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Compact Equipment: Agile players

June 11, 2008 |

Compact equipment’s popularity not only rests on its ability to be nimble in confined spaces, but also because they now offer many big machine features like high payload capacities, spacious operator stations and high flow auxiliary hydraulics. Compact wheel loaders in the 60- to 90-horsepower range can go bucket-to-bucket with similar size skid steers for many applications and frequently can match their capabilities.

For contractors working on sensitive ground coverings, a compact wheel loader’s low-impact rubber tires decrease the chances of disturbing vegetation – a minus for wheeled skid steers. On paved surfaces, compact wheel loaders roll smoothly along at up to 21 mph and won’t leave a trail of disturbed concrete or asphalt. They also have ground clearance ranges between 12 to 18 inches (Volvo’s L35B PRO has almost 2 feet of clearance).

And there’s nothing wrong with a little muscle. With their strong lift capacities and good reach heights, compact wheel loaders are loading material into trucks, placing pallets and finding favor with masonry contractors. The Komatsu WA100M-5 loader, for example, has a tipping load of 12,389 pounds.

Also keep in mind that all material moving is not up. Compact loaders in this horsepower class feature a breakout force from a low end of 9,921 pounds all the way up to Terex’s TL120 rated 15,656 pounds.

Operator comfort is a standard component in these small wheel loaders with features like electronically controlled load stabilizer-ride control (pallets aren’t the only cargo these machines carry), quiet cabs and climate controls. The high-up cabs on these loaders give operators a better look at the job and increased visibility while using attachments.

Staying grounded
Stability equals safe productivity, so manufacturers are giving articulated compact loaders a wider stance, like Case’s 78-inch-wide 321E, and additional weight such as Volvo’s L25B rear wrap-around counterweight. Lower side counterweights help Volvo’s L30B Pro and L35B Pro loaders work on steeper slopes.

Rigid-frame wheel loaders can provide stability with good ground clearance. Mustang, Gehl and Wacker are producing rigid frame models. Jay Baudhuin, product manager at Wacker Neuson, notes, “With a rigid frame compact wheel loader, your center of gravity never changes when you lift the bucket, so you don’t lose lift capacity.” The increased stability of rigid frame loaders with all-wheel-steering keeps the load level and increases material retention all the way through the lift cycle. All-wheel-steering also gives these loaders the pushing power required to drive into a pile of material, load and lift. Fitted with forks or a bucket, operators can carry and place awkward or heavy pallet loads, keeping material steady and workers safe from falling objects.

Traditional articulated compact wheel loaders have their advantages, too. Their 40-degree articulation lets them make sharp turns and eliminates rear tail swing. David Steger, national product manager for Takeuchi, says his company is seeing a number of articulated units going into recycling applications where Takeuchi contends that visibility, flexibility and capacities of a compact wheel loader are superior to skid steers.