifting large bales of hay or straw, or heavy duty grapples for loading logs. It may also be fitted with a "clamshell" bucket for scraping or light dozing.

Larger wheel loaders are designed with articulated steering; the front and rear axles of the machine are connected by a vertical hinge and hydraulic cylinders. This means that the rear wheels do the turning while the front remain fixed, allowing for heavier loads on the front end. Placed at halfway between the front and rear axles, the vertical hinge also eliminates the need for a differential.

Prices for new loaders range anywhere from $25,000 up to $500,000 for the largest tracked loaders. Lease agreements are also available, usually directly from the manufacturers, while some companies specialize in the rental of many different manufactures. Rental prices for loaders can be anything from $1400/$4200 per week/month and up.