Wheel loaders, also known as front end or bucket loaders, are used primarily for material handling, digging, road building, site preparation and load-and-carry. Starting as small agricultural tractors outfitted with a loader bucket to transport light materials, these machines evolved, first as rigid frame wheel loaders in the late 1930s, then to articulated wheel loaders in the 1940s.
As wheel loaders increased in size, safety concerns arose, particularly concerning the positioning of the loader pivot arm. These concerns ledto the adoption of a front mounted pivot in the late 1950s. Hough was one of the first manufacturers to produce a wheel loader with a safer design, followed quickly by Caterpillar, Case and Allis-Chalmers. Today's wheel loaders are comprised of a pivoted frame with the engine mounted over the rear wheels. A cab or canopy rests over the frame. The machine's pivot arrangement gives the wheel loader the ability to work in small turning circles.
HEVI Corp. , the developer and manufacturer of the first commercially available all-electric heavy equipment and portable charging solutions, announced that it won a bid from Maryland's Port of Baltimore for the purchase of a new GEL-5000 electric wheeled front loader, which will help electrify the fleet of one of America's busiest shipping ports.
The new Cat 988 GC wheel loader delivers reliable and efficient operation, allowing customers to move more material at a lower cost per hour for a faster return on investment.
"See a need, fill a need," said Craig Ferguson, owner of Ferguson Equipment and Trailer Sales in Dover, Minn.
Mecalac, a global designer, manufacturer and distributor of compact construction equipment, recently signed Anderson Equipment Company as its authorized dealer serving Western Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.
DEVELON is introducing new innovative technologies on its next-generation -7 Series wheel loaders in North America.
Addressing the needs of customers looking for compact solutions that provide enhanced maneuverability, stability and power, John Deere expands its Performance Tiering offerings with the shift from L-Series to P-Tier for the 244, 324 and 344 compact wheel loader models.
Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas introduced the ZW-7 generation wheel loaders with an emphasis on comfort, versatility and safety.
Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is launching its updated L350H wheel loader in North America, complete with a host of upgrades that will give customers greater productivity and fuel efficiency with lower service costs in a machine designed for a range of heavy-duty applications.
The 4-cu.-yd. Hitachi ZW220-7 wheel loader is an efficient loading tool available in both standard and high-lift arm configurations.
Liebherr presented its new mid-size wheel loaders as well as large wheel loaders from its XPower series at ConExpo 2023.