6 Things to Know Before Buying a Wheel Loader

Wheel loaders are powerful pieces of heavy equipment and have various uses, which is why you can likely find them on most construction sites. 

Wheel loaders essentially function like massive mobile shovels, so they are often used to scoop various materials into trucks or to move them from one part of a job site to another.

They can lift many things, including rubble, soil, gravel, debris, and dirt. Wheel loaders look somewhat similar to bulldozers, despite a few distinct key differences. 

Rather than operating on a continuous track system, they have wheels, just as their name suggests. Also, instead of using a flat blade to push things around like a bulldozer, they have a bucket to scoop, move, and dump materials. 

Wheel loaders come in various sizes, making them suitable for pretty much any job site, as well as any type of construction or landscaping project.

What are the most important things to consider before buying a wheel loader?

There are several important factors to consider before buying a wheel loader to add to your fleet. 

Since there are hundreds of different models of wheel loaders on the market, which come from different brands, and in different sizes with different specs, it is necessary to know exactly what to look for as you make this purchase.

The following aspects are all essential to consider in order to ensure that you choose the perfect wheel loader for your needs:

1. Consider its size

As you look at wheel loader options, you will find that they come in many different sizes. Consider the exact kinds of jobs you will be using it for, and pick one that is sized appropriately for your needs. Choosing the right-sized wheel loader will also help you maximize your ROI. 

As you are considering sizes, you may want to think about the amount of material that your wheel loader will need to lift on a daily basis and what the approximate weight of that material will be. 

The three main elements you will need to examine in a wheel loader are its horsepower, tipping load, and bucket size.

2. Choose the right bucket

One of the most important parts of any wheel loader is its bucket, as this is the component of the machine that allows it to dig, scoop, or carry various materials. 

Buckets typically come in compact, small, medium, or large sizes. It is essential that your wheel loader has the right bucket for your needs. 

You may want to consider your daily production figure and the density of the materials you will be handling. It is also important to consider a bucket’s breakout force, which measures the amount of force the bucket can exert.

3. Other attachments

Aside from the bucket, there are a large number of other attachments that can be affixed to your wheel loader, which is what makes it such a versatile machine. These attachments can help you maximize the efficiency of your wheel loader. 

Once again, consider the kind of work you intend to use your wheel loader for as you decide which attachments to purchase. Some of the common attachments you can get include blades, booms, forks, grapples, and rakes.  

4. Serviceability

As is the case while purchasing any kind of heavy equipment and machinery, it is necessary to consider how easy it is to service the wheel loader that you purchase. 

Therefore, you may want to look for one that has easy-to-access maintenance points such as its hydraulic hoses and its engine. 

It is also important to ensure it has quality components and extended service intervals because, then, you will not have to worry about servicing it too frequently. 

When you buy a wheel loader that can be serviced quickly and efficiently, that means it will be out of commission for less time, which is always better for both your timeline and expenses.

5. Understand arm configurations

There are three main types of arm configurations that most wheel loaders can have: the Z-bar, the XR (extended reach), and the XT (tool carrier). 

It is necessary you understand and consider the differences between these arm configurations because each of them has been configured for a specific purpose. 

The XR is most commonly used in farming applications, whereas XT arms are best for material handling. If you are not doing much material handling, then the Z-bar may be your best bet.

6. Consider comfort

Although comfort may not be the number one priority when it comes to buying a new wheel loader, it is still something important to think about. 

After all, when machinery is more comfortable to operate, it is often much easier to maximize productivity on a job site. 

A few factors you may want to consider when it comes to the comfort of your wheel loader are how smoothly it rides, whether it has air conditioning and heating, how much cab noise it generates, whether it has suspension seats, and how intuitive the joystick controls are.

How Great West Equipment Can Help With Purchasing a Wheel Loader

If you think your future construction projects could benefit from the power and versatility that wheel loaders have to offer, then Great West Equipment would be glad to help you find the perfect one for you to add to your fleet. 

We are a certified seller of some of the best brands in the industry, such as Volvo Construction Equipment, Madill, FFE, TimberPro, Sennebogen, Metso, K-Tec, SDLG, and CMI. 

If you are looking for a new wheel loader for sale in BC, we have some of the latest and most innovative models available that we would be glad to demo for you. 

On the other hand, if it makes more sense to purchase a used wheel loader, for the time being, we can also help, as we have just as many used ones in stock at our 11 stores across British Columbia and the Yukon. 

If you are unsure which direction to go in when it comes to your wheel loader, someone from our product experts will happily point you in the right direction and answer any questions you have. 

We offer competitive pricing on all of our products and even have financing options available for your convenience. If this is an option that interests you, feel free to let us know, and we will gladly walk through all of our terms and conditions with you.

We will also gladly set you up with one of our custom-tailored service and repair agreements so we can help guarantee your satisfaction with your wheel loader continuing for many years. 

For more information about our inventory of wheel loaders or to request a consultation, call Great West Equipment at 1-833-730-0613 or contact us here.