Wheel Loaders Upcoming Auctions

About Wheel Loaders

Wheel loaders are among the most common and versatile equipment found in construction, mining, agriculture, forestry, landscaping, recycling, landfill, and other work environments. Their ability to work with various types of front-mounted buckets—general-purpose, multipurpose, wood chip, rock, etc.— lets them excavate, scoop, lift, and transport rocks, bricks, snow, mulch, and other materials. Moreover, the ability to swap out the bucket for forks, blades, grapples, rippers, and other attachments enables wheel loaders to perform demolishing, tearing, ripping, scrapping, backfilling, and other tasks.

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CASE 921G XR Wheel Loader

Cost & Size

Also known as “tire loaders,” new and used wheel loaders can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to $1 million or more. They are typically categorized into compact, small, medium, and large size classes. The compact category generally includes 80-horsepower (60-kilowatt) or less models with operating weights of 1 ton (0.91 metric tons) or less, while the large category includes 250- to 1,000-HP (186- to 745-kW) or greater models topping 260-ton (235-metric-ton) operating weights.

Along with engine size, lift reach, lift capacity, bucket capacity, breakout force, and operating weight, the primary considerations when considering a wheel loader purchase include what materials and how much of them you’ll be consistently moving, as well as what other equipment you’ll use in conjunction with the wheel loader. Crawler loaders offer an alternative to wheel models, and typically offer greater traction and stability on rougher terrain, though wheel models are generally faster, quieter, more maneuverable, and more fuel-efficient.

Popular Brands & Models

Popular brands of new and used wheel loaders for sale on MachineryTrader.com include CASE, Caterpillar, Deere, Hyundai, JCB, Komatsu, and Volvo. You’ll find many manufacturers offer models in all four size classes. Volvo wheel loaders, for example, range from a roughly 64-HP (47-kW) model with a 0.9-cubic-yard (0.7-cubic-meter) bucket capacity and a 9,877-pound (4,480-kilogram) operating weight up to a 532-HP (396-kW) model with an up to 16.6-cu yd (12.7-cu m) bucket capacity and a 123,459-lb (56,000-kg) operating weight. Cat’s lineup, meanwhile, extends from a 42-HP (31-kW) compact model with a 1.3-cu yd (1-cu m) bucket capacity and a 9,414-lb (4,270-kg) operating weight to a giant 1,739-HP (1,296-kW) model with a 57-cu yd (43.5-cu m) bucket capacity, a 534,852-lb (242,604-kg) operating weight, and a 45-t(40.8-mt) carrying capacity per pass.