Equally important for many construction jobs as on the farm, a wheel loader (wheeled loader) is a popular machine in the UK. Choosing from the range of manufacturers and models of wheel loaders for sale at Plantpages is not a straightforward task. No single manufacturer dominates the listings – although Volvo often come out on top. It is Volvo that claims to have invented the wheel loader in 1954 and this carries some credibility with it. Other popular brands of wheeled loaders are JCB in the UK and Caterpillar worldwide. As with all machines of this nature, there is an array of sizes of loaders available – determine the site requirements, including access and transportability of the machines.
It is a vital piece of kit for moving materials around site. Two key elements – it has wheels (obviously) which means that it can be used on finished surfaces, unlike tracked machines which can cause damage. Since o lot of the machine’s tasks will involve loading a vehicle of some kind, this is often likely to take place on prepared surfaces. It is for this reason that they massively outnumber tracked loaders.
The second part is the loading element. Unlike the backhoe loader which can both dig and load, the wheeled loader is specialised only in the loading element. This typically means that it more effective than a dual purpose machine. Usually fitted with a bucket – which come in a vast array of sizes – many operators will call these ‘Loading Shovels’ – on these pages you will often see the title of the advertisement, ‘Loading Shovel for Sale’.
These buckets will vary hugely in size, from a half of a cubic metre up to sixteen cubic metres. However, if you are loading a relatively small vehicle, you won’t want to dump a whole large bucket load in one go!
In addition to buckets, different attachments make the wheeled loader suitable for specialist applications. You may come across agi specials which use a rake/grab system to collect the bulky materials on the farm. Similarly the smaller loaders can turn their hands to loading using forks. Not as accurate as a forklift or telehandler, a forked wheel loader can nonetheless manage a decent job.
Anything from snow clearing – (a snow plough is good at pushing snow to one side at speed, but if you really want to move the snow out of the way totally then you need the services of a wheel loader), to construction site work, farming and everything in between.
Smaller loaders may be confused with skid steer loaders – these are different categories at Plantpages, although they can be used for smilary jobs, landscaping, small works etc.
A number of manufacturers, including Volvo CE have a category of ‘Compact Wheel Loaders’. These range frrom an operating weight of 4.3 tonnes and a bucket capacity of .045 cubic metres to a ten-tonne machine with bucket sizes up to 2.3 cubic metres.
Again, when considering the Volvo CE range, the large loaders start with an operating weight of 11 tonnes increasing to a massive 56 tonnes and bucket capacities of 16 cubic metres.
The 2008 Volvo L150F wheel loader on this week's front cover looks like it would make someone a useful machine. The machine itself looks straight, has a full cab with reverse camera and has been looked after by one owner from new. Check out the details on the inside front cover on the Plantmaster advert or view all the wheeled loaders for sale at Plant Pages online. Remember, there's always tonnes of farm machinery for sale at our sister site www.farmmachinerypages.co.uk If you are looking for trucks and trailers for sale then head to www.truckpages.co.uk Also check out the rest…>
Develon have launched a new Electric joystick steering feature available now for the DL280-7 wheel loader. It allows the operator to steer comfortably with one hand. Particularly when the job involves a lot of steering, joystick steering saves energy and makes the job less physically demanding, as short movements on the ergonomically shaped joystick replace turning the steering wheel. The left arm remains comfortably on the armrest, and as the direction of travel can be changed with a switch on the control unit, the left hand remains on the joystick even when changing direction. The system comes with a range…>
In 2021, Bobcat launched the company’s first compact wheel loader (CWL), the L85. In 2022, the company added the L75 value model and in 2023, Bobcat launched its top-of-the-range premium model, the L95. Bobcat has announced annual updates for the L75 and L85 for model year 2024, allowing owners of the latest versions of these machines to benefit from some of the advanced features that were introduced last year on the L95. Award-Winning Wheel Loaders The Bobcat compact wheel loader range continues to win awards. The L85 was announced as a Product discipline winner in the 2021 edition of the…>
With the PW168-11 and PW198-11 wheeled excavators Komatsu expands its product range of short-tail models, rounding up the operating weights of these popular machines up to 20 tonnes. The new machines are compact and easy to transport, powerful, comfortable, versatile, reliable and durable, as per the most frequently expressed customer requests, which led to their development. Precisely tailored to these requests, the two newly developed machines are now rolling out into operation. Easy to transport and compact dimensions You can quickly transport your new Komatsu wheel excavators to the next construction site without needing a special low-bed trailer, and work…>
CASE Construction Equipment has updated its compact wheel loader line, with the launch of four F-Series Evolution models – the 21F, 121F, 221F and 321F. The machines benefit from increased travel speeds and an upgraded operator’s cab. This incorporates a revised monitor, enhanced electrohydraulic controls with smart features, plus a range of connectivity applications previously only seen on larger models. Increased travel speeds Improved operator comfort Smart control features Upgraded connectivity Improved performance To meet growing customer demand, the two larger models are available with a choice of travel speed ratings, 20kph in standard trim and an optional 40kph for…>